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wordsofclover
The Sword of Shannara 2.5/5 Stars
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Coming into this series, I had already watched and read a lot of mediocre reviews. I was well aware that this book was very heavily inspired by Lord of the Rings and I'm glad I was prepared for this because even though I knew it, throughout the book I found myself saying 'Lord of the Rings', 'Lord of the Rings,' and 'oh, more Lord of the rings!'
I wish I liked The Sword of Shannara more than I did because I do feel, despite being inspired by Tolkien's Middle Earth, that Brooks really created an amazing world with a fabulous history. The land of Shannara is basically our world years and years and years in the future and has become home to a number of different man-like species besides humans.
The book was just far too heavy with description that it became borderline tedious for me. There were a few times that my eyes were drooping and I almost fell asleep more than once while reading. I had to start skimming now and again because otherwise I would just be reading paragraph after paragraph of description rather than actual dialogue or important content that moved the story along. Some description was repeated a lot such as the description of Allanon and I got sick and tired of hearing about his 'dark figure'. I was pretty glad when this was over but still eager to move on to Elfstones.
The Elfstones of Shannara 3 Stars
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Overall, this may be my favorite book of the series. I definitely felt a lot more for the characters of Will, Amberle and Eretria than I did for Shea and Flick. It was also perhaps a little bit more original. I did ship Will with Eretria a lot more, as I do in the TV show, and I liked the twist in the ending. I also really wanted something to happen between Ander and Stee Jan XD
The Wishsong of Shannara 2.5 Stars
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The first half of this book was good. I liked Jair and Brin and learning about them, their personalities and the wishsong. Allanon was really annoying in this one as usual. He's actually a bit of a bully but I liked that in this one it's acknowledged by everyone. I also feel that Wishsong has a lot more real Allanon moments. We see him weak, and afraid and we also see some moments of tenderness with Brin. However, I really love Jair's group of comrades and in particular his relationship with Slanter. Unfortunately this book eventually fell the same way as its predecessors and just became boring and I eventually began to skim.
I'm really glad I finally finished this bind-up because I really just stopped enjoying it. It began to feel like homework and I dreaded picking it up. When it comes to any more Terry Brooks reading, I'm sticking with Landover.
I received a free digital copy of this book from Simon&Schuster (ATRIA BOOKS) in exchange for an honest review.
Kate is in a funk after boyfriend dumps her and she's left with no love life, no job, no place to live and basically nothing is working out. Kate's sister Angela eventually pulls her together by getting her a job in the admissions office of a fancy school where Kate soon starts interacting with all manner of kids and parents and realising what she finally wants in life.
This was so great and I'm really glad I picked it up. It was fun, enjoyable and quirky which gave me quite a few laughs and it was just a pleasure to read and a real good time! This is the kind of book that would a really good quirky 'chick-flick' with someone like Zooey Dechanel or Anna Kendrick playing Kate or even a sitcom thanks to the amount of people surrounding Kate such as grumpy colleague Maureen, her friends Victoria and Chloe (who couldn't be more different from one another), her controlling sister, her hippie parents, her cat Stella and the hot downstairs neighbor Jonathan. This book just had a smile on my face the entire time I was reading it, which really made me love it.
The book does start off with a completely different voice than Kate's - Chloe's and each month (or chapter) starts out with an inner monologue from Chloe. At first I didn't really like this but eventually I got used to it and honestly, Chloe is just such a nice person I started looking forward to her bits and by the end I just really wanted her to be my friend. The book is told through a lot of different POVs - sometimes Kate, Angela, Victoria and now and again parents of kids who want to get into Kate's school Hudson. At first, this does whack the reading around a bit because you're unsure who is talking bt the more you read, the more acquainted you get with all the characters and you can begin to recognise their voices. I enjoyed the parts with the different parents as it was normally quite comical and these people were leading such different, privileged lives to Kate and her friends. I also loved Kate's interviews with the kids and her extremely honest notes about all of them (again, would make great TV).
