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Read_By_Red

Read_By_Red

Joined February 2019

Authors are magicians, their words are their magic. Check out my Bookstagram: @read_by_red
review
Read_By_Red
Mercury: A Novel | Amy Jo Burns
Mehso-so

Mercury is not the typical genre that I find myself reading; for the most part I enjoy it. The writing style allowed me to immerse myself into the lives of Marley and the Joseph family. I could understand their feelings and emotions, along with their decisions and motivations. I was also able to experience, along with the characters, their personal growth and development. Mercury is a raw, honest novel that contains some significant themes.

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Read_By_Red
The Fury | Alex Michaelides
Mehso-so

This is Alex Michaelides‘s third novel and having read the other two I had high hopes and high expectations for The Fury. Unfortunately while I did enjoy the novel it didn‘t fully live up to my expectations. I could not stand the narrator, Elliot; while I understand that he isn‘t meant to be a reliable narrator, I found him extremely irritating and annoying nonetheless. The chapters are short which helps to move the narrative along rather quickly.

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Read_By_Red
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Pickpick

The mystery was intriguing once things got going, and I also really liked seeing Florence come out of her shell. Between the era, the speakeasy, the characters and the story I found this to be a fun series to return to. I also enjoyed the audiobook. Young gives each character their own personality and voice, making each one unique. I wish the pace had been a little faster, but between the inflection and tone it was still an enjoyable audiobook.

BookmarkTavern This is my next listen! Your review is making me look forward even more to it! 2mo
Read_By_Red @BookmarkTavern I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, and thank you! 2mo
4 likes2 comments
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Read_By_Red
We Don't Swim Here | Vincent Tirado
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Mehso-so

This is an interesting, young adult supernatural thriller that I flew through. While Bronwyn did seem like a whiny teen at times she is honestly portrayed. The audiobook honestly left a lot to be desired. While iiKane gave Bronwyn and Anais their own voices and personalities there were a lot of long, awkward pauses in places they didn‘t belong and parts that were sped up and full of inflection that did nothing to aid in the telling of the story.

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Read_By_Red
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Pickpick

I truly appreciated Winkler‘s honesty in this novel–about himself and others–and the ways in which he turns his tales of struggles into an inspirational story highlighting his perseverance. It shows how if you work towards a dream, any obstacle can be overcome if you want it, and while you might not always succeed in the way you originally intended, things happen for a reason and you can always learn and grow from your experiences.

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Read_By_Red
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Mehso-so

The thing I liked the most about this novel is that it is told from the perspectives of many narrators. I also liked the nonlinear timeline and the way in which the past and the present were woven together to tell the entire story. It was fast-paced and entertaining, I just wish it was a little less predictable. I also liked that there were multiple individuals used as narrators in the audiobook, giving each of the main characters their own voice.

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Read_By_Red
The Soulmate: A Novel | Sally Hepworth
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Mehso-so

I found Gabe and Pippa to be borderline annoying, and their marriage had dysfunctional written all over it. I think the ending is the only thing that surprised me in the whole book, an ending that did fit rather well. The one thing I liked about the audiobook is that there were two narrators, one for Pippa and one for Amanda. I felt like this allowed for the characters to have their own personalities to go along with their individual voices.

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Read_By_Red
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Pickpick

“End of the Liner”, about people living their lives–literally their whole lives–on a cruise ship is one of my favorites. “I‘m Not Ted” is a humorous story about a man who arrives at The Elevation Department and can‘t seem to convince anyone that he is not Ted. “Final Course”, “The Copy Shop”, and “Dust” all have Twilight Zone vibes and I enjoyed them immensely. “Runaway Blues” has a deliciously twisted ending that I loved!

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Read_By_Red
The Edge of Sleep: A Novel | Jake Emanuel, Willie Block
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Mehso-so

I struggled with this novel. There were some sections that were slow and dragged, but others that were edge-of-my-seat good. I enjoyed the characters, especially Matteo, but the ending fell a little flat for me, almost seeming rushed. In the audiobook I loved the various voices given to the different characters, and I can say that the way in which Matteo is presented probably added to the entertainment I received from his character.

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Read_By_Red
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Mehso-so

This was an okay mystery. I liked that it started with the murder, but you don‘t know who the victim is, drawing me into the story before jumping back one year. The story moved too slow for my tastes however, and I found a lot of the characters to be rather annoying. The audiobook was one where I could take it or leave it. Overall the pace was too slow, there wasn‘t enough inflection and some of the characters were presented as very whiny.

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Read_By_Red
Looking Glass Sound | Catriona Ward
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Mehso-so

I was not a big fan of this novel. I like strange, twisted novels, but this one jumped around way too much for me and I often found myself confused about what exactly was happening throughout the majority of the novel and to whom. The audiobook didn‘t make it any less confusing. The pace was slow and the narrators were monotone in their delivery. There was not enough inflection and, by extension, there was little to no suspense created.

