RAGE AND MERCY: PART ONE BY SCOTT DRESDEN

 

 

 

Did I enjoy this novel? Yes, very much. Is this novel for everyone? No. The reason I say this is not because the story is lacking in anyway because it is the exact opposite, the amount of content the author was able to fit into such few pages without the storyline feeling rushed, I feel shows how well written the story is and the skill level of the author. The author fully develops all characters, giving each a detailed backstory even characters as a reader you would see as secondary or filler character. Giving the reader a full look into the motivations of each character. I say that this novel may not be for everyone is the overall topic of the story and the events featured. The story is very graphic, in everyway you can possible think. For example, the details mentioned above are not exclusive to the character descriptions, but he also describes in full detail everything from conversations between Diana and Sayer to the murders and mutilations of the illegals and the fiends. So for those that are weak at heart, and stomach, or are easily upset or offended probably should not read this book.

 

I personally feel that the subjects brought up in this novel are controversial but brilliantly covered, this book is one that will make you as a reader think, since these events do happen in real life, and most are not covered on out evening news so if you are not one living it you may not even know it is happening, able to live happily in your little bubble, which this "bubble" is also discussed in this novel, which discusses the government covering it up to keep certain people happy in their "bubble". I also love how the author approaches human interaction, interaction between rich and poor, interaction between the public and the homeless, drug fiends, and so many other types.

 

This novel flows so well, the author puts such detail into events and conversations, but even with all the detail the flow never gets monotonous. Everything flow perfectly into the next thing, to the point you can be reading for what may only feel like a few minutes but you look down and you have read half the book. I will also say that this is a "Book One", so you are left with a somewhat cliffhanger. 5 out of 5 all the way, will definitely be checking out book two!

END OF THE LAST GREAT KINGDOM (THE BRIMSTONE CHRONICLES #1) BY VICTOR ROSE

 

 

 

I really enjoyed this book, I loved how it combined the magic and fantasy of seen in books like Harry Potter with the blood, gore and battles seen in books like Game of Thrones. The overall premise of the book is a race war and young mage "Brimstone" that is the key to ending it. The characters in this book are highly developed, you get their fully backstory and learn what makes them act they way they do. The book is over 300 pages and it just book one in the saga, so even the smallest of characters you are given a little bit of a backstory on them so there is no filler characters each has a specific reason for being in the story. The setting is highly detailed as well and this is very important since the characters are pretty much always traveling.

 

If you are a fan of harry potter, but wanted something way more mature then you will like this novel, but I will say that some may not like this novel since it is VERY similar to harry potter, the first basic similarity is the group, Brimstone, Heat and Neutron.... which as you can see is three just like Harry, Ron and Hermione. Second, both go to magical school, in this book its Central, in Potter is Hogwarts. Third, Brimstone has to search for his fractured soul in order to become strong enough to defeat the order, and in Potter of course he has to locate the different horcrux to defeat the dark lord. But I will say the similarities do end pretty much there and that is because this story is a lot more mature than HP ever was since there is so much death in this book, and the deaths are very detailed and very gory. You have people stabbed in throats, peoples limbs being cut off, and oh you can forget the rotten corpses.

 

So even though this book is focused around young teens, like 13 years old, this book is probably not the best for kids of that age. But as an adult if you wanted a more mature harry potter then this is definitely the book for you.

 

The only real problem I had with the book, is that sometime the different characters and locations can get muddled and confusing of who is who since in the novel peoples name change as they take on new roles so it can be confusing to remember whose storyline you are reading about and the characters travel a lot and they often go to new places and then to places they have already been so the picture of the land gets confusing, so it would be awesome if the author had included a map at the beginning so you could tell the distances between places described in the characters travels. Time is another one that gets a bit confusing, since it is said to take weeks to get somewhere but then two pages later they are there, but the author will then use 10 pages to describe on day event, so dates would have been nice to.

 

So overall I would give this novel a solid 4 out of 5 stars, And I an definitely looking forward to reading the other novels in this series to see what becomes of Brimstone and all the other characters.

SEXUAL POETRY - IT'S JUST WOW! BY SIMPLY MYLOVPOET

 

 

Sexual Poetry: It’s Just – WOW! Is the first book in the set of three books of poetry about romance and sex. I actually read “Erotic Poetry”, which is book two in the series first, and I will say I am glad I did read that book first, reason is that I really did NOT enjoy that book I felt that it had very little if anything at all that was erotic. So I believe if I read this book first and then went to read the second I would have been highly disappointed, more so than I am now. This set of poems were much better and actually lived up to its title. Would I say it is “WOW” like the title? No…. but that is really for nit-picky reasons, such as I felt that the single male point of view in the poems after reading so many became monotonous and boring. I also feel like some of the poems themselves would start of great and have this amazing imagery but then would end with a cheesy one liner that would ruin it all. As well as the author’s use of slang terms for private parts and even the cuss words used took away from the poems themselves, some even made the poems feel humorous when they were supposed to be serious and libido inducing. In the “Erotic Poetry” book I actually commended the use of technology in that it made the poems feel more modern and helped a younger audience connect to the poems. In this book the author also used these technological items, for example he mentions a Samsung S3 specifically in one poem, but this time it did the exact opposite and again made the poem go from creative to cheesy in literally one word.

