Reviews and Comments

slayra

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Joined 2 years, 7 months ago

My favourite genre is fantasy but I also love comedy, which means I am a big fan of Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Neil Gaiman and CK McDonnell. Truth is, I'll read anything!

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L. Frank Baum: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (2018, Standard Ebooks)

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is the classic American children’s novel about the adventures of …

Review of 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' on 'Goodreads'

Possibly everyone has read/heard of Dorothy's story and how a tornado takes her dog, her house and herself to the magical world of Oz. For some reason it has taken me a couple of decades to finally read the book and there are way more killings than I thought! Nevertheless, some passages are beautifully written and I giggled at the lion's remarks a couple of times. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would at this age.

And by the way, Anne Hathaway does a wonderful job reading this.

Terry Pratchett: Eric [Paperback] by Terry Pratchett; Adam Roberts (Paperback, 2011, Victor Gollancz Ltd)

Review of 'Eric [Paperback] by Terry Pratchett; Adam Roberts' on 'Goodreads'

Eric is a teenager interested in demonology that happens not to bring a demon to fulfil his wishes but Rincewind. Eric wishes to live forever, to be master of the universe, and to meet the most beautiful woman in the world. Rincewind somehow manages to work some magic and there they go time-travelling through the disc's History.

I am not a big fan of Rincewind, and although this was fun, it was not as entertaining as others. I think the main issue is that Pratchett builds wonderful characters that carry any plot he comes up with, but this one fell a little short. I loved Hell's description though!

Kristen Painter: The Gargoyle Gets His Girl (Nocturne Falls) (2015, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform)

Review of 'The Gargoyle Gets His Girl (Nocturne Falls)' on 'Goodreads'

Willa Iscove ran away from her fae roots to become a successful jeweller. Unfortunately, one of the pieces she made backfired and instead of finding a new love for her client, she gained a stalker. Not sure of what she should do about it, she ends up making a wish to what she believes is an artificial gargoyle but turns out to be a very big man.

Another fun and very easy to read story. I admit I did not enjoy this one as much, maybe because it did not have as much action or because the end was not satisfactory. After all, Willa was the strongest of all the characters...

Markus Zusak: The Book Thief (Paperback, 2013, Alfred A. Knopf)

It is 1939 Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been …

Review of 'The Book Thief' on 'Goodreads'

Before the World War II starts, Liesel Meminger arrives in Munich to meet her foster parents some hours after witnessing her brother's death. Her new parents teach her to embrace life, but more importantly, to understand words and how powerful they can be.

This book is beautifully written and is all about words. The story is focused on a poor orphan girl during the World War II but it could describe anyone else in any other time. It is narrated by Death, the chapters are quite short and introduced in a way that keeps you wondering. The only thing I did not appreciate as much was the ending that was left for the reader to imagine. I wish I knew what happened without a doubt. "I have hated the words and I have loved them and I hope I have made them right".

Kristen Painter: The Werewolf Meets His Match (Nocturne Falls) (2015, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform)

Review of 'The Werewolf Meets His Match (Nocturne Falls)' on 'Goodreads'

Ivy Kincaid meets her future husband at his work place, he is the sheriff and she is behind bars. Not an ideal first date, but at least they both like what they see. It is an arranged marriage so they try to work it out the best they can, and avoid a war between both packs.

Another book without big dramas, just a nice story to take your mind out of the world and chill for a little while. The characters were lovable, and we even get a bit of Delaney. I like how the author writes from both points of view, and while the reader knows everything, there is always a a little suspense in the air. This series is definitely one I will be counting on to be entertained.

Kristen Painter: The Vampire's Mail Order Bride (Nocturne Falls) (Volume 1) (2015, Kristen Painter)

Review of "The Vampire's Mail Order Bride (Nocturne Falls) (Volume 1)" on 'Goodreads'

Why would someone appear at a stranger's footstep as his bride-to-be, chosen by his nosy grandmother over the Internet? Someone fleeing the mafia, that's who. Delaney James witnesses her boss killing someone and her hiding plan is formed by chance while she is on the run. The next day she arrives in Nocturne Falls, a city that thrives on dressing itself for Halloween every night and day. And where people do not need pretending to be supernatural...

Whenever I have a massive headache and am confined to my room, I usually turn to audiobooks. This book turned out to be more entertaining than I had initially thought. The humour reminded me a bit of the beginning of [a:Jeaniene Frost|669810|Jeaniene Frost|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1310062695p2/669810.jpg]'s Night Huntress series, although the plot and characters are very different. I enjoyed that even though the story is built on a bunch of lies, the characters quickly sort them …

Terry Pratchett: Hogfather (2006)

Hogfather is the 20th Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, and a 1997 British Fantasy Award …

Review of 'Hogfather (Discworld)' on 'Goodreads'

The unthinkable has happened: the Hogfather is gone on Hogswatch night. But it's not just the spirit of the celebration that is at risk, maybe all humanity is at risk...

This may be my favourite of all the Discworld books. It's the only one I've read more than once (so far) and it's just so filled with wisdom that sometimes it reads like poetry. It is also extremely funny and quotable. I particularly enjoy the fast pace and the way we keep jumping between characters in the same timeline, but it may be confusing to some. This book is and will always be a Christmas treasure to me.

Review of 'And One Last Thing ...' on 'Goodreads'

Lacey is probably the last person in town to realise that her husband is cheating on her. Dejected, she writes a newsletter to his clients and a lot of other people (including his parents and pastor) describing what a horrible human being he is and what he has done to her. The newsletter turns viral and even though it is hilarious, Lacey quickly realises that it will probably make her divorce much more difficult.

