Disclaimer: I've received this book from the publisher for an honest opinion.
This book started really good, and I was happy with what I was reading, the character building was good, the plot was to my taste, the whole action thing was good until I came to the middle of the book where it started taking a religious turn and the whole point of the story became believing in God and religious actions, words and statements. Even the characters became religious :/
I mean, if I wanted to be religious I'd choose a non-fiction (religious) book, but not an action/thriller book. This wasn't what I expected and it certainly is not my taste.
"The dead speak to those who listen. Be quieter than even them"
Am I allowed to give this book more than 5 stars? It definitely deserve 5 stars and more.
This book was beyond amazing. What can I say? A combination of Historical fiction, twisted retelling, science vs. religion, women in society, and more. Kerri Maniscalco succeeded in addressing so many issues of the past and the present without making you feel bored at all.
"Personally, I didn't think the dead would mind waiting five minutes to be cut open and explored"
Jack The Ripper has always fascinated so many people out there and I am one of them. I've read multiple books and seen many movies and I'm still intrigued how he hasn't been caught or at least known to the society or people around him.
Stalking Jack The Ripper takes a different turn than the usual story we've known before. It has prostitutes being killed and disfigured in the novel but the reason behind those killings is totally different. You can say this is a retelling of the famous criminal that terrorised the people of London long time ago, but it is used to address many different issues.
"I was a decent girl, even if I spent my spare time reading about science theories and dissecting the dead"
The language and words used in this book were beyond fabulous. The detailed descriptions of murders and anatomy of the dead bodies kept me on the edge. As if I was seeing everything in front of me. I didn't feel bored at all through out the whole story and I was determined to finish it in one day but I failed to do that because I got busy with work and family. Anyhow, I managed to finish it in 2 days *woot woot*
I LOVED the characters ALOT. What can I say? I felt so attached to Audrey Rose that I almost thought I was her in the book *crazy*. She is such a powerful character who was willing to do what she admired and loved even if it meant ruining her reputation in society and failing to be betrothed to someone who has a high rank in society. I loved how she didn't waste her time on silly society matters and focused on science which she admired.
I fell in loved with Thomas Cresswell's character, he was such a gentleman, and not in many situations. But I loved him anyways. He had this charm in the words that he has spoken in the book that made swoon. If he was a real man I'd definitely fall in love with his charm and kindness. I loved how he cared for Audrey Rose and spoke his mind no matter what. I also loved how he didn't care about what the society would think of her practicing science and helped her with her fascination.
The whole novel was built on great characters.
"Science never abandoned me the way religion had that night"
"Each time my blade met with flesh, I sinned more and welcomed it"
This book tackled the issue of science vs. religion as I mentioned earlier, and I liked how it didn't make these two major aspects of our lives clash in the book. The ending explained that and I bow to Kerri Maniscalco for ending the matter in a brilliant way that wouldn't hurt the feelings of either religious people or scientists.
I enjoyed reading this book ... It made me feel like I was a child around 8 or 10 years old living in a magical world. The writing style of Tahera Mafi was so smooth and easy for the eyes, you won't struggle while reading this book, and even though it's categorised under "Middle Grade", I feel like it suits everyone. I'm 33 years old and I've enjoyed reading it. I can't wait for my girl to be older to read this book.
The story is about Alice who was born colourless in a world full of colour and magic. Even her talent is worth nothing to her and to others because she wasn't excited enough about it to show them. Alic has lost her father 3 years ago and now she has the opportunity to go to Furthermore, a very scary world to find her father with a boy named Oliver who she doesn't like at all.
Furthermore has a lot of morals and lessons for the young readers to learn from, such as; respecting time, believing in yourself, loving yourself no matter what, respecting others and admiring them for what they are and not what they have, loving your family, and many more. I believe this book would be a great teaching material if taught in schools.
I also loved the narrators voice/tone when addressing the reader, so cute and so sweet, as if he/she is talking to a very young child, and that's what made me feel young. Also loved the stops in the story and talking about other stuff and then going back to the story. The chapters were divided in a cute way. Loved everything about this book, but at the end I felt a bit bored for it might have been stretched a bit, but all in all, this was a great read.
