Audio: Lake Silence

By: Anne Bishop

Narrated by: Alexandra Harris

Series: The World of the Others, Book 1, The Others (Bishop), Book 6

Length: 13 hrs and 38 mins

Release date: 03-06-18

Urban fantasy /own

Relisten time!!!! Only one left to go now.

Loooooove this world! Vicki was cool and I wanted to hug her for her trauma that caused so much issues. 'Damn that ex of hers.

The others were such sweethearts...and also bloodthirsty dangerous and more.

Human laws do not apply in the territory controlled by the Others--vampires, shapeshifters, and paranormal beings even more deadly. And this is a fact that humans should never, ever forget . . .

After her divorce, Vicki DeVine took over a rustic resort near Lake Silence--in a human town that is not human controlled. Towns like Vicki's have no distance from the Others, the dominant predators that rule most of the land and all of the water throughout the world. And when a place has no boundaries, you never really know what's out there watching you.

Vicki was hoping to find a new career and a new life. But when her lodger, Aggie Crowe--one of the shapeshifting Others--discovers a dead body, Vicki finds trouble instead. The detectives want to pin the man's death on her, despite the evidence that nothing human could have killed the victim. As Vicki and her friends search for answers, things get dangerous--and it'll take everything they have to stay alive.

TMST

 

 

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

3/21/2023 Tell us about some famous author from your city/state/country

From my city?! That is known like outside Finland??!? That would be none. At best I can mention J.L.Runeberg who wrote the poem that would be out national anthem, he went to school here.

As for authors from Finland....Tove Jansson? I guess she is our most famous one. The mother of Moomin. 

We do not really have famous authors that are famous outside the Nordic countries, or at best Europe.

3/28/2023 What is your ideal book/audiobook length?

4/4/2023 What are some of your favourite indie/small pub authors/books? 

4/11/2023 How long do you stick with a series you loved, if you start not enjoying the books? 

4/18/2023 What were your expectations when you started blogging?

4/25/2023 If you could go back and change one thing about your life, what would it be?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

If you are interested in participating in TMST or receiving periodic emails that list the upcoming TMST topics and questions,  please fill out this GOOGLE FORM.  Participation is optional and never required.

Carole´s Monday: Magic gifts

 

Author: Ilona Andrews

Title: Magic Gifts

Series: Kate Daniels #5.5

Genre: UF, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Novella

Format: ebook

Pages: 146 

Published:  December 24, 2011

Where I Got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

It isn’t often that Kate Daniels and the Beast Lord Curran get to take a break from protecting their pack and enjoy some time for themselves. So when Curran offers Kate a romantic dinner in town, there’s no way she’s going to pass.

But their quiet night doesn’t stay quiet for long. The trouble starts with a necromancer dying at a nearby table, continues with bloodthirsty vampires crashing though the windows, and ends with more blood on the walls than any dining establishment needs.

Pulled into a deadly game neither wants to play, Kate and Curran find themselves dealing with the vile undead and tolerating a clan of maniacal, hard partying Vikings while desperately trying to save the life of an innocent child...

Review:

Been itching to read this one!! Finally was able to get it from my library. No audio...which bummer....but beggars can't be picky ;)

Kate and her love, Curran, finally are getting a break from protecting their pack. They are taking some time for themselves. When Curran offers to take Kate on a romantic dinner in town...there is NO way she is going to pass. However, the quiet night is ruined when a necromancer dying at a nearby table chaos ensues. They are pulled into a deadly game that they do not want to play. In order to save the life an innocent child, they will have to deal with undead, Vikings, and something unspeakable.

Kate and Curran need a day off...no a week! NO a year! Nooooo 5 years. However, it is their role of leaders and the pack and innocent folks need them. 

I really, really enjoyed this one. It was quick, but not too quick. Honestly, I would've been fine with this being a full length novel! But it worked at the length it was. 

Loved the blend of Viking and Cherokee lore! That was one bad monster. Curious to see if they will need to knock on that door later on. Feels like there are things unfinished with that monster!!

The real baddie was terrible. I'm glad karma found its way to that character. Terrible person. HOW COULD YOU DO THAT?! No spoilers....but grrr to that person. 

I enjoyed this one and I want to see more Vikings and that monster. 

5 stars from me. Super fun novella for the series!!

Normal people by Sally Rooney

266 pages, Hardcover

Published: August 28, 2018 by Faber & Faber

Fiction /library

This book was messy, these people who wanted to be normal were flawed and real.

