Brittanie
DNF. The writing was really disjointed - I realise it was for effect but it made it difficult for me to concentrate - and I couldn't relate to any of the characters enough to keep me engaged.
DNF. It started out very promising, like a nice traditional ghost story set in the Highlands, but it was very drawn out and I didn't much care for any of the children. It focused too much on Kat who was hard to empathize with. I started skipping pages at about 150 and then decided I just didn't care how it ended.
The summary of this book sounded really great, like a Battle Royale involving fairies, but the writing and dialogue was a bit hard to focus on; it's written in a somewhat non-linear narrative with a lot of necessary background information and history left out. I'm not sure if it's because it was written by an Irish writer so the “accent” is so different from what I'm used to, but it was just difficult for me to get past. I felt like I had walked into the middle of a conversation.
This actually made me breathe out and say, “Wow.” when I finished it. The verse is a little clunky - it's written in like snippets of time rather than a more natural flow - but it really packs a punch. In the introduction, Klune states they meant to encase a full narrative and romance into a short story as an exercise and they very much succeeded. I want to know what happens next and I want to know more about these characters.
Read this as was published in the newer collection titled [b:The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal 34680762 The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal K.J. Charles https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1490459007l/34680762.SY75.jpg 44302287] (2017). See review there.
DNF @ 20%
I just couldn't get past the daddy/son dynamic. It's a “kink” that really grosses me out.
I really enjoy Cray's writing and have been reading my way through her catalog, but this one was probably my least favourite. Some of these stories didn't feel as developed as they could have and left me feeling like I didn't get the full story or didn't understand what Cray was going for. I really enjoyed her separately published short story [b:Thirsting for More 16143474 Thirsting for More Claire Cray https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1357273667l/16143474.SX50.jpg 21976050] and the previously published [b:Backwoods Beast 16143477 Backwoods Beast Claire Cray https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1352685989l/16143477.SX50.jpg 21976061] that's been included in this collection (along with its sequel/continuation story) but not many of the other stories in this collection captured me in the same way.
Cray has quickly become one of my favourite authors of the genre because of her excellent characterisation, fun plots, and well-written sex scenes. This book definitely has all three.
James, after having all the family he knows murdered mysteriously, goes across country from New York to the Olympic forest to seek out a mysterious plot of land he inherited from his mother. He didn't know previously of her ties to that part of the country and, while still reeling from the murders, tries to go off grid while also looking into her past. It doesn't go smoothly as one would expect but he does encounter a very kind, handsome stranger named Hunter that ends up having a lot more to do with his mother's, and his, past than James could have imagined.
Both James and Hunter are very likeable and even though James is on the edge and grew up rich in New York City, he doesn't come across as snooty or naive. Hunter is more of a good ol' boy that worked his way up from less than nothing after his favourite sister's suicide and then coming out to his Fundamentalist family. You're definitely rooting for both of them from the start.
The only part that disappointed me was that the plot contains nothing paranormal or fantastical which I expected from the official summary that mentioned a Twin Peaks-type vibe. The only thing I thought it had in common with TP was setting. It's very much just a mystery with some triller elements and some of the revelations uncovered aren't really explored enough for them to even matter (like the Native stuff). I also didn't care for Beau that much or how he's written as this very mysterious, otherworldly person that just happens to share a face with James. When they finally meet, they are also a little too flirty though I think Cray meant for it just to show how much of a bond twins have, even when strangers. But he's just a long-lost twin with nothing weird about him besides his personality and a knack for growing illegal weed. A bit more editing wouldn't have gone amiss.
Overall a very fast but satisfying (if you don't think about it too hard) read that takes place in one of my favourite parts of the United States.
Quick, cute read with little substance or realism, but it has a HEA that'll warm your bones.
After reading The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, I expected this to be much like those stories which, while entertaining, started to get more tedious as I read on. However, Doyle is renewed in his sense of Holmes' and Watson's characters and produced a wildly entertaining mystery full of deceit, scandal, and murder. Holmes' genius and dry, sarcastic wit plus Watson's admiration for his companion and own brand of intelligence make this a great study in character. The story itself is full of adventure and has many characters and plots that keep the reader guessing until finally the mystery is solved by the dynamic duo and friends.
I've missed Holmes and Watson as I haven't read the books or any fanfiction in years, so it was a nice homecoming of sorts for me. The basic characterisations of these characters is close enough to classic Doyle to elicit no complaint with a decent case as the main plot focus. The main issue I had was that, at the very outset, there is no physical relationship between Holmes and Watson but by the first chapter, they are very suddenly thrust into one that felt out of nowhere. Holmes merely asks for a lesson in how to woo including kissing from Watson, and then a mere paragraph later Watson has Holmes up against a tree in a full-on snog. Obviously, those reading this book are mostly here for that very thing but I was hoping for a more natural progression, definitely more angst and second-guessing from Watson. Here, once they start with that (very out-in-public) kiss, they can't keep their hands off each other and that very afternoon, in Chapter 2, Holmes is already on his knees... it just seemed very unexpected for the era and these characters. If this was just some fanfiction on A03 I wouldn't even blink at this, but because the writers went through the trouble of publishing it I expected more polish and thoughtfulness.
