This was a nice surprise. It's a good mystery, but it really shines with the complex characters of Maggie, Liz, Helen4 stars - Mystery/Women's Fiction
This was a nice surprise. It's a good mystery, but it really shines with the complex characters of Maggie, Liz, Helena, and Joni and the depiction of their friendship. I've also never read a book with the setting being the wilds of Norway, so that also added a unique element to the story. This is a solid 4 star read....more
I mainly read the Shadow and Bone trilogy before this to have a better understanding of the world-building, and I'm gla4.5 stars - Young Adult Fantasy
I mainly read the Shadow and Bone trilogy before this to have a better understanding of the world-building, and I'm glad I did because I think it helped my enjoyment of this book. I thought the Shadow and Bone trilogy was interesting, but it felt too YA for me in some ways. I also didn't like the characters.
That isn't the case at all with Six of Crows. The story is a multifaceted, dark, intriguing, action-packed fantasy with villains, brutal violence, some road-trip buddy moments, a prison break, a heist, and subtle romance. Even though the ages of the main characters make it fall into the YA category, they don't act like typical YA characters and seem much older. They're all complex, brave, strong, and broken or tortured in some way. I loved them all, especially Kaz and Inej. (view spoiler)[And I'm really hoping for a happy ending for them all in the second book. (hide spoiler)]...more
It's hard to believe that this is the 57th (wow!) In Death book, and I still absolutely love this amazing series. I 4 stars - Futuristic Crime/Mystery
It's hard to believe that this is the 57th (wow!) In Death book, and I still absolutely love this amazing series. I can't imagine ever getting tired of these characters, so I hope Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb never gets tired of writing them! And I'm still holding out hope for a TV series or movie someday....more
Kristin Hannah is one of my favorite authors, and she deserves praise for writing about the uns4.5+ stars - Vietnam Historical Fiction/Women's Fiction
Kristin Hannah is one of my favorite authors, and she deserves praise for writing about the unsung heroines of the Vietnam war. Yes, there were female Vietnam veterans. During the Vietnam War, more than 265,000 American women served the military and 11,000 women served in Vietnam, with 90% working as nurses. Some women also worked in administrative roles, military intelligence, and air traffic control. These women veterans were ignored, marginalized, dismissed, and denigrated, and many of them suffered PTSD, addiction, and suicidal thoughts without receiving assistance from the VA.
The Women is an emotional and powerful read, and I really enjoyed the story. It's nearly a 5-star read, but part of it felt a bit melodramatic. I admired Frankie, but she also frustrated me toward the latter part of the book. I loved her best friends, Ethel and Barb. Honestly, I found Barb's character even more intriguing than Frankie, and I would love a book about her.
The main reason I didn't rate it full 5-stars is that everything wrapped up at the end much too quickly. (view spoiler)[I was glad for the peace that Frankie found on the Montana ranch and in helping other nurses and women veterans, but I wanted a lot more page time spent on that journey of recovery and healing. And I really wanted Frankie's dad to put a picture of her on their family's wall of heroes! (hide spoiler)]
I listened to the audiobook, and Julia Whelan does a great job with the narration. I highly recommend this! 4.5+ stars! ...more
I love this series. Karin Slaughter has created fantastic characters in Will, Sara, Faith, and Amanda, and she never h5 stars - Crime/Mystery/Thriller
I love this series. Karin Slaughter has created fantastic characters in Will, Sara, Faith, and Amanda, and she never holds back from detailing the evil, ugly aspects of our society. This is another dark, complex thriller, but it's also fucking brutal and deeply disturbing. This book needs a serious trigger warning for rape because it's front and center throughout the entire story, and Ms. Slaughter does not hold back from graphic details.
After That Night made me feel the gamut of emotions...sad, disgusted, heartsick, fearful, and fucking infuriated. It especially made me feel intense anger, deep revulsion, and utter despair for the way women have to constantly deal with the savage and terrifying reality of rape. I had so much rage after reading this book that I asked a friend to go with me to a Krav Maga self-defense class so I could beat the shit out of some strike pads.
The ending felt somewhat rushed to me, and I thought all of the villainous, evil pieces of shit got off way too easy. But the depressing, bitter truth of the world we live in is that people get away with abusing others every second of every minute, every single day, especially rich white men. (view spoiler)[Even though one of the biggest villains in this book is a woman, let's be clear about the fact that the majority of abusers and rapists are men. (hide spoiler)]...more