There was a bit at the end where I thought something was going to happen that was completely out of line with the rest of the book ad I was so worried but in the end it all worked out okay, thank goodness. And I love how Kate handled the whole thing.
This is a charming novel which manages to combine some of the New York sophistication and high life of Gossip Girl with the quirkiness characters of New Girl and I loved every moment of it!
Kate is in a funk after boyfriend dumps her and she's left with no love life, no job, no place to live and basically nothing is working out. Kate's sister Angela eventually pulls her together by getting her a job in the admissions office of a fancy school where Kate soon starts interacting with all manner of kids and parents and realising what she finally wants in life.
This was so great and I'm really glad I picked it up. It was fun, enjoyable and quirky which gave me quite a few laughs and it was just a pleasure to read and a real good time! This is the kind of book that would a really good quirky 'chick-flick' with someone like Zooey Dechanel or Anna Kendrick playing Kate or even a sitcom thanks to the amount of people surrounding Kate such as grumpy colleague Maureen, her friends Victoria and Chloe (who couldn't be more different from one another), her controlling sister, her hippie parents, her cat Stella and the hot downstairs neighbor Jonathan. This book just had a smile on my face the entire time I was reading it, which really made me love it.
The book does start off with a completely different voice than Kate's - Chloe's and each month (or chapter) starts out with an inner monologue from Chloe. At first I didn't really like this but eventually I got used to it and honestly, Chloe is just such a nice person I started looking forward to her bits and by the end I just really wanted her to be my friend. The book is told through a lot of different POVs - sometimes Kate, Angela, Victoria and now and again parents of kids who want to get into Kate's school Hudson. At first, this does whack the reading around a bit because you're unsure who is talking bt the more you read, the more acquainted you get with all the characters and you can begin to recognise their voices. I enjoyed the parts with the different parents as it was normally quite comical and these people were leading such different, privileged lives to Kate and her friends. I also loved Kate's interviews with the kids and her extremely honest notes about all of them (again, would make great TV).
There was a bit at the end where I thought something was going to happen that was completely out of line with the rest of the book ad I was so worried but in the end it all worked out okay, thank goodness. And I love how Kate handled the whole thing.
This is a charming novel which manages to combine some of the New York sophistication and high life of Gossip Girl with the quirkiness characters of New Girl and I loved every moment of it!
3.5 stars
I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Jennifer’s dog Boomer has been diagnosed with a rare heart condition, leaving him with only one month, at best, to live. Jennifer decides to take a month off work and drive Route 66 with Boomer to spend as much time with him as possible before she has to say goodbye.
This book is the perfect book for dog lovers and packed with doggie dilemmas and a little romance for any romantics. It’s hard not to love Boomer who is a happy go lucky dog hit with a terrible illness in the prime of his life. The whole book is tinged with a bit of sadness as unfortunately, the reader is only too aware of how the book will end and it’s a bit of a horrible wait despite all the bittersweet moments. But I loved seeing Boomer enjoy life - judging a dog show, bouncing into a pit full of dog toys and devouring a steak dinner or two.
I didn’t mind the relationship between Nathan and Jennifer but I was surprised that I didn’t like it more. I think maybe it was because the two characters remained themselves throughout and didn’t totally soften up - Jennifer is a woman in control and tends to be a bit stony at times and while she did mellow a bit around Nathan, it wasn’t completely. While Nathan on the other hand is a cynical journalist with a bit of a chip on his shoulder and showing a bitterness he’s probably too young to have about a lot of things in life. I felt at times Nathan did some things and said some things that were pretty out of line and Jennifer seemed to forgive too easily.
Despite those misgivings, overall I really loved the book and will read more doggie reads from Sue Pethick.
I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Jennifer’s dog Boomer has been diagnosed with a rare heart condition, leaving him with only one month, at best, to live. Jennifer decides to take a month off work and drive Route 66 with Boomer to spend as much time with him as possible before she has to say goodbye.
