Just before I go to work, I thought I’d share the second front cover for book one of Ice Warriors. I think this one is pretty cool with the key ring on and it’s interesting that the keys are all old and rusted.
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(I received this book for free as part of Goodreads First Reads giveaways).
(This review may contain spoilers).
Although these two stories were quite short, I did find them to be really quick and easy to read. The idea of werecreatures and paranormal romance isn’t unique, but I still quite enjoyed this book.
It was interesting to see the two different types of werecreatures, though I would have liked to know if there were more than just the wolves and the panthers. The rivalry between Sheila and Lorraine was quite amusing to see. I thought it was good that they still had the human parts to themselves as well as the werecreature aspects.
I did really like how both stories overlapped, though I felt that the first story didn’t really seem to end. The conflict was resolved, but I felt it was a bit too quick. I would have liked to see the story expanded a bit more.
The second story did seem to be expanded a bit more, but I felt the love came a bit too quickly. It was nice to see that there was compromise on both sides of the pairing, though. And it was interesting to see arranged marriages that did turn out well, as opposed to a lot of books where the arranged marriages are to really horrible people.
I did have quite a lot of questions about what had happened with Calla in particular. I would have liked to see more of her and Caleb together.
It was also good to get a sneak peek of one of the other books, though I preferred the style of the paranormal romance. I liked the aspects of experimentation, especially in the first story. And I felt there was a lot of chemistry between the different pairs of characters.
I probably would read more books set in this world in particular. I liked the glimpses into the society of the werepanthers, though it would have been nice to see a bit more of the werewolf society. And there were some really good minor characters in this book, too.
I did notice some errors in the writing, but they weren’t really enough to detract from my enjoyment of the book. There was some confusion with one particular line, though.
(This review may contain spoilers and also triggery/sensitive material).
When I saw this drama advertised originally, I was kind of concerned, since I’ve had personal (and a lot of) experience with bullying that has left marks on me even now. Although cyberbullying is a different type of bullying, it still has the same effects on the victims.
I can’t say I liked this drama. Or that I enjoyed watching it. But it was certainly very intense to watch.
It was good to see how the technology was utilised in the hacker’s attack on Casey. I didn’t particularly like her as a character, but there were certain times I felt sorry for her.
I found it interesting to see that the excuses for why the cyberbullying was ‘acceptable’ were used, such as ‘she was asking for it’ and ‘someone would have done it’. I really felt awful for Jennifer Li. This showed how far things spiraled out of control, but it’s awful to know that those kinds of things actually do happen in reality and that what happened to Jennifer Li has probably happened to way too many people over the world.
I did feel that Maisie Williams did a fantastic job in this. Although I did think some of the lines were a little flat at times, I felt that she did a really good job of carrying most of the film. There were some parts I was really able to relate to her character in this.
The ending of the drama wasn’t too bad, but I did think that there were some parts that weren’t explored further. This was really intense to watch and I do think it’s a good way to understand the effects that cyberbullying can have. It’s an awful thing and I felt this drama showed that well.
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).
(This review may contain spoilers).
First of all, I’d like to say that I absolutely loved the front cover. When I saw it for the first time, I was immediately drawn in… and the blurb of the book just made me want to read it even more.
I did really like Ash as a character. I was pulled into the book fairly quickly and she was a character I could really relate to. I was also drawn into the future timeline really easily. The group of people that Ash meets and interacts with were really interesting and it was also quite cool to see them in the different future timelines.
I liked Coop as well, but I was less than thrilled with Tate’s sudden interest in Ash, since there was no hint of that until much later in the book. Unless it was something caused by Ash… but it didn’t come across as that.
The linking in to the legends is quite intriguing, but I was still left with a lot of questions by the end of the book. I would have liked some more of the answers to my questions, since there were a couple of things that didn’t make a lot of sense.
I did like how the future-people differed slightly in each subsequent timeline. I did figure out one of the things fairly quickly, but it was nice to see that guess confirmed. There was one character who didn’t seem to have any redeeming qualities, though.
I found Skylar an interesting character and it would have been nice to see more of her, especially since she seemed to be quite a contradiction. When it came to the school scenes, however, I didn’t get much of a sense of there being a lot of students. A lot of the characters were well-defined… but outside of the main characters, the students were just grouped together as exactly that.
It would have been nice to see some of the present-day versions of the future characters, especially Coop… though I imagine that would have been quite strange to see.
This is apparently the first book in a series and although it has a resolution, there are still many questions I’d like to have answered and things I’d like to see more of. I would definitely read a sequel to this book.
Get a copy: Fifteen
(I received this book for free as part of Goodreads First Reads giveaways).
(This review may contain spoilers).
I’m going to start off this review by saying that I really wanted to like this book. The front cover was incredibly cool and I really liked the blurb of the book.
I had a few issues with Stephanie. When she wasn’t around the boys (plural. Because there wasn’t just one love interest), she was a fairly interesting character. I liked her power and it was interesting to see the way it developed over the course of the book.
