Josh
“We are always more afraid than we wish to be, but we can always be braver than we expect.”
Simply brilliant.
Solid opening to what looks like an interesting and short series (5 volumes).
High point, the artwork during fight scenes, easy ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Remember that any meal can be your last. You chose to travel with us, so tonight you will eat fish. Tomorrow, you may die.”
How many ways can I say I love the Wheel of time? Three books in (four with the prequel) and each one builds more and more on the last, the characters are brilliant (each with there own flaws) the plot is one well traveled but has never been done to this level before (in my opinion).
Read the Wheel of time, read it now!
An amazing series for any parents who need a good, child friendly read. It keeps getting better!
Well that was great 😂 really intreaged to see where this goes, love the hipster art work especially Shaggy and Scooby. Great twists with Velmas character early on, well worth a read!
So let me say firstly, Finders Keepers is a good book.
I've scored Finders Keepers lower than I was hoping purely down to the slow start, I love this trilogy mainly because of Bill Hodges and his friends (Holly & Jerome) so when they didn't pop up for the first 100 pages or, so I wasn't confident I would enjoy Finders Keepers as much as Mr Mercedes.
That being said, this book has a great ending and when it got going I couldn't put it down, if the start has been quicker this would easily be a four-star book!
Finders Keepers does a great job at showing how far obsession can push a bad person over the edge causing them to do terrible things, but in their mind things that need to be done.
The antagonist wasn't up to the Mr Mercedes level in my opinion but the more time spent with him the more he grew on me, this is a good sequel but for me doesn't live up to Mr Mercedes, luckily End of Watch was brilliant so the series ends well!
Such a fantastic book! 4.5 stars!
I've been a big fan of the Witcher game series for a long long time, its taken me a lot longer than it should have to start reading the books but i'm really glad I've finally started.
Anyone who's played the games will be familiar with the set up of the books, we follow Geralt of Rivia as he hunts monsters and takes on quests, the book and games have a similar layout in the sense of there is one story (the main story) that we dip in and out of with multiple smaller stories (side quests) breaking up the main story, I really enjoyed this style as it kept the story fresh.
Some of the series key characters are introduced during The Last Wish and its great to see characters I love from the games being so well written, the story of how Geralt becomes good friends with Dandelion the poet and also how Geralt and Yen (Yennifer) meet are done especially well, the introduction to Yen really had me hooked and I cant wait to read more to see there relationship grow.
Now, I wont lie, in the games I always lean towards Triss over Yen so I would have liked to see Triss in book one, she was mentioned but didn't make an appearance, this inst a negative but she's a great character so I hope she makes an appearance in book #2.
For people who are not aware of the Witcher, a Witcher is someone who is trained and mutated as a child to hunt monsters and protect innocent people, as times change and the world evolves there are less Witchers and the remaining Witchers are treated as outcasts by most, however, when something goes wrong or there are monsters in your town Geralt is the man.
I would highly recommend this series to anyone interested in Fantasy, the world is well built the characters are memorable and very likeable and the focus on Polish folklore is really interesting bringing in monsters we dont see often. MUST READ!
Tip - If you dont know the Witcher, look at a trailer for the Witcher 3 Wild Hunt before reading the book, this will help give you an idea of the world and introduce you to some of the amazing characters!
After watching (and loving) the Netflix film for Bleach I finally picked up the first three Mangas and I have to say, I have not been disappointed!
Great artwork, original story with well defined characters, onto Vol 2! ⚔
This being my fifth time reading the Philosophers Stone I knew what to expect, I love the series and with this being the first book its always been my favourite.
I wont go on about the book lets face it everyone knows the story of Harry Potter, if you haven't already... READ THIS BOOK!
Five stars really isn't enough!
Strong enough for me to want to read the next issue but Vol 1 didn't get me as hooked as I had hoped for!
For once, I act think I prefer the TV show... Will read the next issues regardless!
Another solid Manga! I've really enjoyed getting into the Bleach series and can't wait to read book three next, this is a series I would highly recommend to Manga fans new or old!
I can't recommend this series enough, as a parent reading to his daughter the last kids on earth's eries has been super fun!
Four books in, five to go then we're all caught up.
Beautifully drawn and beautifully written, the characters are impossible not to love, a manga more people should know about!
Onto the next one! ☺
“Life is lighter than a feather, duty heavier than a mountain.”
The easiest five stars I've given in a long, long time!
I REALLY enjoyed the Eye of the World (WoT #1) and had high hopes for how the series would build, The Great Hunt improved on everything in #1 and I no longer like the series. I love it.
The character development (especially with Rand) is unlike anything I've read before, its natural and its the story perfectly, its forced when it needs to be and everything that happens is believable. I wont say more without going into spoilers but Rand is fast becoming a favourite character for me.
The world that Robert Jordan built is incredible, I've never read a world so detailed and well built. This is a series that fantasy fans need to read and fantasy writers need to take notes as its incredible. I've been toying with writing a Fantasy series for a while and this has changed everything for me, before writing the first line i'll take Robert Jordan lead and create the world.
Fantasy fans. READ THE WHEEL OF TIME!
5/5 stars
10/10
However you rate your books, this gets full marks!
Wow.... Just wow.
Now that i'm up to date with GoT (hurry up GRRM) I've been looking for a new Fantasy series to fill a GoT shaped whole, I've found my new favourite.
Let me say first of all, you cant compare Wheel of Time to GoT, there VERY different and if anything I would say Wheel of Time is closer to LoTR than GoT, that works for me.