The first half of the book is from the point-of-view of Mother Demdike, an elderly healer in mid 1500s through early 1600s Lancashire, England. She gains a familiar and uses the knowledge and magic of now-illegal Catholic rites (this is during the reign of Protestant Elizabeth I) and other charms to help her small village survive during famine and the hard life of every-day Tudor England peasants. Her son marries and moves away with his family while her daughter, born out-of-wedlock and with a lazy eye, is seen as evil by the superstitious villagers but Demdike gains their trust by being a formidable healer and elder and manages to help them both survive.
The latter half of the book is from the point-of-view of Demdike's granddaughter (from her daughter), who has also been gifted with healing prowess, but which ultimately leads to the village's downfall.
This is a gripping, well-written look into the lives of those who are mostly forgotten (peasants and country-folk of bygone eras) that seems to be very well researched with just enough of the supernatural to make it more than a historical narrative.
As it says in the afterword, it's based off of a real witch trial in Lancashire, which characters based off of the actual women and men who were wrongly accused of witchcraft and subsequently tortured and killed for their “crimes”.
Dropped at 76 pages. This no doubt an excellent book but just not for me. I had a hard time with the archaic language (it reads very historically accurate and just didn't process well in my head) and thus difficulty following the narrative. If it was maybe 200 pages not 500 I'd have stuck with it but that's too much for this humble reader.
I listened to the audio CD read by Benedict Cumberbatch.
The story itself is a really interesting look behind the closed doors of Europe in the late 1700's.
This reminded me a lot of Mark Gatiss' Lucifer Box series, with more violence and less tongue-in-cheek humour. I agree with a lot of previous reviewers that it kind of starts in the middle of a conversation none of us were having - the writer casually drops names and places with no explanation or introduction. This would have been less of a problem if it took place in our own world, but it is set in a fictional city with elements drawn from New York or London in the 1920s and 30s. Think Bright Young Things gone spy thriller. It took me a couple of chapters to feel familiar enough with the setting to be interested and then I really got attached to Aristide and Cyril in a way that made the ending a goddamn bitch of an unsatisfactory situation. Now I eagerly await the sequel.
This seemed a rather academic romance, as most of the book is spent with the two characters discussing the philosophy of love in detail, obviously influenced by Plato's [b:The Symposium 81779 The Symposium Plato https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1520522475l/81779.SY75.jpg 1488719] which the two main characters are reading. I enjoyed how the plot allowed a kind of exploration of several aspects of Regency England's ideas on sex - the characters visit a brothel, an orphanage/workhouse, a molly house, a play, church, a party, the countryside, etc. in efforts to prove to one another whether or not love actually exists and how to define it. There's also a lot of actual poetry which I enjoyed. Of course, over all this, they end up falling in love with each other. It's a very slow burn romance between two engaging characters with a HEA.
I'm starting to think that post-war mm romances are my favourite. The angst that comes from being a returning soldier, adding illegal desires and a battle-tired country, makes for some compelling reading. K.J. Charles does that very well.
Crippled at the tail-end of the Boer Wars in Africa, not from battle but from faulty (sabotaged) ammunitions shipped from his own country, that also killed his best friend and lover, Archie has a vendetta. He attends a stay-over house party in the middle of the country to try to find out who's responsible. There he meets a very effeminate foreigner named de Silva who both repulses and intrigues him. He finds out that de Silva is on a mission not dissimilar to his and they form a shaky alliance, but Archie starts to see there's a lot more to de Silva than his initial impressions.
There's a good mystery with lots of intrigue, and both characters are likeable and well-written. The conclusion was shocking in the best way and it has a HEA. A definite recommend.
There are so many things wrong with this book I don't really know where to begin.
I guess, first off, this isn't some love letter to Tokyo like a lot of reviews have said. Reading, I felt like I know more about the city and culture just from watching anime and researching for my own trip than this author - there were things that were very weird or just plain wrong that the author is trying to pass off as fact that are actually pretty important when representing an entire nation such as language and name pronunciations, phrases, and cultural norms. There is also really only one part of the book the explores the city and most of that is spent on the Robot Restaurant experience. Most of the books hardly takes place outside of the hotel she lives in or the accelerated English-language school she goes to, both places are hardly experiences a normal person would be able to relate to or experience in Japan.
