User Profile

slayra

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Joined 2 years 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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Review of "Selkies Are a Girl's Best Friend" on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Sonja Fong is a very strong character who deserved her own story. The plot builds on previous ones, which is cool, as we learn more about the rift instability and weird things shifters can do. The formula is the same as in previous books but it works. Both narrators do a great job and I enjoyed this story as much as the others. Great to pass the time with a smile on my lips.

reviewed Turn Coat by Jim Butcher (The Dresden Files)

Jim Butcher: Turn Coat (2009, Roc) 4 stars

The new novel in the hit New York Times bestselling Dresden Files series.The Warden Morgan …

Review of 'Turn Coat' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

When Morgan is accused of the crime of killing a senior member of the white council, Dresden - of all people - believes him innocent and decides to find the true killer. To make matters worse, there's a primitive spirit chasing Morgan, and therefore Dresden too.

I am always astonished at how Butcher is able to write such long books without breaking the pace or making me lose my interest. James Marsters does a wonderful job of narrating Dresden - as always - and his voice for Binder is wonderful! The plot is carried through from the previous books and it is just masterfully woven into the black council. The only disappointing bit was that I figured out the killer. Apart from that, this was a great reading and I hope Butcher continues to write this series for a very long time!

Stephen Chbosky: The perks of being a wallflower (1999) 4 stars

A tale of adolescence whose hero is Charlie, a high school freshman in Pennsylvania. The …

Review of 'The perks of being a wallflower' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This book follows the first year of high school of Charlie through letters he writes. The way the sentences are written and how they evolve is pretty interesting as Charlie becomes an adult and learns about the world through his friends, family and books. The characters' personalities are very well described and it is a pleasure to read these letters. A book that will keep you thinking about a couple of sentences and truths.

reviewed The cuckoo's calling by Robert Galbraith (Cormoran Strike -- 1)

Robert Galbraith: The cuckoo's calling (2013, Sphere) 4 stars

After losing his leg to a land mine in Afghanistan, Cormoran Strike is barely scraping …

Review of "The cuckoo's calling" on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Cormoran Strike is a private detective that has just split with his fiancée and is living in his office, trying to hide the mess that is his personal life to everyone - specially his secretary Robin. Robin is a very bright woman working as a temporary secretary, who secretly always wanted to be a detective. Strike almost does not have any case to work on until he is hired by John Bristow to investigate the death of his half-sister, supermodel Lula, since the police had ruled it a suicide.

This book is so well written it is a pleasure to read! I learnt a lot of new words, which was awesome, and I had a hard time thinking about anything besides the characters and motives. What a great book! I must read the rest of the series now.

Molly Harper: Love and Other Wild Things (Paperback, 2018, Independently published) 4 stars

Review of 'Love and Other Wild Things' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Danica is a bit of a magical physics engineer with her powers, she is able to move energy to heal (and to destroy) and she is sent to Mystic Bayou to try and understand what is happening with the rift. Zed already was a great character and together they have funny weird dialogues. I like this couple better than Julian and Bael. The mystery part is more of a misunderstanding, and probably the weakest point in this story. Everything else feels funny and cosy, and the narrators did a very good job!

reviewed Look alive twenty-five by Janet Evanovich (A Stephanie Plum Novel -- 25)

Janet Evanovich: Look alive twenty-five (2018) 4 stars

"Stephanie Plum faces the toughest puzzle of her career in the twenty-fifth entry in Janet …

Review of 'Look alive twenty-five' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Vinnie gets a Deli restaurant and sends Stephanie and Lula to work there, knowing that the last three managers disappeared into thin air leaving only one shoe behind. This book changes the usual setting of general Trenton to the restaurant and I enjoyed that. Raymond is probably my new favourite character and I laughed out loud several times. Lorelei King does an amazing narration of this book! The way she reads "diarrhea on bacon" will forever be in the back of my mind..!