This book is the perfect book for dog lovers and packed with doggie dilemmas and a little romance for any romantics. It’s hard not to love Boomer who is a happy go lucky dog hit with a terrible illness in the prime of his life. The whole book is tinged with a bit of sadness as unfortunately, the reader is only too aware of how the book will end and it’s a bit of a horrible wait despite all the bittersweet moments. But I loved seeing Boomer enjoy life - judging a dog show, bouncing into a pit full of dog toys and devouring a steak dinner or two.
I didn’t mind the relationship between Nathan and Jennifer but I was surprised that I didn’t like it more. I think maybe it was because the two characters remained themselves throughout and didn’t totally soften up - Jennifer is a woman in control and tends to be a bit stony at times and while she did mellow a bit around Nathan, it wasn’t completely. While Nathan on the other hand is a cynical journalist with a bit of a chip on his shoulder and showing a bitterness he’s probably too young to have about a lot of things in life. I felt at times Nathan did some things and said some things that were pretty out of line and Jennifer seemed to forgive too easily.
Despite those misgivings, overall I really loved the book and will read more doggie reads from Sue Pethick.
3.5 stars
I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Set in Dublin, Ireland in 1962, The Magdalen Girls tells the story of two different girls sent to one of the Magdalen laundries. The girls are thought of as wanton women and their lives are signed away by their families and become prisoners of the Catholic Church. Teagan and Nora are both determined to survive the back-breaking work and the emotional torment reigned down upon them, and look for a chance to escape.
This book is based around a point in Irish history that makes me burn with anger and I definitely felt a lot of emotions while reading this book from anger to despair and now and again, hope. I think the laundry depicted in this book seemed tamer than a lot of the ones that did exist and the girls living there seemed to have a slightly easier time of it than the ones that were practically tortured daily by the nuns. However, it still managed to depict the horrors of becoming a prisoner for simply being a woman (for example, Teagan is sent because a priest had sexual feelings for her, even though she did nothing wrong) and how so many women refused to let the nuns break them down.
I wasn’t completely mad about the plot around the Mother Superior Sister Anne. She is given a back story, and a link to one of the girls, and at times it’s used as an excuse for her bad behaviour and the reader is almost suppose to feel sorry for her. While this might work for Sister Anne, it doesn’t accurately represent every other Mother Superior and priest involved in the laundries, who seemed happy to have a literal God complex and just be terrible, terrible people. I think I just hated Sister Anne’s history because I feel so emotional about the story, I wasn’t going to let her have any excuses for her behaviour. I also could have done without some of the ‘ghost stories’ that were mentioned now and again with Lea’s spirit stories and the visions of the Virgin Mary.
I was more gripped into this book than I thought it would be too and it was a good, if not challenging, read. If people don’t know too much about the Magdalene laundries and want to learn more, this fictionalised version of one of them would be a good place to start!
I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Set in Dublin, Ireland in 1962, The Magdalen Girls tells the story of two different girls sent to one of the Magdalen laundries. The girls are thought of as wanton women and their lives are signed away by their families and become prisoners of the Catholic Church. Teagan and Nora are both determined to survive the back-breaking work and the emotional torment reigned down upon them, and look for a chance to escape.
This book is based around a point in Irish history that makes me burn with anger and I definitely felt a lot of emotions while reading this book from anger to despair and now and again, hope. I think the laundry depicted in this book seemed tamer than a lot of the ones that did exist and the girls living there seemed to have a slightly easier time of it than the ones that were practically tortured daily by the nuns. However, it still managed to depict the horrors of becoming a prisoner for simply being a woman (for example, Teagan is sent because a priest had sexual feelings for her, even though she did nothing wrong) and how so many women refused to let the nuns break them down.