The main point I think I need to stress is I have never read a world this well fleshed out before, Robert Jordan goes into SO MUCH DETAIL! To some people that will put them off, it can be slow in places and the pacing does suffer occasionally because of the world building but for me, it only added to the truly amazing story.
I really enjoyed the characters and there development, other than Lan and Moraine they all start as quite timid one dimensional characters, 800 pages later each character has developed massively to the point where you barely recognise them from the start. I found the plot enjoyable with just enough twists to keep it from the standard Fantasy trope of the one guy who can save the world even though he's just a normal guy.
Fantasy fans need to read the Wheel of Time, if your not a Fantasy fan you would probably find the book slow in places but if your anything like me, you'll love it!
Two books in the series down, thirteen to go.
5/5
10/10
Amazing.
“My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die! “
The Princess Bride has to be one of the most fun and unexpected books I've read in a long long time, the cast is fantastic (Fezzik and Inigo made it for me) and the way it doesn't take its self serious made every page fly.
If you need a fun read, read The Princess Bride!
“As... You... Wish”
Okay, so let me say first of all I in a rookie move I read End of Watch (The end of the series) before reading Mr Mercedes (the first in the series) so I know how this series ends before starting it.
That said, I enjoyed the end of the series, so I knew I would enjoy the first two books, Mr Mercedes in my opinion is one of Kings most underrated books/series! This is thrilling, intense, full of twists and over all very well written.
First plus, the main character in Bill Hodges is brilliant and a really enjoyable protagonist, he's a retired detective struggling to find his way since retiring (dreaming of the cases he didn't solve) I won't go into the plot in this review but safe to say Bill doesn't stay retired for long. Outside of Bill we have some great supporting characters who complement each other well, my personal favourite being Holly who comes in late.
Second plus, what a bad guy! Nothing is more important in a good thriller than a bad guy that keeps you on your toes, the Mercedes killer as he is nicknamed is crazy but in such a controlled way that he is inventive and seriously dangerous. The cat and mouse chase between Bill & the Mercedes killer had me on my toes from the start even though I know how the series ends and that to me tells you just how good kings writing is in this book.
Plot, again no spoilers, we follow the Mercedes killer who has so far managed to successfully avoid the police following a murder spree at a major jobs market, the Mercedes killer isn't happy with stopping there and wants to go down in history.
Our protagonist Bill takes it upon himself to stop the Mercedes killer before he can hurt anyone else.
8/10 BRILLIANT!
I don't usually like short stories but I quote enjoyed The Worry Website!
Each story is interesting enough and connected in a way that makes them all feel relevant, I'd mark it higher if they'd been fleshed out a bit more!
The “Worry” from a 12 year old competition winner was a great touch, you don't see things like that these days.
Overall, another great read from Jacqueline Wilson, the main negative is I would have liked more!
I've been trying to read more “indie” or lesser known authors in 2019 and this was another solid win.
Zombies - Tick
Set in the UK - Tick
Talks about a lack of Tea - Tick
Jokes aside this was a really interesting read and I'll definitely look at other books in the series now, the diary format kept it short and snappy and the I am Legend solo perspective really helped build the feeling of isolation.
We should all give lesser known authors a try, like me you might find some you love!
“It is easy to kill with a bow, girl. How easy it is to release the bowstring and think, it is not I, it is the arrow. The blood of that boy is not on my hands. The arrow killed him, not I. But the arrow does not dream anything in the night.”
Fantastic, I really loved the Sword of Destiny for so many reasons! The beginning of Geralt & Ciri's bond in this novel is done so SO well, the way they're pulled apart and pushed back together really does have the feeling of destiny and the love you quickly feel between them is so strong.
Geralt, what can I say about Geralt. He is one of the most complex and diverse fantasy characters ever in my opinion. Mutated and edited so he can't feel anything when hunting yet he loves and fights hard for anyone who needs protection. He's paternal, loving and goes completely against the way everyone see's him. The word Sapkowski built for him is detailed and rich and it rivals all others. He's a monster hunter who follows a code that makes you question how we define monsters. Fantasy fans need to read this series, I can't wait to read more!
Sapkowski has a talent when it comes to character building, playing the games I adored Triss and found Yennefer difficult to like with how she treats Geralt, yet in the novels with Yen's backstory explained in more detail I can't help but understand and feel for her, Geralt loves her even though he shouldn't be able to love and that's very infectious!
Also, I love the unusual take on Monsters. The Polish folklore influence is so interesting and its a great twist on the standard Fantasy monsters.
Cant wait to read more, NEED to play the Wild Hunt again, each 10/10 - 5/5 read!
“The sword of destiny has two edges. You are one of them.”
3.5 Stars for In the Miso Soup.
I really enjoyed this read so dont let the 3.5 stars put you off, this is a short punchy read in a horror/thriller genre mix, I've been really into Japanese horror recently and I wanted to try some slightly different reads.
Minor spoilers/plot points below (you've been warned)
In the Miso Soup follows a tout/tour guide called Kenji.
Kenji shows tourists (mainly Americans) around Japans version of the Red Light District showing the best clubs and pubs along with the more X rated stuff that i'm sure I dont need to spell out.
Kenji is hired by an American tourist called Frank (instantly seems odd) for three days, Frank wants to see all the spots, his story doesn't add up and he keeps tripping up on small white lies, making Kenji doubt how much Frank is saying is true. Then the bodies start piling up in all the spots Kenji and Frank visit.
I wont say much more other than this is an enjoyable read, I wouldn't say its a classic but I would recommend it to people who want to try something different especially people like me who are fascinated by Japan.
FYI
There is one very VERY graphic killing scene that I found difficult to read through, if your triggered by heavy violence this might not be for you.