I didn’t feel there was much effect shown from her past. Someone who is closed off from all physical contact and kept inside a tiny closet for most of their life probably shouldn’t be as comfortable and well-adjusted as Stephanie is. I would have liked to see more of the issues that she probably would have and not just in that she lacks a lot of intelligence. The only real problems she seemed to have was a complete obsession with guys. I’m not sure how many, exactly, she was attracted to… but there were quite a few.
I really liked Kyan and I did like his interactions with Stephanie. I also liked the fact that he was stubborn and determined to learn how to protect himself, to the point that there was a very serious match. And it was good that he was looking out for Stephanie, even though he was technically the child.
The different powers the synergies had were really interesting. I would have liked a bit more information about how the different kinds of powers manifested and the whole thing with the Fiends. It was also cool to learn about the different levels and I would have liked to see more of them.
I found Steel a really intriguing character… right until he also started showing an unhealthy obsession with Stephanie. I was disappointed not to see more of Holly in the book. She was quite intriguing with her abilities, but there wasn’t much shown about the difficulties she and others had to deal with.
I wasn’t too keen on the first person perspective, mainly because I felt it showed Stephanie as quite conceited. (I kind of ‘lost’ some of my like for the story when she described herself as luscious…) Also, there was a lot of, ‘[Insert character here] thought this’, which… well, she wasn’t a mindreader.
I don’t think I’ll read a sequel to this. I really did want to like it, but I found it really difficult to like and I think there were a lot of issues left out that should have been dealt with.
![Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000026_00029]](https://inkofblood.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/wickedground_ebook.jpg)
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).
(This review may contain spoilers).
Having read three of the previous books by this author set in this world, I was really happy to read the fourth one when she approached me. Once I started reading it, I got pulled so completely into the world, I wound up staying up way later than I really should have.
It was really good to see Alina in this book. I was left with some confusion about how there was a fourth Solsti, given the knowledge of the fourth sister, but I was glad to see that the author had an explanation for what happened that made sense.
I found myself really connecting emotionally to Alina as a character. I was able to emphasise with her, especially when she was meeting her sisters for the first time. And it was also really good to see glimpses of the other characters I knew from the previous books.
One of my favourite parts of this book was the relationship between Alina and Sebastian. I really like relationships between chosen family and this was portrayed really well, I felt. The chemistry between Caine and Alina was real and I found myself really rooting for them as a couple.
I liked seeing more of what the four sisters could do, both working together and on their own. The undead soldiers were creepy, but by the end of the book, I felt more sorry for them than anything else.
It was good to see Rosa again, although I’m still not sure exactly what her goal was through the course of the book. Still, it was nice to see that she wasn’t ignored when she needed help and it was good to see Brooke and Nicole in particular so comfortable in their element.
It was good to see that the series isn’t just about the paranormal romance and does also focus on the bonds between the characters. They felt like living, breathing people to me.
I liked the ending of the book, but there are still storylines and characters I would like to see more of. I would definitely want to read stories centred around some of the more minor characters.
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).
(This review may contain spoilers).
After a bit of a halting start with this book when I first picked it up, I picked it up again some minutes later and found myself really drawn in. Having intended to read, at the most, 10% before going to bed, I was very surprised to find I’d reached 42% without conscious thought.
I felt that this was quite a unique twist on some of the more usual genres. It was good to see a strong main character who was likable and had issues of her own. There were some really good scenes and I really liked how determined Mira was to save Anthony, even with it being a lot more difficult at times.
I liked that the author showed the effect that the previous missing persons’ case had on Mira and it was also good to see that her home life wasn’t perfect. There were some very sweet moments where she talked with her daughter on the phone.
I found it really intriguing how Mira attached scents or tastes to what she sensed from people. I would have liked a bit more detail about how that exactly worked, but I thought it was a really unique idea and I very quickly figured out what each sensation meant as I picked up on the insights from the main character.
The whole concept of the Exhibition was a really cool one and I especially liked the whole concept of the paintings and their subjects being inside Anthony’s mind. Even though things turned out differently to the first assumption, it was interesting to see the role Mira took on when she entered the mindscape. I did like Tunny especially and I would have liked to see a bit more of him and Modesto. The witch was pretty scary, but I felt like I could understand her more by the end.
The mystery throughout this book was really engaging and I liked how it was linked in to what was happening with Anthony. I also liked how he didn’t fit neatly into a box for the doctors – I think people too often try to attach labels to people to define them.
There was quite a bit about the book that surprised me and kept me engaged in reading. I liked the hints of romance and I would really love to read more about Mira at some point in the future. It would also be good to see more of the other characters, too – I especially think there’s a lot more of Anthony’s story to be told, but it would be good to see more of Rachel and Jason, too.
Get a copy: The Mussorgsky Riddle
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).
(This review may contain spoilers).
