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text 2019-01-18 19:31
Friday Featured Spotlight

Friday Featured Spotlight ~ Norse Mythology | Fantasy | Mystery

 

 

Source: imavoraciousreader.blogspot.com/2019/01/friday-featured-spotlight-norse.html
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review 2018-01-17 03:21
Holding Grudges
Antigoddess - Kendare Blake
 

I read this back in September and I'm just now able to write a review. I really dug this book, well at least until the abrupt ending. If you're a fan of Greek Mythology, I'd consider it a must read. Blake does something very interesting with Greek myths and legends. It has some elements of reincarnation, which is normally a turnoff for me, but it was fairly well accomplished in the book. Well, one aspect was disturbing, the character had to die violently to recall who they were in their previous life.

Largely, this was a really exciting read. I haven't been reading much young adult lately because I'm not interested in high school life anymore. The good thing about this book is, these characters are technically teens, but most of the main characters are reincarnated personages from the Greek myths, so they act a lot more mature and have interests and concerns far beyond typical high school drama.

There are some unanswered questions, which I think is a standard tactic of a writer who's putting together a series. I just wish it wasn't so overused. Frankly, I get tired of the whole, "Keep Reading" tactic.

Another issue was Blake sort of picks and chooses which gods/goddesses she'll feature and to what degree. It's up to her as the author, but that was a bit of a letdown how she represented some of them. The curses or fates of some of the gods/goddesses were maliciously creative, and I won't even go into them, because that's part of the fun. I felt that overall the characterization is very strong for the main leads, not as much for the secondary and villainous characters. I especially liked the way that Blake humanized the ancient god/goddess figures and endowed the human (sort of) reincarnated characters with such depth.

Hera is always portrayed as a mega-bitch in just about everything. I've never been into Hera, but in a way it seems kind of sad that her reputation is so low. I would want to feel sorry for her, honestly, seeing as how she's the wife that's been cheated on by her lothario husband for many millennia. But she's always scheming and making peoples' lives miserable. In this she gets an update as a fashion forward Queen B who would fit right in with the One Percenters.

Athena and Hermes have strong points of view as they travel looking for the reincarnation of the person who could be the key to stopping the god or goddess behind the curse that is slowly killing them. They encounter high school student Cassandra, who is the key to their plan, and whose life and family is about to be in terrible danger, because Hera is headed her way.

This book has fantastic action and arresting imagery. The opening scene is the hook that grabbed me and wouldn't let go. I knew I wanted to finish this book just with the beginning. I just wish the ending wasn't so abrupt. I can't tell you how much of a buzzkill that is when you are reading a great book and then it sort of fizzles out. Maybe fizzle isn't the right word. This book goes from atomic explosion to the sizzle when you throw water on a campfire. I was confused at how fast things resolved. Having said that, I was hoping my library would have book two.

Yeah, so I'm giving it four stars because it really is a very good book. I wasn't happy with the ending, so that's why I took off a star. Despite that, I was really excited about this book and I could hardly put it down. This is one I think would make a great movie. Maybe someday soon.

I wanted to like "Anna Dressed in Blood" a lot more than I did. It was good, but it felt too derivative of popular horror movies for my tastes. I think that based on this novel, Blake has grown as an author, and I'm really excited to see where she goes from here.

 
 
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review 2017-08-08 21:23
Gang warfare and violence.
Brick: an action-packed crime thriller - Conrad Jones

I volunteered to listen to the audio version of this book, expecting a thriller, but not expecting the level of violence that it contains. In fairness to the author, the violence was up-front and in-your-face right from the beginning and under all normal circumstances I would have closed the book there and then. However, I tend to complete audiobooks more often than the written word, so I persevered.

 

An unfortunate teenage boy from a peaceful, if poor family, becomes embroiled in a gang situation where life is cheap and revenge is all. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time and mouthed off a bit too much. As a result, he and his family become targets of a ruthless mob and find themselves fleeing for their lives.