Marianne and Connell meet in school. He is popular, she is not. She is rich, he is not. They start something in secret.

They meet again and now she is popular and he is the one not fitting in. They are in and out of each other´s lives and being idiots.

But so much else is going on. She has some trauma she really should work through and admit. The same with him. They are flawed. And there are some really disturbing things going on. Srsly, work through that trauma.

The end was a bit open, I like closure and I really need that. But I enjoyed the book and binged it

At school Connell and Marianne pretend not to know each other. He's popular and well-adjusted, star of the school football team, while she is lonely, proud, and intensely private. But when Connell comes to pick his mother up from her job at Marianne's house, a strange and indelible connection grows between the two teenagers--one they are determined to conceal.

A year later, they're both studying at Trinity College in Dublin. Marianne has found her feet in a new social world while Connell hangs at the sidelines, shy and uncertain. Throughout their years at university, Marianne and Connell circle one another, straying toward other people and possibilities but always magnetically, irresistibly drawn back together. And as she veers into self-destruction and he begins to search for meaning elsewhere, each must confront how far they are willing to go to

Miranda in Milan by Katharine Duckett

204 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 26, 2019 by TOR

Historical/fantasy/own

I needed something for bookclub and found this, and it was a novella!!!

Temptest`? Yeah, I do not know a lot about it actually, I have not read it. I know the big scope, but not the details. Anyway Miranda and Prospero are back in Milan. Rveryone is acting strange around her, she understands her dad is an ass. And she meets her new handmaiden who she is swept away by. Ok so it was a novella and now I did not feel the love, or even lust between Miranda and her maiden.

A short fast read. I liked it, but yeah not much had time to happen

After the tempest, after the reunion, after her father drowned his books, Miranda was meant to enter a brave new world. Naples awaited her, and Ferdinand, and a throne. Instead she finds herself in Milan, in her father’s castle, surrounded by hostile servants who treat her like a ghost. Whispers cling to her like spiderwebs, whispers that carry her dead mother’s name. And though he promised to give away his power, Milan is once again contorting around Prospero’s dark arts.

With only Dorothea, her sole companion and confidant to aid her, Miranda must cut through the mystery and find the truth about her father, her mother, and herself.

Over the woodward wall by A.Deborah Baker

Narrated by: Heath Miller

Series: The Up-and-Under, Book 1

Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins

Release date: 10-06-20

Fantasy/ Mg?

It was short so I gave it another go, but it was rather dull.

The story is mentioned in her book Middlegame, another one I dnfed. Her style either works really well for me, or not at all.

This was two kids lost in Wonderland, and blah blah. More books coming. But it could be a fun MG adventure for some

Good narration, but not a story to hold me

Avery is an exceptional child. Everything he does is precise, from the way he washes his face in the morning to the way he completes his homework - without complaint, without fuss, without prompt.

Zib is also an exceptional child, because all children are, in their own way. But where everything Avery does and is can be measured, nothing Zib does can possibly be predicted, except for the fact that she can always be relied upon to be unpredictable.

They live on the same street. They live in different worlds.

On an unplanned detour from home to school one morning, Avery and Zib find themselves climbing over a stone wall into the Up and Under - an impossible land filled with mystery, adventure and the strangest creatures.

And they must find themselves and each other if they are to also find their way out and back to their own lives.

TMST

 

 

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

3/14/2023 How do you measure blogging success? Followers, page views, interactions, etc.

I remember in the early days and it was SO important on how many views you had, followers etc. But then I started noticing those big blogs with so many followers, but no interactions, and it hit me how boring that is. Writing to the abyss. So I stopped caring. All that mattered was that I enjoyed it and could talk to other book bloggers.

Success is enjoying what you do

3/14/2023 How do you measure blogging success? Followers, page views, interactions, etc.

3/21/2023 Tell us about some famous author from your city/state/country

3/28/2023 What is your ideal book/audiobook length?

4/4/2023 What are some of your favourite indie/small pub authors/books? 

4/11/2023 How long do you stick with a series you loved, if you start not enjoying the books? 

4/18/2023 What were your expectations when you started blogging?

4/25/2023 If you could go back and change one thing about your life, what would it be?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

If you are interested in participating in TMST or receiving periodic emails that list the upcoming TMST topics and questions,  please fill out this GOOGLE FORM.  Participation is optional and never required.

