kintara81's reviews
673 reviews

 I loved being back with these characters, and seeing what they were up to in the short span of time since the last installment. P.J. Skinner has definitely developed my favourite cast of characters in a long time and could read about them forever. Hopefully there are more books in this series. The environment is definitely our world and he has not made any changes to it and if you have stayed in one of these seaside towns then you know how realistic he has made them. I can not wait for more from this author in the future.

I loved Bella in this novel and her story of getting your life back after dedicating 10 years to caring for a sick relative. She shows us how hard it can be to navigate life with family, dissolving of an estate and starting your life again. This is full of funny anecdotes of getting older and also finding yourself again. I love the characters which surround her and also the environment that she is in, being a lover of Dundee myself, I found myself thinking of the area as I read this. I would read another novel about Bella and can not wait to see what the author does next.

This is an amazing reference material for people who are enthusiastic about films and cinematography. We go through both London and Tokyo, travelling with David Kintore, film history, location information and extensive knowledge about the cinemas that he goes to. He has so much knowledge about films from the actors to the films themes and how chosing the right cinema to view it in can enhance the viewing pleasure. He details how going to watch a film should be a whole experience from the getting to the venue, having a dining experience and then the film as well. He is an advocate for the film economy and wants to ensure that his knowledge is utilised.

This is a new concept for me about using runes as a basis for a worlds magic system. I loved it though as it made it interesting learning how this all fits in the complex world that the author has created for his characters. In the first 100-150 pages I enjoyed the fact that the author built the world up and introduced the characters to us and then continued to develop this further as the story goes on. I will interested to see how this is developed in the next novels in this new adult fantasy series.

I loved the characters in this book - and also the little furry companion Hamish who is integral to solving this crime. The characters are all from a small village and you can see that in the way that everyone knows everyone. We watch the group of villagers try and solve the crime and I was not ready for the twist at the end and that one crime led to another. The writing style of this novel helps to make this a very cosy mystery which is the kind of book you can either relax and read by the pool or snuggle up on the couch with a blanket.

This is the first book in the series that i have had the chance to listen to and wow the cast of characters that Anna Armstrong has came up with is amazing. I listened to this audiobook in one sitting it was so addictive and I loved the narration style that had been used. This was a cast of characters that i both wanted to avoid and also be included in - the antics in this one were humorous and had me laughing out loud while doing other task. I am going to have to go back and read/listen to the other books that are in this series as it is totally my writing style.

This cover gave me Jurassic Park vibes but boy was I wrong about that - in a good way. I was so pleasantly surprised to find out that this was a historical novel steeped in Malaysian mythology which was something that I had not read before. You can really tell that the author has pulled on their knowledge and experience of being in the Peace Corps while being stationed in Malaysia which is something that some authors do not do very well. The cast of characters has been well developed and you can tell that this is something that they have though long and hard about before even putting pen to paper. This is something which has complemented the world that they have built around the mystical elements which have been married with the real-life elements of our living world.

This was an eye-opening novel about people being displaced and becoming war refugees whether this was legally or illegally. We follow our main character who is a displaced person from Syria who also happens to be Gay which is not accepted by his religion. We watch him as he helps other families to escape war and fall in love. I loved the characters as this shows how fragile life is and that it can be torn away so quickly. The characters have growth through out the novel and this is despite the environment that they find themselves in.

What more could you want from a young adult fantasy novel - vampires, fae and humans. We have a full cast of colorful characters who have gone through a complete story arc in the trilogy. We can see that they have gained strength and knowledge which allows them to move through their world and adapt to the challenges that they have and even seek revenge against their enemies who have wrong them. This is a great example of a young adult fantasy world which has been made famous by writers and this is a great novel to join the ranks.

 This was a really good narrative of how our communities came together during WW2. Ellue Curzon depicts life in a farming village where girls took on the jobs that their male counterparts would do had they not been called to war. She also shows how rash judgements and preconceived ideas cloud our judgement. The characters that she built reflect ourselves that it makes it so realistic. I loved the whole story, characters and the underlying plot points. I will be sure to go back and read some more of her works.