I felt this book was quite an interesting, unique idea. The thought of waking up one day to find that your life is different to what you originally experienced, even in a small way, is an incredibly scary one. It happening repeatedly is a terrifying idea.
A lot of this book came across as almost an autobiography. The relationships that Nigel formed (or attempted to form) didn’t tend to come across as all that real, because a lot of his life before he began to time travel seemed to be glossed over… at least a lot of the relationships.
Penelope’s character was a really interesting one, though I did figure out her connection to Nigel fairly early on. I liked how a lot of their meetings weren’t really linear – they weren’t always at the same age and there were times when the differences in their ages seemed vastly different. There were certain clues that I picked up on later that I was surprised Nigel didn’t… although I suppose that did fit with his character, since he seemed a bit clueless about certain things.
I did like Helen for a lot of the book and it was nice to see her almost-permanent optimism throughout. The only time I didn’t like her so much was towards the end. As much as I could understand what she was saying, I felt it was unnecessary.
I wasn’t really left with the thought that much changed in the book. The different Nigels were a confusing aspect and in a way, I would have thought it interesting to see different ‘clones’ of certain other characters. I couldn’t really see much in the way of similarities between the different Nigels, though.
The differences in the various time streams came across quite well and it was interesting to see the kind of advances humanity had made in the different times Nigel was in. I couldn’t really relate to the villain throughout a lot of this book. I could have to begin with… but then I found it impossible.
The author did a very good job of keeping the confusion level down and I felt that the events fit together really well. Although I was disappointed in the ending, I did think this was a really entertaining read and I would definitely read more books by this author in the future.
Get a copy: Unhappenings
(I received this book for free as part of Goodreads First Reads giveaways).
(This review may contain spoilers).
Just as a first comment – I think a lot of my reviews do seem to indicate that I have a strong dislike for vampire romances. That’s not actually the case. When I was younger, I read and adored the Night World novels. And there are other books that I’ve enjoyed with romances between vampires and humans.
I found this book to be a disappointing read, because it hit so many of my turn-offs. Although a couple of the characters were quite well-defined, by the end of the book, I actually didn’t like any of them.
A good example of this about-face is Jimmy. He was great as an older brother figure and I was starting to like his relationship with Suki (even if I didn’t much like Suki)… and then his whole character got ruined when his best friend was forced into a kiss (and yelled for the person to get off her)… and Jimmy decided to demand details from the guy. And not in the, ‘I’m going to punch you for hurting my friend!’ way.
I felt, with quite a few of the characters, that they had one defining quality about them… and nothing else. When some of them were introduced, I was interested to know more about them… but then the focus seemed to be on Gabriela and literally nothing else. Her human friends didn’t even seem to have a life outside of her. She certainly didn’t spend a single thought on them when she was away. And there was exactly one scene with her father, which was literally only to add some tension, and then he’s hardly mentioned at all either.
There were some parts of the book that were well-written and some characters I would have liked if I’d been able to meet them outside of Gabriela. Madison could have been an interesting character, but I was repeatedly told that she was wicked with zero background on her. The best villains are the ones you can see redeeming qualities in. (I was also repeatedly told about how thin Gabriela was and how beautiful she was. It got very irritating after a while).
Also… the amount of giggling/laughing that went on in this book (at really inappropriate times) didn’t really work. And not with the same character doing that three times in one paragraph.
The concept of this book was really intriguing and there’s nothing wrong with a chosen one plotline. But when the lives of every other character revolves around this one person… it gets a bit boring to read about. I don’t think I’ll be reading the sequel to this book.
(This review may contain spoilers).
When I saw this film advertised, I was immediately interested in going to see it. I like Disney and I like fairytale stories. And I do like musicals, so this film seemed like a really good one.
The use of the narration at the start and various points throughout was a good idea, even if it wasn’t a very unique one. I liked a lot of the songs in this, though the one where the two princes sang was fairly amusing and seemed almost like a parody.
I liked seeing the different fairytales used, but there were some things that weren’t further explored that I would have liked to see, such as a particular relationship between two of the characters. I liked the prince who was with Rapunzel much better than the prince who was with Cinderalla. Chris Pine’s a good actor, but I wasn’t so keen on him in this.
I found it amusing that one of the actresses who played one of Cinderella’s stepsisters in this played the same role in Ella Enchanted, but although she has a really distinctive laugh and voice, I still found it easy to see her as a different interpretation.
There were some really amusing moments in this film, several scenes where I heard the people around me laughing as well as myself. There were also some seriously dodgy scenes, particularly with the character of the wolf. My niece was oblivious… the rest of us were kind of horrified about certain implications.
There were a couple of things that made me question the rating given this film. A lot of the things stayed true to the original stories (with Rapunzel and her prince especially), but there were some quite gruesome moments in this.
The ending was a good one, but there were things it would have been good to see further explored. Still, this was an entertaining film and my niece seemed especially to enjoy it. It was a good way to spend a couple of hours on a Saturday.
Ink of Blood 