Carole´s Movie Monday

Title: Jumanji - Welcome to the Jungle

Length:  1h 59m

Released: 2017

Genre:  Action/Adventure, Comedy, & Fantasy
Rating: PG-13
Where I Got It: Hulu

SUMMARY:

Four teenagers are sucked into a magical video game, and the only way they can escape is to work together to finish the game.

Click here for the trailer

REVIEW:

Been meaning to watch this for an eon....but just never got around to it. It popped up as recommended on Hulu SO I decided it was time......and I ended up watching it twice. 

The movie takes place after the end of the original. The Jumanji game washed up on shore...in the sand. It is picked up and it is a little bit different. Instead of the classic board game, it is now a video game. Four teenagers decide to try it out and get sucked into this magical video game. The only way to escape is to work together and save Jumanji. 

This was SOOOOO much fun. I loved it!!!!!!!!!!! Like I said earlier I watched it twice. Once...alone. The second time I made Hubby watch it with me. We both love video games and the original so it was nice to get all the jokes. Even if you don't play video games, it is still funny. 

Great cast! Couldn't pick anyone better. They are so fun together. 

We had some nice nods to the original which was nice. One I didn't even catch until Hubby pointed it out. *chef kiss* Beautifully done. 

This was fun, funny, heartwarming, action-filled, and just plain entertaining. 

I do plan on watching the sequel. It's not on Hulu like this one....so there will be a delay for sure. 

In the end....5 stars. LOVED it. 

Cytonic by Brandonn Sanderson

409 pages, Paperback

Series: Skyward (#3)

Published: October 11, 2022 by Gollancz

Scifi/YA/own

Is it me? Am I over books? Can I only do audi0? Or was this book just boring? I think it might be the latter. it was really dull, nothing happened. Everyone was boring, everything was boring. I want to skim, and it was so bad that nope, I will not get book 4. it is over. It is sad, but it is over

She proved herself one of the best starfighters in the human enclave of Detritus and she saved her people from extermination at the hands of the Krell – the enigmatic alien species that has been holding them captive for decades. What’s more, she travelled light-years from home as a spy to infiltrate the Superiority, where she learned of the galaxy beyond her small, desolate planet home. Now, the Superiority – the governing galactic alliance bent on dominating all human life – has started a galaxy-wide war. And Spensa has seen the weapons they plan to use to end it: the Delvers. Ancient, mysterious alien forces that can wipe out entire planetary systems in an instant.

Spensa knows that no matter how many pilots the DDF has, there is no defeating this predator.

Except that Spensa is Cytonic. She faced down a Delver and saw something eerily familiar about it. And maybe, if she’s able to figure out what she is, she could be more than just another pilot in this unfolding war. She could save the galaxy. The only way she can discover what she really is, though, is to leave behind all she knows and enter the Nowhere. A place from which few ever return.

The Earl next door by Amelia Grey

294 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 28, 2019 by St. Martin's Press

Series: First Comes Love (#1)

Historical romance /own

Adeline is a widow who has a school for girls in her backyard. Well, she will soon have a school.

Her first meeting with Lyon was hilarious, and tsk Lyon, Lyon. The neighborhood was gossiping what on earth was going on in her backyard.

She is a happy widow, and Lyon gets on her nerves. There is banter, there is being annoyed, there is attraction building. But she does not want another bad marriage, and he wants someone to love. Not to love for a moment.

Cute story, they get their hea.

When Adeline, Dowager Countess of Wake, learns of her husband’s sudden death, she realizes she’s free. At last, she can do, go, and be as she pleases. Finally, she can have the life she has always dreamed of. She doesn’t need, or want, to remarry. Especially not the supremely dashing future Marquis of Marksworth, who makes Adeline yearn for his desire. . .

Lord Lyonwood, son of a philandering marquis, will not be like his father. He wants to run his estates and watch them flourish―and find a wife who brings love to his life. When he meets spirited and self-reliant Adeline in a case of near-scandalous mistaken identity, Lyon feels he’s met his match. But Adeline isn’t interested in a marriage proposal. She will only accept becoming his lover―and Lyon finds it hard to refuse. Unless the fire of his passion can melt Adeline’s resolve. . .

Early review: Text and confused

 

By: Whitney Dineen, Melanie Summers

Narrated by: Avery Reid, Alexander Cendese

Series: An Accidentally in Love Story, Book 6

Length: 6 hrs and 20 mins

Release date: 03-14-23

Contemporary romance /to review

This was a cute one. Toni wants a change in her dating life, so she disses the cute working man (too handsome, too everything), and instead opts for the boring white collar guy. But life is never that easy and she gets the wrong number. She wants to take it slow so they start to text each other, and both are falling in love. Awww what could be better!? Well, she was texting the wrong guy.

