shiv91's reviews
1019 reviews

Never Lie by Freida McFadden

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emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This has been my favourite Freida book so far. It was definitely a wild ride. The characters were super intriguing and some of them took me by surprise. 
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

At first, I was like hmm. Then ??? And then !!!

Bit of a rollercoaster of a book, but I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected. The characters weren't necessarily the most likeable of people but definitely interesting.

If you are squeamish, this book is rather descriptive of its violent scenes.
JASON STEED Royal Decree by Mark A. Cooper

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adventurous fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I enjoyed the story for the most part. However, the first half and second half of the book felt like two different stories.

As an Irish person, I found it pretty cringey how the Irish were portrayed in it. Not the fact that they were IRA, that was fair enough, but the way they talked was so stereotyped. I suppose I have to keep in mind that many probably have to deal with this type of scenario when someone writes about the country they're from. 

Like previous books, this edition also had a lof of errors which was a pain to read.

It was entertaining though and it's interesting to see Jason getting older.
Nightshade Revenge by Anthony Horowitz

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adventurous sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I am upset.
The Groomer by Jon Athan

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dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Holy crap.
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The Survivor by Gregg Hurwitz

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adventurous challenging mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Pretty fast-paced and with a lot of action. The bad guys were somewhat clichéd but I still found them interesting. Some characters I would have liked to see more of, such as the FBI agent but all in all, a very entertaining read. 
Jason Steed Absolutely Nothing by Mark A. Cooper

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adventurous challenging funny tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

There were a lot of typos in the book and how it was printed was awkward and messy but that hasn't figured in to my rating. Just wanted to point it out because it brought me out of the story when I came across them.

As you'd expect, it was pretty far-fetched, but none the less, it was very entertaining. Jason gets a lot thrown at him and seems to always bounce back. You'd wonder how much more abuse such a young boy could take. He does so much but doesn't really get congratulated or rewarded by the countries he does be helping. Well, he hardly even gets acknowledged.

These books are good fun to read, very violent and full of action
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Shoot to Kill by Stephen Cole

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I didn't enjoy this as much as I did the ones written by Charlie Higson but it was still pretty good. A bit slow to start but once it got going it was entertaining
By Royal Command by Charlie Higson

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Very entertaining read, didn't expect to be enjoying this series as much as I have been.

Hoping the next books being done by Steve Cole will just as good.
Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu

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dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

As someone who didn't enjoy Dracula (found it pretty boring), I wasn't sure what to expect from the book that apparently inspired these stories.

I was pleasantly surprised by it. It was well written and although only a novella, there was a fair amount put in to it without feeling overly rushed. I would have liked a bit more background on some of the characters but that didn't take too much away for me.

Curious now to check out some of his other books.