7/8/2023 0 Comments Magic bites series in order![]() ![]() The series features a fantastic heroine, a dandy hero and more than that, a fully realized world that features fantastic creatures, court intrigue and power struggles galore - what’s not to love? I consumed all six books in the series within that span, barely stopping to eat, sleep or work. About a month ago, I did, and it began a week-long glom of the highest order. When I confessed that I couldn’t get into the first book, Mandi from Smexybooks encouraged me to just skip it and start with book 2. But over and over when casting about Twitter asking for a great series to read, other trusted readers would recommend the Kate Daniels series. I bought the first in the series, Magic Bites, when it first came out, but tried it and didn’t like it. I’m what we’ll call a “late bloomer” to your Kate Daniels series. Below are links to Dear Author reviews of all previous books. I’d also highly encourage readers new to the series to begin at the start of the series. SPOILER WARNING – Because Magic Breaks is Book 7 in the Kate Daniels series, there are unavoidable series spoilers found within this review. ![]()
0 Comments
7/8/2023 0 Comments Jane hissey toys![]() win a race, grow an apple tree) and they usually find some amusing way around the problem. Most of the stories involve the toys being annoyed at not being able to do something (e.g. Filled with some great characters (Old bear, the extremely cute little bear, bramble, dog and zebra) and the greatest TV theme of all time (the line "sit in your favourite chair" still always makes me laugh for some reason) it is an absolute joy to watch, and with each episode only ten minutes in length, it never outstays its welcome. I'm sure there was a book that predated the TV show as well. A pretty simple and familiar premise, certainly, but when you take into account that this show was made in the early 90s even before Toy Story, you can see how Old Bear Stories has been influential. It follows the story of a group of living toys who have adventures inside a house. ![]() It is a truly wonderful show that makes you feel warm inside every time you watch. I used to watch this show when i was a kid, but i only rediscovered it recently when they started showing it on Channel 5. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Deduction of the guilty party is done by tracking particular oddities given specific to the mystery, such as the guests all trying on specific scents of perfume or a note that some are wearing a particular style or color of clothing. The first nine mysteries typically involve some sort of competition between the guests (in which case readers must deduce who won), a guest attempting to murder another guest, or some sort of rare treasure of Mr Boddy's that has been stolen. The answer is printed upside-down on the next page, providing an explanation of how the criminal was foiled, or how the victim (if there was one) survived. Each mystery ends with a question to answer, and a picture of the checklist from the game is provided to assist with solving. This ends with some kind of cliffhanger that leads into the first chapter.Įxcept for the first book, which contains thirteen, all the books contain ten mini-mysteries similar to the Encyclopedia Brown books. He explains the situation and introduces the six suspects. The books are compilations of mini-mysteries that the reader must solve involving various crimes committed at the home of Reginald Boddy by six of his closest "friends".Įach book begins with a small chapter where Mr Boddy introduces himself to the reader. The Clue series is a book series of 18 children's books published throughout the 1990s based on the board game Clue. Not to be confused with Clue mysteries (book series). ![]() 7/7/2023 0 Comments Hunger games second book![]() ![]() ![]() Though there are characters whose stories are worth further exploration, the story of this book, and Coriolanus Snow's path to power, feels complete by the novel's end. Unlike The Hunger Games, Collins doesn't seem to have plotted out further installments. It doesn't seem likely that a second novel will follow. That has led to fans asking, will there be a sequel to The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes? Could this be a new trilogy? Warning: Spoilers for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes follow. A decade later, author Suzanne Collins has released a new book, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, set decades before the original trilogy, and already planned as a major motion picture. The first Hunger Games novel arrived in September of 2008, Catching Fire one year later in 2009, and Mockingjay a scant 11 months after that, in August of 2010. When The Hunger Games novels came out, there were three of them, and they arrived in rapid succession. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The player interacts with the game by making decisions through ethical dilemmas that deal with issues such as insanity, rape, paranoia, and genocide.Įllison wrote the 130-page script treatment himself alongsideĭavid Sears, who decided to divide each character's story with their own He has been keeping alive and torturing for the past 109 years byĬonstructing metaphorical adventures based on each character's fatal flaws. Named “AM” has destroyed all of humanity except for five people, whom It takes place in a dystopian world where a mastermind artificial intelligence The game is based on Ellison's short story of the same title. I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream is a 1995 point-and-click adventure game developed by Cyberdreams and The Dreamers Guild, co-designed by Harlan Ellison and published by Cyberdreams. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Eiseley did mention at the beginning that these poems were mostly the equivalent to doodles in a textbook, so I was warned and am not upset about the lack of maturity or depth.īy all rights, I should give this two stars, but I cannot manage to muster the vitriol that rating would imply for this sweet (if slightly insipid) collection of exceptionally mediocre poems. Most of the poems were safe to read to my kids, which made me think I was not reading anything too mature. Maybe this has influenced my feelings more than anything else. ![]() He particularly enjoyed The Snow Leopard. I did enjoy reading some of the poems aloud to my 6-year-old. ![]() I wanted something penetrating and subtle but I never quite felt any such thing. I understood this quickly and thereafter felt bogged down by the same messages. Eiseley's profound respect and love of the natural sciences is the heart of these poems. There are breaths here and there of beauty and awe, but nothing that blew my socks off. I think I should have snagged some other type of collection and tested something else by Eiseley, such as any of his essays. I had passed this book upon the library shelves one too many times. I had heard of Eiseley before deciding to pick this up. I wish I could rate this collection higher but in all honesty, I am struggling justifying a 3 star rating. ![]() 7/6/2023 0 Comments The bone witch book 3![]() ![]() They once thought it was a person named Druj but the major twist of the book is that it was someone they knew all along! In my opinion, it could have been anyone and the twist isn’t as meaningful as the author might have thought? I’m not sure. ![]() It’s all pointing toward a huge confrontation with an unknown Faceless. Her love, Kaden, is helping her achieve this goal. ![]() They all know that she is trying to make shadowglass so she can give her brother Fox his life back and supposedly end all magic forever. Tea is often out of sight, and we’re watching her friends try to guess at what she’s going to do next. The Shadow Glass moves a lot slower than the other two parts of the trilogy. These books were so sneaky! How did I come to care about this cast of characters in such a short span of time? I got my hands on The Heart Forger and cried harder than I have cried in a long while after reading a story. But then my mind kept coming back to it and thinking about what I had read, and then I decided I might as well find out what happened next. When I first read The Bone Witch, I thought it was pretty good and returned it to the library. Something that I truly believe about books is that they have the power to grab hold of you and not let go. ![]() 7/6/2023 0 Comments Across five aprils novel![]() ![]() I recall the ending feeling a bit slapped on for happiness sake and that a happy ending that made sense in the context of the story to that point would've felt more natural, if a happy ending must happen that is. ![]() It's a large family with daughters embroiled in their own private war of romance and love held in check. Like the town they live in, most are pro-Union, but one of them sides with the Confederacy, and so he and the family suffer. The story is told from the perspective of the youngest son watching his older brothers go off to war. ![]() Just the same, Across Five Aprils, the story of brothers torn apart by the America Civil War, did win the Newbery, so it must've been doing something right. Mind you, I also thought TV's The Waltons was the height of drama, so maybe my opinion is a bit skewed on the subject. I remember this as eloquently rendered and high-minded, gut-wrenching drama when I read it way back then. Across Five Aprils was required reading in 6th grade and it was as if the teacher's were saying "Life's a bitch, get used to it." ![]() Do they make kid's books like this sort anymore? Real and real painful. ![]() ![]() Whitaker would fit the textbook image of Prince Charming to everyone but me. It’s the men who have been chosen by the King. I had everything it took to be a house girl, including my innocence, something the Princes not only hold in high regard, but explicitly require. I was raised to be the Dukes’ Duchess, but that dream came to an end when they chose a different woman. The bigger question: Why would I take it? Why would East End Royalty invite West End trash for an opportunity to become their Princess? When I received the invitation to the Princes’ masked ball, I assumed it was a mistake. Any woman can have a womb, but yours has been chosen.” He steps forward and presses a hand to my stomach. ![]() ![]() “Tonight embarks your journey as the vessel for the next great heir. ![]() 7/6/2023 0 Comments Ash princess trilogy![]() ![]() So tickle me surprised because honestly Ash Princess blew me away. ![]() And power isn’t always won on the battlefield.įor ten years, the Ash Princess has seen her land pillaged and her people enslaved. But she does have a weapon: her mind is sharper than any sword. With blood on her hands and all hope of reclaiming her throne lost, she realizes that surviving is no longer enough. Then, one night, the Kaiser forces her to do the unthinkable. She is powerless, surviving in her new world only by burying the girl she was deep inside. She’s endured the relentless abuse and ridicule of the Kaiser and his court. ![]() Theo was crowned Ash Princess–a title of shame to bear in her new life as a prisoner.įor ten years Theo has been a captive in her own palace. On that day, the Kaiser took Theodosia’s family, her land, and her name. Theodosia was six when her country was invaded and her mother, the Fire Queen, was murdered before her eyes. ![]() |