Molly Harper: How To Date Your Dragon (Paperback, 2018, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform) 4 stars

Review of 'How To Date Your Dragon' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

True to her form, Harper writes all characters from Mustic Bayou as charming as they can be. Jillian is a strong female character and her humorous dialogues are on point. The only less strong poinr is the serial killer that is easy to pinpoint. The narrators did a brilliant job of this very cosy read!

After her father's death, Nikki, who has spent most of her life distancing herself from …

Review of 'Erotic stories for Punjabi widows' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Nikki lives alone and works at a pub. Even though she descends from a Sikh traditional family, she wants to prove her worth on her own. Thanks to a misunderstanding, she accepts to teach a creative writing class at the heart of her community in London. The women she teaches do not know how to write in English, but they do have a great imagination!

This book was surprisingly comical. I read a sample and I decided to buy it because it made me giggle straight away. I enjoyed it a lot, specially the comic bits from the windows' meetings, but I wanted a bit more of the crime stories. I think more suspense and a twist would have worked nicely too. It was a very entertaining reading, I look forward to read more from this author.

Terry Pratchett: Jingo (2006, Corgi) 5 stars

It isn't much of an island that rises up one moonless night from the depths …

Review of 'Jingo' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Nationalism tends to show itself when there is a war on the horizon, along with intolerance and ignorance. I am forever in awe of what Pratchett was able to make of this book. The difficult topic presented quite raw and yet so entertaining. What a master piece? Definitely one of my favourites.

reviewed Backup by Jim Butcher (The Dresden files)

Harry's in trouble he knows nothing about, and it's up to his big brother Thomas …

Review of 'Backup' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This short story was surprisingly good, not only because all Dresden stories are good but also because it is told from the point of view of Thomas. It is almost endearing how much they care for each other, but it was even better to learn more about him as a vampire and his struggles. Very good!

reviewed Small favor by Jim Butcher (The Dresden files)

Jim Butcher: Small favor (Hardcover, 2008, Roc) 5 stars

The new novel in the New York Times bestselling Dresden Files series.No one's tried to …

Review of 'Small favor' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Harry Dresden is a wizard and a moving target for just about any supernatural entity there is. The Winter Queen Mab wants him to pay part of his debt (2 out of 3 favors), which involves battling demonic creatures, and Summer entities keep chasing him on behalf of their queen. There is not enough mess in the magic world if it involves Harry. And it is again a great mess, fast paced with a lot of weird things happening at the same time and more secrets revealed regarding the Black Council. A big war is building up and I cannot wait to read more about it. By the way, James Marsters' reading of this book is superb as always.

Jim C. Hines, Rebecca Mitchell: Terminal Alliance (AudiobookFormat, 2017, Tantor Audio) 5 stars

"The Krakau came to Earth to invite humanity into a growing alliance of sentient species. …

Review of 'Terminal Alliance' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

In a distant future humans are being recovered and taught by an alien race, who then enlists them as recruits in their spaceships. Human Marion Adamopoulos (Mops) is a lieutenant in a spaceship called "Pufferfish" and is in charge of hygiene and sanitation. When a weird attack takes over the crew, Mops becomes the ship's captain.

This book was a brilliant surprise! It is captivating, all the characters are rounded up and the wittiness of dialogues and situations is just delicious. What a breath of fresh air this is from normal sci-fi! To be honest, I do believe janitors are more prepared to survive than anyone else out there... Specially if it involves clogging up commands from higher ranks.

Douglas Adams: Last chance to see (1991, Pan Books) 5 stars

Review of 'Last chance to see' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

A brilliant sequel to the original

Mark Carwardine taught a lot to Adams, but it seems he also learnt some writing skills himself. Even if not as well written as the original, the text is witty, the photos and descriptions are really good and everyone who cares about our world should read both "Last chance to see". I guess some of the optimism got lost in the 20 years that separate the books but the care and endearment is all there. It is hard not to agree that this world will not end well, but at least we should share how fragile everything is and what we can do to help. Reading proper science is a great start.