I found this story interesting mostly because there are some very good dialogues there. The plot is crystal clear from the beginning, which makes it hard to understand why it takes so long to develop, but the funny remarks were enough to keep me reading. Molly Harper writes light romances that never fail me when I need a break from the world. This is not her best, and is far from her Jane Jameson series, but …

Molly Harper: The Single Undead Moms Club (Paperback, 2015, Pocket Books)

Review of 'The Single Undead Moms Club' on 'Goodreads'

Single mother Libby is dying and she is not willing to let her son grow up without her, so she decides to place an ad asking to be turned into a vampire in exchange for money. It is not the best plan, but fortunately Jane and Dick are there to help her through her transition. Nevertheless, her parents in law do not see this change as beneficial to their grandson and plan to fight her in court to gain his custody.

This is the best spin-off of the Jane Jameson series so far. Libby is witty and she is not trying to be someone she is not. But the best part is Libby's dialogues with her kid, most of their conversations are hilarious. I truly liked the fact that the book is about Libby trying to stand on her own without big villains or schemes, her main issue is baking …

John M. Zakour: The Raven Haired Rogue (Paperback, 2015, Serealities Press)

Review of 'The Raven Haired Rogue' on 'Goodreads'

Zachary Nixon Johnson, the last private investigator on Earth has another interplanetary issue on his hands. Merinda is a member of the High Council of Mars and is visiting the Earth. She has a dog called Saturn that can communicate telepathically and realises someone wants Merinda dead. If Merinda dies, the commercial relations between Mars and Earth will be seriously affected.

I love Zach, but this book is not as brilliant as some of the others (particularly the last one). The book read a bit like those shows where you can decide the end and for some reason it did not work that well. I enjoyed the story, HARV is always wonderful and Saturn was a great addiction so it is definitely worth a try.

Darynda Jones: The Dirt on Ninth Grave: A Novel (Charley Davidson Series) (2016, St. Martin's Press)

Review of 'The Dirt on Ninth Grave: A Novel (Charley Davidson Series)' on 'Goodreads'

Janey as in Jane Doe - also known as Charley Davidson in a previous life - is making her living as a waitress. Her best friend is another waitress called Cookie, who is married to "Bobert". She tries not to be nosy, but Janey is very curious about several men that frequently eat at the diner. And she is sometimes called Charley by Cookie, which is a mystery. But even as she ignores the ghosts, angels and hell, she cannot help but care about people and feel that she lost a very important thing. But what?

I won an ARC and I could not be happier since this book was definitely a must have for me. I think I read it too fast, and so I could not focus on a lot around me as I kept wondering about the implications of the revelations. As always, Darynda waits until the …

reviewed Blood Rites by Jim Butcher (The Dresden Files)

Jim Butcher: Blood Rites (Paperback, 2010, Roc)

Review of 'Jim Butcher Set' on 'Goodreads'

Harry has not forgotten Susan and is still trying to find her. In the meantime, while the Red Court vampires are at war with the White Council, Harry is paid to find the missing Shroud of Turin... and is found by demons. A lot of demons.

I loved this book! The pace is incredible, there are no pauses and it is incredible that the plot does not suffer at all, it is still intricate and the villains get better and better! Harry's "army" gets larger every time and it is great that he was given some sort of closure. I missed Murphy but this is my favourite book of the series so far. Marcone is also a great addition to the story line. Well done!

João Pinto Coelho: Perguntem a Sarah Gross (Paperback, 2015, Dom Quixote)

Review of 'Perguntem a Sarah Gross' on 'Goodreads'

Num colégio privado nos EUA em 1968 Kimberly Parker é chamada para uma entrevista para um lugar de professora. A diretora, Sarah Gross, deixa uma profunda impressão em Kimberly que acaba por ser aceite no colégio. Paralelamente, a história da jovem judia Sarah Gross vai-se revelando numa Polónia que em breve seria palco de um dos piores horrores da História.

Este livro é francamente bom. Está escrito de uma forma que não satura e que envolve, as personagens ficam connosco horas depois de parar de ler. Gostei imenso da história, o único senão é que demora a cativar. Há muitas personagens cujos nomes podiam ter sido completamente deixados de lado, assim como detalhes iniciais que acho que não ajudam ao desenvolvimento e que tornam o livro inicialmente enfadonho. O ritmo e o meu interesse modificaran-se drasticamente a partir do primeiro terço. Os detalhes históricos parecem-me ter sido escritos com um …

Janet Evanovich: Notorious nineteen (2014, ISIS Large Print)

Book 19 in the Stephanie Plum series After a slow summer of chasing low-level skips …

Review of 'Notorious nineteen' on 'Goodreads'

Convicted people keep disappearing from a hospital and when of them is being chased by Stephanie, she decides to investigate what is really going on. Geoffrey Cubbin stole a lot of money from old people living at a Trenton's facility and so grandma Mazur is also called to help Stephanie, as well as Lula. Even Morelli joins in when more high profile criminals also disappear from the hospital in the middle of the night. Ranger also plays a big part since he enlists Stephanie to work with him... as his date at a wedding.

This book is slow to start but the end is enough to make Stephanie afraid of leaving her bed. I really enjoyed this book, it is different even if the "cream" of the series is the same. Is not as funny as it is more focused on the different unsolved mysteries but when it is funny, …