I wasn’t completely mad about the plot around the Mother Superior Sister Anne. She is given a back story, and a link to one of the girls, and at times it’s used as an excuse for her bad behaviour and the reader is almost suppose to feel sorry for her. While this might work for Sister Anne, it doesn’t accurately represent every other Mother Superior and priest involved in the laundries, who seemed happy to have a literal God complex and just be terrible, terrible people. I think I just hated Sister Anne’s history because I feel so emotional about the story, I wasn’t going to let her have any excuses for her behaviour. I also could have done without some of the ‘ghost stories’ that were mentioned now and again with Lea’s spirit stories and the visions of the Virgin Mary.
I was more gripped into this book than I thought it would be too and it was a good, if not challenging, read. If people don’t know too much about the Magdalene laundries and want to learn more, this fictionalised version of one of them would be a good place to start!
I received a free copy of this book by O'Brien Press in exchange for an honest review.
In an area of Ireland, there's a group of foxes trying to survive in the wild. When Vickey and her mate Black Tip stumble across three different-coloured vixens escaped from a fur farm, they know they need to help them. Along with their mentor Old-Sage Brush and friends Hop-a-Long and SheLa, the group set out to teach the vixens how to be real foxes in the wild.
This was a wonderful and beautifully written book completely told through the eyes of a lot of clever foxes. I definitely think this would appeal to anyone who is an animal lover and liked books like The Animals of Farthing Wood as a child. This books is written for children but it can definitely be enjoyed just as much by older readers thanks to the beautiful descriptions of the Irish countryside and the wily and cunning plans from the foxes on how to escape the trapper hunting them.
This book is really educational as well and I think would be great to introduce children to the delicate nature that is the ecosystem and how everything lives in balance.
"Too many grey squirrels, too few reds, too many white mink, too few fish."
It also gives a simple view on fur farming and what it is and doesn't contain any violence that might scare younger readers but just hint at what places like fur farms do and why they are so bad. I also loved the acceptance the foxes showed for the new foxes that were from a different place and were a range of different colours from snow white, black and grey, and blue black. I think it would be a lovely lesson for younger readers about accepting each other and how people might look different but underneath we're all the same.
"It doesn't matter if the paws are black or white, so long as they can catch a mouse."
Overall, this was an enjoyable story that was very well-written. I would have really loved it as a child but I loved it even as an adult. Also, this book is part of Tom McCaughren's series on the foxes of Glensinna, but you don't necessarily need to have read the other books to read this one, as I didn't and I got along with it just fine!
In an area of Ireland, there's a group of foxes trying to survive in the wild. When Vickey and her mate Black Tip stumble across three different-coloured vixens escaped from a fur farm, they know they need to help them. Along with their mentor Old-Sage Brush and friends Hop-a-Long and SheLa, the group set out to teach the vixens how to be real foxes in the wild.
This was a wonderful and beautifully written book completely told through the eyes of a lot of clever foxes. I definitely think this would appeal to anyone who is an animal lover and liked books like The Animals of Farthing Wood as a child. This books is written for children but it can definitely be enjoyed just as much by older readers thanks to the beautiful descriptions of the Irish countryside and the wily and cunning plans from the foxes on how to escape the trapper hunting them.
This book is really educational as well and I think would be great to introduce children to the delicate nature that is the ecosystem and how everything lives in balance.
"Too many grey squirrels, too few reds, too many white mink, too few fish."
It also gives a simple view on fur farming and what it is and doesn't contain any violence that might scare younger readers but just hint at what places like fur farms do and why they are so bad. I also loved the acceptance the foxes showed for the new foxes that were from a different place and were a range of different colours from snow white, black and grey, and blue black. I think it would be a lovely lesson for younger readers about accepting each other and how people might look different but underneath we're all the same.
"It doesn't matter if the paws are black or white, so long as they can catch a mouse."
Overall, this was an enjoyable story that was very well-written. I would have really loved it as a child but I loved it even as an adult. Also, this book is part of Tom McCaughren's series on the foxes of Glensinna, but you don't necessarily need to have read the other books to read this one, as I didn't and I got along with it just fine!