I will say though that the book is 155 pages which gives you around 70 or more poems and for the eBook copy it was only $3.99, so I do feel it is a good value for the amount of book you are getting. I also did find pretty much all of the poems to be entertaining and also pretty hot too. So to rate this book I would give it a good 3 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Exiles: A Mystery In Paris by Lawrence J. Epstein

The basic premise of this story is about a young man named Daniel that is fresh out of the war, where he saw many horrible things that have forever changed him. After the war he decides to go to Paris to become a writer. Arriving with very little money he luckily meets and become friends with a book shop owner who gives him a job, money and a place to live. Also on his first day in Paris there is a murder of the owner of a local literary magazine, and from this you find out that Daniel is very perceptive and is pushed to solve the crime, but he does not want to because to do so would mean he has to face his worst memory.

When it comes to the story itself, I have to say it is one of the most beautifully written stories I have read in a while. The language is reminiscent to a beloved classic novel by a great author from our past. But just because a novel is beautifully written does it make it worth reading? Personally I find this novel to be just so-so, meaning the plot of the story is good, but the execution not so much. The author mentions how many people go to Paris to write because they know their way around words, but lack the skill to properly write a story, and many times I felt that this statement rang true for this story.  The author is very repetitive in the story, with Daniel complaining how he cannot write but does not want to do anything else. Those in the literary community around him try to tell him that he is not good enough to be a writer so he should work with his strengths and investigate the murder, but he does not want to do that he wants to write yet he cannot. Just round and a round and a round. Spoiler though…. He does end up investigating the murder.

The story is also very long, especially considering how little happens in it. So in conclusion, I like the language the author uses and the basic plot, but I wished it was shorter and had more meat to the plot itself and the fat of the repetitiveness cut out. So I would rate this a 2.5 or 3 out of 5.

Severed Threads by: Kaylin McFarren

 

 

I really enjoyed this book, to me it has a little bit of everything for all readers. It has lies, deceit, romance, treasure hunting, fighting, and of course some good ole lovin hehe. I also have to say the author does an amazing job at capturing the readers attention from the very beginning and keeps it, which is very difficult, but she does it with ease by giving little hints into the mysteries of the novel, and not giving too much away at one time like I have experienced before with many writers. I will say some may not enjoy how the writer ends pretty much every chapter with a very small cliffhanger, making very difficult to stop reading. This book also gives the reader some back stories of legends that also are extremely entertaining and there is also a ghost element that I liked since it did not come off as being cheesy or too farfetched, but I do like the paranormal stuff so forewarning that there is this element since some may not like it.

Ratings wise I would give this a 4 out of 5 stars..... wait what? Didn't I just say I loved the book?!? Why only 4 stars?!? The reason for this is the one negative I have with this novel and that is the ending to me feels rushed and things not fully explained. Like there is a scene where you find out Rachel has a stalker, and that whole situation is ever fully explained, you find out that the dude is married but stalking her and doesn't want his wife to find out.... and this left me like "huh?". Then Allie's miraculous recovery goes unexplained, but the biggest is after the bog ending fight is weird and feels rushed and confusing. As well as I will say the "cliffhangers" I raved about so much at the beginning of the review does muddle some of the ending and does at first cause some confusion that can upset the reader, since you read Chase is pulled from the ocean and is alive, but then a few pages later the author confuses you when Rachel overhears by the police that another captain has been claimed. If the ending was developed more then this would definitely be a 5 out of 5.
Also this is volume 1, so there will (hopefully) be more coming in this series and in the epilogue it does end with the promise of a new exciting adventure, but also note that most things are explained and wrapped by to the point you could read this as a stand alone novel, so for those not into series you can still enjoy this novel too.

I truly can not wait to see what the next volumes bring and to see how each character develops, especially the rekindled romance between Chase and Rachel.

SWEET: BY LISA HAHN

  

 

 

SWEET

 

BY: LISA HAHN

 

 

   I will just start out this review by stating for me this book was neither bad nor good, it was just your average romance novel, but with that being said I will explain the pros and cons I see in this books. So to start on a positive note I will say what I liked about this book. First, this is a short simple read, and when I say it is an easy read I am speaking to the fact that it is not a book you have to pay attention to every single word and line in order to keep up with the story, so you can skip over words here and there as many do and you will still understand what is going on with the story. Second, it is a nice romantic story that leaves you with a happily ever after feeling. Third, from what I can tell even though the title of the book states this is the first book in the series this is a standalone novel, so no cliffhangers.
            Now for the cons. First the story is completely unoriginal, it is your typical love struggle of girl and boy falling for each other, but cannot be together yet in the end somehow they find a way to make their love work and live happily ever after. So on that same note to me this story line did have a lot of potential that could have been explored but the author failed to do so, instead just gave the reader another typical romance. As well the story surrounds a ballet school, but when the main character Catherine or “Cat” gets her starring role, the first opening performance was complete skipped over and truthfully the aspect of dance is really a backburner topic, that I really wish the author had done more research in and really included that since I feel this would have given the storyline more depth and made it slightly less typical. Then the males lead of the story, Dmitri, also has this backstory that I feel could have been explored that also would have given the storyline more depth. For instance, his accident that derailed his career, the reader is never really told what happened, was it his fault? Was he drinking? Did someone purposefully injure him? These are just a few off the top of my head that could have been question the author asked themselves to give and extra story a little extra, so again it would not be so typical. So in conclusion, if you want an easy read that ends in a happy ending with no cliffhangers, this you will love this book, but if you are not into that and want stories with a little more realism and “meat on their bones” then I would skip it. This is the first book of a series so I am hoping as the author writes and gets into the rhythm of her stories they will improve.