Toni was a bit prejudiced against Connor. Not his fault he is handsome, and seemingly like the other guys that did not want to settle down. She got to know him through texts and should have realised he is perfect.

Sumner was an ahole who ghosted her and she still gave him a chance. Also listening to one POV and believing that POV...wait, is this Pride and Prejudice? Yes, dang Sumner is Wickham!

But everyone gets their stories straight and live happily ever after. A cute romance with some twists. Connor was the best

Good narration by this pair. It worked well and they got the voices done in a manner that fitted them. It flowed well and was easy listening to. They worked well together.

I'm Toni Capella and I'm a bad-man-o-holic. (Hi, Toni!). But it's a new year and for the first time in my twenty-nine years I'm determined to attract Mr. Right. So when super-hot contractor Cooper Flint walks into my office, I immediately put him on my "no way" list. Besides, my eye is on another new coworker, Sumner Livingston. Handsome, well-heeled, and professional, Sumner is nothing like my usual type, which I assume makes him perfect for me.

I insist Sumner and I keep our budding relationship separate from work. I even suggest we do our initial courting via text while we get to know each other better. Things are going beautifully and just when I'm starting to think he's "the one," I find out there's been a horrible mix-up. My boss accidentally gave me Cooper's number, not Sumner's, and I'm falling for Mr. Wrong, again.

Unfortunately, after I break it off with Cooper, I discover that Sumner isn't the good guy he portrays himself to be. When Cooper rescues me from a compromising situation, I belatedly realize I might be been missing out on the man of my dreams. Have I lost my chance at true happiness or is there some way I can convince Cooper I'm the woman he needs?

TMST: Travel

 

 

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

3/7/2023 Travel: are you getting out? Where have you been?

Travel? What is that? No srsly, what is that? I am SUCH a homebody, I would love to go places, but at the same time...I do not want to travel anywhere.

The furthest I have ever been is Prague. That was our high school trip, a quick stop in Berlin on the way down, then also visiting historic sights near Prague

Other than that, well Sweden. Last summer we took the ship over, stood on Swedish ground and went back. haha. Ok that sounds weird, but the ship itself was the exciting part for the kids.

I am happy with just visiting inside our country. Lots to see, last summer we saw a viking ship in stone, an enormous mushroom, and the tallest boulder in Finland. It was huge

3/14/2023 How do you measure blogging success? Followers, page views, interactions, etc.

3/21/2023 Tell us about some famous author from your city/state/country

3/28/2023 What is your ideal book/audiobook length?

4/4/2023 What are some of your favourite indie/small pub authors/books? 

4/11/2023 How long do you stick with a series you loved, if you start not enjoying the books? 

4/18/2023 What were your expectations when you started blogging?

4/25/2023 If you could go back and change one thing about your life, what would it be?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

If you are interested in participating in TMST or receiving periodic emails that list the upcoming TMST topics and questions,  please fill out this GOOGLE FORM.  Participation is optional and never required.

Carole´s Monday: The 7 deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Author: Stuart Turton

Narrator: James Cameron Stewart

Title: The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Fantasy, & Historical Fiction

Format: Audiobook

Published: February 8, 2018

Where I got It: Audible

Summary: 

Aiden Bishop knows the rules. Evelyn Hardcastle will die every day until he can identify her killer and break the cycle. But every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest at Blackheath Manor. And some of his hosts are more helpful than others. With a locked-room mystery that Agatha Christie would envy, Stuart Turton unfurls a breakneck novel of intrigue and suspense.

Review:

Gotta love book club. I had my eye on this one but never gave it a chance until this was picked to read in my book club.

Here we follow Aiden who knows the rules to the game. Evelyn Hardcastle will die every day until he can figure out who the killer will be and break the cycle. He wakes up in the body of a different guest at Blackheath Manor. He has 8 hosts to try to solve it or the loop begins again and his memories are wiped clean. 

What a cool concept. Mixture of Agatha Christie-esque mystery and 'Groundhog Day'. So cool and def a great book to spark conversation. 

Now...I will say I struggled hardcore at the beginning. It was slow and slightly confusing. WHICH you are supposed to be confused-ish. This is Aiden's narrative. You only know as much as he knows. Very, very slow to get the story off the ground. I do think some parts could have been trimmed down a wee bit. 