Celaena Sardothien is only 18 years old. Yet, she's spent the last year a prison camp - the salt mines of Endovier. A place that the King of Adarlan sends criminals. Celaena has been beaten, whipped and starved to near-death because she happens to be the best assasin the world had ever seen - until she got caught.
Now, Celaena has the opportunity of a lifetime to escape the mines. Only the offer comes from Prince Dorian, the son of her worst enemy. She is to be the Prince's champion in a tournament that will eventually result in one competitor becoming the King's Champion. But can Celaena really work for the man who brought such destruction down upon her? And can she escape the attention of the Prince...and avoid falling for him at the same time.
I'm not going to lie, I've heard such great things about this series and for Sarah J. Mass's writing in general, I had some great expectations for this book. And they did not disappoint, I really really enjoyed it.
I found Celaena to be a fascinating character who, despite her history in the mines and tough childhood, remained whimsical, witty and just a downright fun character. Despite Celaena basically being a prisoner, she made it seem like she wasn't - making friends, and making the best out of a situation that she really had no other choice but to walk in, hands up.
I also loved how a slightly strange and magical subplot, that involved the investigation of murder and mysterious signs, introduced itself halfway through the book - once the reader had really become invested in Celaena, and other characters such as Dorian, Chaol and Nox, we suddenly had this new threat that really spiced things up. I also loved the character of Nehemia and how at first she seems like a normal, slightly lost, princess but she's SO much more than that and stronger and smarter than we could have imagined.
I enjoyed how Celaena did drop hints about her past in the school of Assasins and tidbits about Sam, her mysterious, deceased lover. I know there is a book of novellas out and these bits and pieces really make me want to read it to find out more.
**A few minor spoilers regarding Chaol and Dorian below **
I didn't really like Celaena's chemistry and relationship with the Prince despite him being a good guy. He's almost too good, without any real flaws, despite him being a prince and Celaena an assasin with a sentence. I also preferred Celaena's relationship with Chaol which was like a slow, blooming flower. Sometimes you almost forgot there was something there, until there was a glance, or a secret joke between them. While there's no doubt Celaena and Dorian have a great chemistry, I feel like Celaena has a beautiful, deeper connection with Chaol that goes into their souls. I also feel like Chaol knows Celaena better than anyone - and nobody, even him, realised it.
One thing I found rather annoying and unbelievanle was the fact that when Chaol killed someone under service, it turned out to be his first kill. I know he is only 22, but as Captain of the Royal Guard, surely he must have killed someone before, and how smart is it to let someone unseasoned in the way of taking life when duty calls, lead the guard?
Now, Celaena has the opportunity of a lifetime to escape the mines. Only the offer comes from Prince Dorian, the son of her worst enemy. She is to be the Prince's champion in a tournament that will eventually result in one competitor becoming the King's Champion. But can Celaena really work for the man who brought such destruction down upon her? And can she escape the attention of the Prince...and avoid falling for him at the same time.
I'm not going to lie, I've heard such great things about this series and for Sarah J. Mass's writing in general, I had some great expectations for this book. And they did not disappoint, I really really enjoyed it.
I found Celaena to be a fascinating character who, despite her history in the mines and tough childhood, remained whimsical, witty and just a downright fun character. Despite Celaena basically being a prisoner, she made it seem like she wasn't - making friends, and making the best out of a situation that she really had no other choice but to walk in, hands up.
I also loved how a slightly strange and magical subplot, that involved the investigation of murder and mysterious signs, introduced itself halfway through the book - once the reader had really become invested in Celaena, and other characters such as Dorian, Chaol and Nox, we suddenly had this new threat that really spiced things up. I also loved the character of Nehemia and how at first she seems like a normal, slightly lost, princess but she's SO much more than that and stronger and smarter than we could have imagined.
I enjoyed how Celaena did drop hints about her past in the school of Assasins and tidbits about Sam, her mysterious, deceased lover. I know there is a book of novellas out and these bits and pieces really make me want to read it to find out more.