Secondly, how much thought was put into Elle's characterisation? She was just a really shitty person from the start. She grew up loved but has become so embittered by her mother's (seemingly short) addiction spiral that led to prison that she just acts like a spoiled brat through most of the book. Yes, she had to experience the American foster system (which sucks) but it seemed like a very short time and now she's basically been handed this amazing, privileged life and she can't take some minutes out of her day to appreciate it, instead focusing on how her father works constantly or how her grandmother and aunt show little interest. And before that, she claims she loves her mom but didn't seem to do anything to discourage her addiction and then decided that she was so angry about it she wouldn't even visit her in prison, opting to just stew in her anger at her disgusting foster home. I guess because she's 16 you can just claim that she's at the age where she both thinks she knows everything she needs to about the world while knowing absolutely nothing but that makes it very difficult to read her POV, much less have any sympathy for her.
The book starts off with her getting pretty brutally bullied on the school bus because she smells from not being able to shower more than once a week at her foster home but doesn't seem to realise there is more than one way to clean yourself. When she does finally make it to Tokyo, she seems to know perfectly how to operate a brand new iPhone and video chat with friends via public school computers (which is absolutely ridiculous) but doesn't know basic things that come up in conversation as if she's never read a book in her life. She also doesn't seem to ever do any of her own research on Japan, relying solely on a binder that was prepared for her by her father's assistant (who disappears 1/4 way through the book never to be mentioned again) or what her “friends” tell her. She couldn't pick up a Lonely Planet guide at Dulles before getting on a 16 hour flight? There's also the fact that, while she wasn't super poor before her mom started spiraling, she embraces her newfound privilege with open arms, instantly becoming a Mean Girl - even while telling herself/the reader she hates every minute of it. She acts like she has no choice but to hang out with these girls, even feeling rebellious when she doesn't like it's some huge faux pas (though she's commiting faux pas left and right like it's her job). AND ALSO Uber and Amex is not something that you could use around Tokyo willy nilly, even as a rich person. Seven Eleven Japan does take Amex but I doubt many smaller shops do (she's also using it to buy things that are probably less than ??1500 and yeesh just get some allowance cash from your loaded father), as Japan is largely still a cash based society. And Uber is in Japan (in Tokyo only as many municipal governments such a Fukuoka have deemed it illegal) but it's more for hailing cabs (which is also how it works in Ireland and Finland). She would most likely have wanted to use a local cab app or would just walk/take trains/busses everywhere like most Japanese. AND THIS IS STUFF THAT IS ALL GOOGLEABLE, RACHEL.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg for what is wrong with this book.
The reader slogs though all of this nonsense, wanting more and more to throttle the main character, only to have the last 40 pages being some kind of magical conclusion with all these pieces falling perfectly into place and then wrapped with a Hello Kitty bow. That's not how life works and it makes this book an even bigger waste of time.
It was really disappointing because I've always been interested in Japanese culture and am preparing for my own trip abroad so was hoping for a book that would be in touch with that and make me even more excited, might even have given me some ideas or expectations... Instead, it just made me angry and cringe. If you know anything about Japan, you'll hate this. If you don't know anything about Japan, you might not hate this but I'll hate that it's giving you a false reality of such an amazing, rich culture.
This was quite a nice surprise. I randomly found this book browsing Amazon as it popped up in a “since you liked this other book” recommendation and it was on sale so I figured why not. This reminded me a lot of the manic pixi dream girl YA books I read as a teenager only with my favourite fan fiction tropes thrown in. Down on his luck business owner that can bake? Yes please. (Probably) Autistic artist virgin with a dreamy look in his eyes? Sign me up. Everything coated in magical realism? Just take my wallet. Parrish also has her characters actually talk to each other about ~feelings~ GASP while making them still seem pretty realistic for two adult men characters. Bonus that they're both pretty thirsty for each other. It basically has all the elements to make this a book I couldn't put down and one that I'll be thinking about for a while - especially about some of the bakes described. I really want that oatmeal toast with cinnamon sugar.
The only thing that bummed me out was this looks like a one-off instead of a series, as it was written in 2017 and nothing else has been mentioned from the author. I'd have loved to see Gareth and Orin's story.
This was a fun, quick read set in a world where humans know about vampires, werewolves, witches, etc. because of the vampires “coming out” to humanity and setting up their own laws and culture in order to live in harmony with humans.
One of the rules is vampires aren't legally allowed to stalk humans for prey or change humans to vampires and also aren't supposed to involve themselves romantically with humans (because it usually leads to them wanting to turn their lovers).
Ethan, a French 200-something year old vampire that's lead his life as a loner and a mercenary for hire, literally stumbles into Tristan, a NYU music student, and can't seem to forget him no matter how hard he tries (or how many bad guys he kills). Luckily for him, Tristan has somewhat of a vampire fetish - but has been spurred by an abusive ex-lover so is still very wary when Ethan starts to pay attention to him (see: stalk).
I found both of the main characters very likeable though this book is all from Ethan's POV. Four stars because there were a lot of cringe or eye-rolling but nothing atypical of romance, but those moments are sprinkled among a lot of laugh-out-loud and/or very sexy ones that kept me from wanting to put the book down.