My friends read 'body-count' books and we joke about the number of bodies eliminated by the author during the course of the book - well, I have to say I lost count with Brick, there certainly weren't many left to bring to justice by the end.

 

If you're looking for dark and brooding with an ominous presence, then this may be for you; if it's a frantic page-turner you're after, then, no, I didn't find that with this book, it didn't grab me and I'm sorry to say, even the ending was a bit flat.

Notable comment for the narrator, Diana Croft, who nailed the Northern accents.

 

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review 2015-09-16 07:08
A thrilling read
The Boys Club: An action-packed suspense thriller - Angie Martin

I think Angie loves to give her readers a coma.... mine is still here, after finishing "The Boys Club" last night, leaving me unsure just how I should write this review.... I just don't have the words, still I'll try. Upon starting this thrilling read I was quickly thrown into this suspense filled, action packed, thrilling, adventure... I felt like I was inside this book from the start... Angie made her characters shine through, even with gritty pasts, dangerous jobs, they seemed real to me, even the secondary characters wheren't forgotten.

This book had me gripping the edges of my seat, until I had to turn the page, eyes glued to the words, entranced to the storyline, heart pumping.... Then the ending happened, throughout the book I thought I'd figured out the leak & it wasn't who I thought. What a brilliantly thoughtout book, I can't wait to read anything else from Angie in the future.

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review 2015-06-30 19:43
RICOCHET by Keri Lake
Ricochet - Keri Lake



♥ ♥ ♥ 5 STARS ♥ ♥ ♥




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'To defeat a monster, I had to become one.'

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Wow! This book! But first things first. I just wanted to say how much I LOVED the cover of this book. The model is just perfect as Nick. Anyway, I have been a fan of Keri Lake ever since I read her Paranormal romance series Sons of Wrath. I love that series! So when I found out she was doing a contemporary romance, I was all over it.

Nick Ryder has lost it all. There is only one thing keeping him going, and that is his thirst for revenge. He wants to make the man responsible for killing his family to pay for what he has done. An eye for an eye. He won't be holding back. With the help of Alec, a man with the plan of to make Michael Culling pay, they kidnap Michael's wife Aubree.




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"You make me dream things I shouldn't dream. Crave things I shouldn't crave. My weakness." His lips slanted over mine in a kiss that stole my breath. "You'll destroy me, Aubree. And I won't stop you."

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Aubree Culling is the wife of the mayor of the city of Detroit, who is also a sadistic monster that torments and tortures her. Michael is quite the powerful man who has people working for him everywhere. There is no way for her to escape without one of his men tossing her back to him. That may all change when is kidnapped from her husband. Now, she just needs to try to escape her new cage.

Both of these characters are scarred by their pasts. Nick lost his family in a disgusting and tragic way. I felt for his loss. He was shot in the head and left for dead, but he somehow survived and now suffers from blackouts. The memories of that night torment him on a daily basis, blaming himself for not being able to save them. While Aubree has to pretend all is well in front of everyone, when in reality she has to suffer being married to a psychopath. She is brutally abused both physically and mentally by Michael. Even with everything that both of these characters had endured, they still survived and remained strong. And that is what I really liked about them.




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'I saw darkness in her beauty, and she saw beauty in my darkness. Yin and yang. Black and white. Beauty and scars; fury and forgiveness.'

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I don't want to give much of the book away. The story was dark and quite graphic. One thing I always appreciate for Keri's book is how well she does action in her books, and Ricochet was no exception. Her words paint such a vivid picture it's as if your seeing it on film. It was gritty and raw. It had me turning the page and not wanting to stop. The chemistry between Aubree and Nick was explosively hot. The steam was scorching. This book wasn't exclusively dark, though. There were also some emotion filled scenes that had me tearing up for Nick and Aubree. There was also an awesome twist to the story near the end that I didn't see coming at all. I just really loved this book and the characters. It was intense and gruesome, but I loved it. If you love dark and suspenseful romances, then you really need to give this one a read. I highly recommend this one.



~ARC generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.~

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