**A few minor spoilers regarding Chaol and Dorian below **
I didn't really like Celaena's chemistry and relationship with the Prince despite him being a good guy. He's almost too good, without any real flaws, despite him being a prince and Celaena an assasin with a sentence. I also preferred Celaena's relationship with Chaol which was like a slow, blooming flower. Sometimes you almost forgot there was something there, until there was a glance, or a secret joke between them. While there's no doubt Celaena and Dorian have a great chemistry, I feel like Celaena has a beautiful, deeper connection with Chaol that goes into their souls. I also feel like Chaol knows Celaena better than anyone - and nobody, even him, realised it.
One thing I found rather annoying and unbelievanle was the fact that when Chaol killed someone under service, it turned out to be his first kill. I know he is only 22, but as Captain of the Royal Guard, surely he must have killed someone before, and how smart is it to let someone unseasoned in the way of taking life when duty calls, lead the guard?
4.5 stars since changed to 3 stars as I've realised I don't like this series as much once I'm over the hype of each book.
Crown of Midnight follows on from Throne of Glass and continues the story of Caelaena Sardothien who is now the King’s Champion and kills whoever she is commanded to.
I do really like this series but there’s something about it that really made me not want to pick this book up. It’s probably the hype but most of all it’s everything I hear about the romantic relationships and the love triangles (rectangles?) that seem to constantly take away from the main plot of the story. And like Throne of Glass, I loved Crown of Midnight but the thing that spoiled it for me was all the angst that really DID NOT need to be there. All the Chaol seeing Dorian and Caelaena walking around the library together and his heart hurting, and Dorian seeing Caelaena smile at Chaol the way she never smiled at him. UGH! After five times of this, it gets boring and irritating. I’m okay with love triangles but this series really does them to the max. Bleh.
There’s times I feel like Caelaena is not overall consistent with this ‘Assassin of Adarlan’ image she’s given, and gives herself, throughout the first two books and I’m not sure if it’s just a slip up or if it’s to make her very human. But I hate the fact that she’s an assassin but as soon as she actually does her job, she’s treated differently by Dorian and Chaol (it also still annoys me Chaol’s reactions to some things when he’s suppose to be Captain of the Guard. I still can’t believe he never killed someone before Cain in the last book. Like SERIOUSLY? YOU’RE CAPTAIN OF THE KING’S ARMY).
The mystery of the wrydkeys still interested me and Caelaena’s investigations. I can’t wait to continue on, hopefully I don’t wait almost a year though this time.
Crown of Midnight follows on from Throne of Glass and continues the story of Caelaena Sardothien who is now the King’s Champion and kills whoever she is commanded to.
I do really like this series but there’s something about it that really made me not want to pick this book up. It’s probably the hype but most of all it’s everything I hear about the romantic relationships and the love triangles (rectangles?) that seem to constantly take away from the main plot of the story. And like Throne of Glass, I loved Crown of Midnight but the thing that spoiled it for me was all the angst that really DID NOT need to be there. All the Chaol seeing Dorian and Caelaena walking around the library together and his heart hurting, and Dorian seeing Caelaena smile at Chaol the way she never smiled at him. UGH! After five times of this, it gets boring and irritating. I’m okay with love triangles but this series really does them to the max. Bleh.
There’s times I feel like Caelaena is not overall consistent with this ‘Assassin of Adarlan’ image she’s given, and gives herself, throughout the first two books and I’m not sure if it’s just a slip up or if it’s to make her very human. But I hate the fact that she’s an assassin but as soon as she actually does her job, she’s treated differently by Dorian and Chaol (it also still annoys me Chaol’s reactions to some things when he’s suppose to be Captain of the Guard. I still can’t believe he never killed someone before Cain in the last book. Like SERIOUSLY? YOU’RE CAPTAIN OF THE KING’S ARMY).
The mystery of the wrydkeys still interested me and Caelaena’s investigations. I can’t wait to continue on, hopefully I don’t wait almost a year though this time.