This book didn't fulfil my expectations. I thought it was going to be full of suspense and thriller but it turned out to be the opposite. The pace of the story was really slow and it lacked the action. It could have been there if the story has been told in a different way or if the author dug more into the characters and let us see what was going on inside their heads. That happened for a bit at the end of the story which didn't do much.The story is good but the writing wasn't. The characters were shallow and so annoying, really I hated both Glen and Jean. Both were so needy and naive, especially the wife. I don't know if there are such women out there nowadays. The husband looked like he had some problems from the beginning but the author didn't invest her time to expand or show more of those problems. I believe the story was lost being told from so many points of view.
A whole book without the presence of Chaol </3
Nooooo ... Why Miss Maas why? I honestly couldn't enjoy this book that much without him. Even though this book stirred a lot of feelings in me, and I liked all the events, characters, relationships and power of the plot, still not a single page about Chaol or anything related to his recovery made me angry. I know he'll play a great role in the last book in saving the promised queen, in facing Erawan and Maeve, but still. I LOVE HIM <3
Now, let's talk about this book. I loved everything in it. The characters became really awesome. Getting to know them more and more. To know about their characteristics, to feel what they are feeling, to get inside their heads. It was amazing.
I loved how Dorian was paired with someone I couldn't imagine would be suitable for him. Aideon and Lysandra, for a reason I saw it coming but still I loved them together and the relationship between Aelin and Rowan; at first I didn't like them together, but now I'm in awe, they are so beautiful and passionate. The perfect couple. How he loves her and what he's willing to do to save her life, is just amazing.
We get to know more about Elide and Lorcan. Both broke my heart. One can barely sympathise with Lorcan, but after you know what he has been through, you'll understand. Also Elide showed great girl power for all the pain, sorrow she has been through, still she managed to reach her girl.
I can't wait till next year to see how this book will end!
Some quotes I loved:
"I find pleasure in both depending on my mood and the person."
"But Aelin and Manon pressed their joined hands to the speckled glass."
"Death, cruel and cunning, waited in the gold-flecked onyx stare."
This book was good in so many ways. The narrating, the writing style, the words used to describe situations and feeling. But ,,,,, Thirteens Reasons Why weren't that reasonable for someone to commit suicide and decide to kill him/herself.
I tried to get inside the head of Hannah, to feel what she's feeling, to understand what she's going through. But being added on a list in high school, having bad reputation, witnessing rape and not calling the police for a broken sign that caused an accident which lead to someone's dying, Don't actually make you kill themselves. She could have asked to someone's help, she could have talked to someone, anyone. She had Mr. Porter, why hasn't she told him about everything that was going on in her head?! Doesn't make sense.
Maybe I'm not a teenager anymore to understand what young people go through in that specific age, but I was one before and I can relate to few things. Yes, I've thought about suicide so many times when I was 15 years old but I've never been able to do it. We are talking about a soul here.
I wish the writer had chosen better reasons for why Hannah committed suicide.
I received a copy of this book from BethanyHouse in exchange for an honest review.
Shadow of The Storm follows the story of Shira, the Hebrew slave that we have been introduced to as a secondary character in Counted with The Stars (Book 1). She is the one who helped Kiya when she came to be a slave in the household Shira was working in.
After escaping Egypt, Shira goes in a journey to find herself and to gather the pieces of her soul and mind that were broken and shattered in the past. To gain herself esteem back after what she has been through in the past.
In this book, I found Shira's character very vulnerable, weak and very low in self esteem, not like the one we've met in Counted with The Stars. Maybe because in this book she was facing something more personal? But I loved how he character developed at the end and how she became so forgiving no matter what so she can live in peace and let others have peace. Because everyone who is bitter, must have gone through something in his/her life that made them like this.
Ayla's character was somehow frustrating at the beginning but then I came to like him, he's such a sweetheart, and a loving husband and father. I felt betrayed as much as Shira at first, but then I understood his situation.
We meet Dvorah, a very bitter widow who is left with a little boy and seeking revenge. And also trying to run from someone who is evil. Her brother in law who is making her do things she doesn't want but she has to. For the sake of her child. She tries many evil things to escape from him, but she fails. Will we see her in book 3? Maybe. I want to know what will happen to her after that fire incident.
Now, the spiritual part of the whole series has eased a bit in this book, I didn't find that much of Mosheh's mention or Yahweh. They were mentioned but not as much as what we've seen in Book 1. Which I think was a win for this book, because it focused more on the characters and their development and on the story itself.
Can't wait for book 3.