Once you get past the first couple of chapters things start speeding up and you can see that there is more to the story and characters. Aiden has a mountain to climb for sure. I don't want to give away any spoilers.....but he has a full plate and not everything is as it seems. 

I go back and forth about Anna. Not sure what I would do in Aiden's place. A part of me would want to save her too, BUUUUUUUT after a big reveal....mmmm. 

The ending was good. Def has a slight open-ended feel to it which I liked. 

OOOO and that one BIG, BIG twist???? Oof. That got me good. I didn't see it coming. There were a lot of twists that tied in but it was so good. 

The narrator was okay. The voice is familiar but I can't remember where I had heard it before. The female voices were subpar. They all sounded alike (minus the old lady who was more distinct). The guy voices were good. 

This was a tough review to write ;) I didn't want to give anything away. 

But yes, pretty good especially for a book club. I can't wait to discuss this with the gals! 

Lots of mystery. A slowwwww beginning and some parts could've been slimmed down a wee bit, but once you get into the thick of things you won't want to stop until you figure out what the heck is going on. I enjoyed this. 4 stars. 

Challenge(s):
- #12 for Audiobook challenge

Best of February

 

Here are our bests of February! 

Best Movie of the Month:

Blodeuedd - Nada this month

"Who knows as usual?"

Carole - Persuasion (2007)

"Rewatched this for Feb! This is a gem and a treasure. A must watch!"

Best Book of the Month:

Carole - Every Last Secret by AR Torre

"This had me all over the place emotionally. So good."

Blodeuedd - Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop

"Best book of the  month goes to the re-listen of Marked in Flesh. All the feels. Cried a river."

Best TV show of the Month:

Blodeuedd -  The Rookie (S4) & Bling Empire: New York

"I watched s4 of the Rookie. I have also tried to watch Vikings Valhalla, and omg, not going well. I thought I had watched several eps but was still on ep 1. Says a lot. I also watched Bling empire NY for the DRAMA."

Carole - Lucifer (s6) & Sex Education (S1-3)

"Finally got myself to watch the final season of Lucifer. It tore me up! Such a good show...sad to say goodbye. And randomly turned on Sex Education bc it has a bunch of actors I am liking....and it blew me away. I totally binged all three seasons in a matter of a couple days. Can't wait for the next season!"

Best Cover of the Month:

Carole's pick

Blodeuedd's pick

Audio: Wild country by Anne Bishop

By: Anne Bishop

Narrated by: Alexandra Harris

Series: The World of the Others, Book 2

Length: 17 hrs and 57 mins

Release date: 03-05-19

Urban fantasy /own

Third time listening!

Gods, humans are So stupid!!!!! Like hello! The Elders killed EVERYONE, and still some stupid humans think they can take that town. Eejits.

Oh man, Virgil, the end broke me. He who cared nothing for humans, started to care.

Tolya and Jesse. I find this sad, a friendship had been built, but then he lost all faith in humankind. I want her to revisit this town

Great book, awesome narration

There are ghost towns in the world - places where the humans were annihilated in retaliation for the slaughter of the shape-shifting Others.

One of those places is Bennett, a town at the Northern end of the Elder Hills - a town surrounded by the wild country. Now, efforts are being made to resettle Bennett as a community where humans and Others live and work together. A young female police officer has been hired as the deputy to a Wolfgard sheriff. A deadly type of Other wants to run a human-style saloon. And a couple with four foster children - one of whom is a blood prophet - hopes to find acceptance.

But as they reopen the stores and the professional offices and start to make lives for themselves, the town of Bennett attracts the attention of other humans looking for profit. The arrival of the outlaw Blackstone Clan will either unite Others and humans...or bury them all.

Joint Discussion: Shadow and Bone

 

Hello all! We will be discussing "Shadow and Bone" by Leigh Bardugo. Blodeuedd is in red and Carole is in blue.

Author: Leigh Bardugo
Title: Shadow and Bone

Series: The Shadow and Bone Trilogy #1

Genre: Fantasy, YA, Romance, Paranormal
Published: June 5, 2012

Pages: 369

Summary:

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.

Discussion:

Literally can’t wait for season 2! Reading this made me even more excited!!

Reading this made me less excited. It ruined it for me *sobs*. Even the Darkling was ruined. I feel the need to rewatch s1 and all its glory.

Oh yesss hubby and I are planning on rewatching S1. This made me excited to rewatch. It’s rare but the show is so much better. This felt like a rough draft of the TV show script lol. 

