kirby2002's reviews
1115 reviews

 Empire of Shadows is compared to The Mummy and Romancing the Stone. I think it's more like The Mummy and The Lost City. Initially, it felt like a pure knockoff of The Mummy. Ellie (Evie in The Mummy) is a British scholar who is not taken seriously because she is a woman. She finds a map and decides to search for the ancient civilization. Of course, she needs help, and in walks Adam Bates (Rick), a rough-around-the-edges American who is out of place in British Honduras. Reluctantly, Ellie asks Adam for help, and they begin their adventure. At this point, I was debating whether to finish the book; it was too similar to The Mummy, and I wasn’t feeling it. I should point out that The Mummy is one of my favorite movies, so I wasn’t interested in a rip-off. Once they head out, the story becomes its own, and while I was enjoying it, I also started to get a little bored. Ellie was sometimes hard to like. She would automatically get mad at Adam for trying to help her when she clearly needed help. Adam was the more likable of the two. Then we reach the point where Jacobs catches up to the two of them, and there are some similarities to The Lost City. This is where the story finally picks up, and it's non-stop action until the end. Overall, I liked this, and I think the series has potential and I will eventually pick up the next one. 

 

Side note: Chapters are from Ellie and Adam’s POV. Alex Picard did a fantastic job with the narration, but it would have been even better if Adam’s chapters had a male narrator.  I know it's not always possible, but just saying it would have made a difference. 

 

Stars: 3⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

Spice: .5 🌶️ 

Eyeroll: 2 🙄 🙄 

Genre: Fantasy/Historical Fiction 

Series: Yes 

Format: Audiobook 

Narrator: Alex Picard 

Narrator Rating: 4.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

Cliffhanger: Yes and no. This story had an ending, but it set up for the next one 

 

I absolutely loved Under Your Spell. I really enjoyed the relationship between Theo and Clemmie; it was the perfect slow-burning, friends-to-lovers romance. Theo is currently one of my favorite book boyfriends. He was patient with Clemmie and gave her the time she needed to realize he was not like her father. I loved her sisters and the bond they had. It was almost the perfect British rom-com. My only issue was the third-act breakup. I don’t see the point of breaking up the characters because we know they will work out their issues. This is a rom-com; there will be a happily ever after. So, have the characters work everything out without the unnecessary breakup. I am relatively new to reading contemporary romance and rom-coms. Although I am not an expert, I highly recommend this. It’s one of the best I’ve read so far this year.

Stars: 4.5 rounded up ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 1.5 🌶️
Eyeroll:.5 🙄
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Yes, but each book is a standalone
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Ellie Heydon
Narrator Rating: 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cliffhanger: No

 

 Why have I waited so long to read this? I cannot express how much I loved A Man Called Ove. Anyone who knows me knows I love a cranky old man story because we all know that underneath their hard shell, there is usually a softie. Ove is described as a curmudgeon, which is the perfect word. However, we get to see why he is the way he is, and that underneath, he is a caring, rule-following man with a short temper. This book was perfect. The pacing was great, with a mix of comedy and drama, as well as heartwarming and heart-wrenching moments. I have now added all of Fredrik Bachman’s books to my TBR, and I can easily see him becoming one of my favorite authors. I think everyone should read this, and I hope they will love it as much as I did.

Side note: I listened to the last chapter and epilogue on my drive to work, and I got looks from the cars around me because I was crying so hard.

Stars: ALL THE STARS⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 0
Eyeroll: 0
Genre: Fiction/Contemporary
Series: No
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: J.K. Simmons
Narrator Rating: 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cliffhanger: No 

 False Witness is a dark thriller that, at times, is difficult to get through. There are references to rape and murder that I had a perpetual look of disgust on my face while I listened. Karin Slaughter knows how to write a story; she weaves the past and present perfectly, always keeping you on your toes. She doesn’t hold back when it comes to the horrors in the world that people are capable of. She explores both healthy and unhealthy family relationships, demonstrating how they can impact a person's life. Overall, I enjoyed False Witness, even with its graphic and disturbing storylines. The main bad guy, Andrew, is truly despicable, and I haven’t hated a character so much in a long time. My main gripe with the story is that COVID-19 became its own character. Everything comes back to it in one way or another. I understand why she wrote the story this way, but I didn’t think it was necessary. COVID was a traumatic experience for everyone, and we are finally at a point where we are almost back to normal. All the references throughout the novel brought me back to a place I didn’t want to go, and the story still would have worked without it.

Stars: 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 0
Eyeroll: 1 🙄
Genre: Thriller
Series: No
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Kathleen Early
Narrator Rating: 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cliffhanger: No 

I'm two hours in, and I find the FMC extremely annoying. After reading some reviews, I determined that this book is not for me.