Omg, yes, it does feel like a rough draft! The show is so much better. The book was for me rather meh and SO many things annoyed me.

The book was super, duper YA. The convos felt awkward and choppy. The show was YA but it didn’t feel like it was. 

Every last thing was super YA. All those things that make some YA books so annoying to read, and that some seem to love. Where to even start?! One of the last things that annoyed me was when Mal got really angry at her for wearing the Darklings colors. Like wtf man, toxic much?!

Oh yes! I get Mal being mad thinking she betrayed him. BUT so toxic. She literally had zero choice. 

Maybe we were supposed to think it was hot that Mal, who had never looked at her, suddenly got super obsessive over her?

He wanted what he couldn’t have. Sure she was a friend but the moment he seen her with teh Darkling he was all “WHA????? SHE IS SUPPOSED TO LOVE ME!” He is a jealous boy. I liked the show version so much better. Sure he was blind to his love to her but you could see it and feel it that he actually cared about her. Here? It felt like she was the only one chasing and yearning. 

Yes it was very one-sided, and I am not a fan of the book Mal now. You do not need toxic people in your life Alina. But then the book Alina was also so very YA. Can¨t say I liked her either.

Oh yeah her whole “I AM SO UGLY” was so annoying. Sure she is no great beauty but I kept rolling my eyes. Obv she has some looks because I think the Darkling was attracted to her and Mal obv was! Again….TV Alina was much more palatable. 

The whole I am mousy, ugly, and everyone else commenting on it. And how she thought she could not be a Grisha cos she was not beautiful. And then the whole how magic changed her, but oh, it only made her hair better and her skin glow…well then you are not ugly Alina, you just need some feed, better haircare and a good night´s sleep. Those parts. Ugly duckling mary Sue

For real! She was in the dirt and mud as a solider of course you will need some good skin treatment and some fatting food. Yepp. She def was an ugly duckling Mary Sue. 

As for the Darkling, well I ADORE Ben Barnes. He is so evil and hot. While book Darkling was boring, grey, and no personality. He was just there and meh. Everyone was meh.

Like we said earlier this felt like a rough draft of the TV script. WHICH kudos to the show they stayed pretty true to the storyline. They filled it with great dialogue and acting to make everyone not meh. 

Great acting, better dialogue, fleshed out characters. They did improve on it so much in my opinion. It was there, just hiding.

Indeed!! I am curious about book 2. Maybe it gets more fleshed out? I feel like this one was rushing. IDK. I’m scared to read book 2. Haha

Nothing happened in book 1, She got discovered, met a mean girl, and then a LOT happened. But however it happens, I can´t wait for S2!!!!! As for reading book 2, meh, not that keen. Maybe we should read the thieves instead, but I feel very meh ;)

Maybe someday we’ll read book 1 of the thieves to see how well the show did. Haha. But yeah, I’m not feeling it anytime soon. We have a whole list of other goodies we want to check out this year!

On to better things! But it was interesting to read this and compare. If I had read it first I would not have been that interested in the tv show.

Yes! For sure a rare gem. Rarely do we get a show/movie that surpasses the book! I loved comparing the two. So it was fun. It does have me excited to get started on the show right now. Maybe I’ll read book 2 after watching season 2 to compare again. Someday. 

I just saw on Fb something like only 20 days left! Eeeeek

Literally jumping for joy! Can’t wait! 

The end?

The end! :D 

About the Authors

Carole and Blodeuedd have been blogging for a long while now. For the last few years the epic duo has been discussing books, watching movies, and even wetting the pen and sharing their stories with the worldwide web. They both love cats, chocolate, and a good story.

TMST

 

 

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

2/28/2023 Which books are you looking forward to reading this Spring? (March-May)

Ack, this one, as always.....no freaking idea. Maybe a new Briggs is coming out? They are usually out in the spring

3/7/2023 Travel: are you getting out? Where have you been?

3/14/2023 How do you measure blogging success? Followers, page views, interactions, etc.

3/21/2023 Tell us about some famous author from your city/state/country

3/28/2023 What is your ideal book/audiobook length?

4/4/2023 What are some of your favourite indie/small pub authors/books? 

4/11/2023 How long do you stick with a series you loved, if you start not enjoying the books? 

4/18/2023 What were your expectations when you started blogging?

4/25/2023 If you could go back and change one thing about your life, what would it be?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

If you are interested in participating in TMST or receiving periodic emails that list the upcoming TMST topics and questions,  please fill out this GOOGLE FORM.  Participation is optional and never required.