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Read_By_Red
Becoming the Boogeyman | Richard Chizmar
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Pickpick

As with its predecessor, this book reads just like a true crime novel, and the inclusion of pictures and things like transcripts only adds to that illusion. This one didn‘t grab me quite as much, and I felt that all the name drops bordered on creepy and obsessive, but I still enjoyed it. I think that my favorite part of the entire novel was the end; while most of the storyline was wrapped up, it sounds like there is more to come.

JuliaRReads I have seen that it's supposed to be a three part series 3mo
Read_By_Red I heard that as well! 2mo
4 likes2 comments
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Read_By_Red
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Mehso-so

This novel was just okay. It seemed like there were a lot of details and information presented that had little to nothing to do with the storyline. I also struggled to relate to any of the characters; they were either too unrealistic or too different from an average person. The audiobook didn‘t bring any extra enjoyment. While I appreciated that there were two narrators, they were both too monotone in their delivery and lacked inflection

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Read_By_Red
Looking Glass Sound | Catriona Ward
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Mehso-so

I was not a big fan. I like strange, twisted novels, but this one jumped around way too much for me and I often found myself confused about what exactly was happening throughout the majority of the novel and to whom. I liked the basic concept, but I was just too confused too often to truly enjoy it. The audiobook didn‘t make it any less confusing. The pace was rather slow and the narrators were often monotone in their delivery of the story.

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Read_By_Red
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi | Shannon Chakraborty
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Pickpick

This novel was simply extraordinary and captivating; I was hooked from the first page and did not want the story to end. The characters are phenomenal; they are well developed and intriguing and I loved going on this adventure with them. Dalila is savage but caring, and quick witted, and funny, making her my favorite character in the novel. I liked the little sections, told by Amina‘s scribe, containing information about the Moon of Saba as well.

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Read_By_Red
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi | Shannon Chakraborty
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Pickpick

This novel was simply extraordinary and captivating; I was hooked from the first page and did not want the story to end. The characters are phenomenal; they are well developed and intriguing and I loved going on this adventure with them. Dalila is savage but caring, quick witted, and funny, making her my favorite character in the novel. I liked the little sections, told by Amina‘s scribe, containing information about the Moon of Saba as well.

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Read_By_Red
The Bell in the Fog | Lev AC Rosen
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Mehso-so

This was a book that interested me based on the synopsis, and while the basic story is good, it took way too long to get there and was anticlimactic; I was hoping for a better mystery. That being said, I feel as though this is an honest novel, portraying the realities of gay life and culture in the 50s. The characters‘ feelings, reactions, and beliefs–both gay and straight–were not glossed over, creating an accurate representation of the times.

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Read_By_Red
The Changing Man | Tomi Oyemakinde
Mehso-so

This was a novel I struggled with a little. I didn‘t feel as though I could connect with the characters; so many of them were childish and petty, and frankly annoying at times. They didn‘t act how I would expect privileged kids to, which made it hard to really care about anything that was happening to them. The narrative overall fell a little flat and didn‘t deliver the way I had hoped it would based on the synopsis and prologue.

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Read_By_Red
The House Guest | Hank Phillippi Ryan
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Mehso-so

It was just ok to me. It took too long to get to the meat and potatoes of the story, and when it finally did it went in so many different directions that it bordered on impossible, even for a novel. The audiobook was just ok as well. Part of that is due to the material itself–it's such a slow burn–but part of that was due to the narration itself. I just wasn‘t gripped by the story and the audiobook didn‘t help to draw me into the story.

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Read_By_Red
Thieves' Gambit | Kayvion Lewis
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Pickpick

This is a novel full of twists and turns with some big surprises and revelations along the way. There were some moments in which the narrative seemed a little slow, but for the most part this novel kept me hooked, wanting to know how the characters would overcome the obstacles they faced. The characters themselves were intriguing. I liked the diversity within the group as well as the fact that each one brought something different to the story.

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Read_By_Red
Black Sheep | Rachel Harrison
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Pickpick

Black Sheep was a dark and twisted novel that was not at all what I expected it to be after reading the synopsis; thankfully I did not look closely at the cover, otherwise I think I would not have had the surprise I did. I really liked Vesper. Not only is her character well-developed, she is presented as a woman with honest emotions and reactions to the situations that she faces within the narrative; she is resilient and tough.

8 likes1 stack add
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Read_By_Red
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Pickpick

This is a wonderfully twisted novel. There were some slow moments, but I still consumed this work, wanting to know what would happen next as quickly as I could. Some themes that are extremely relevant to today are explored within the pages, making this more than just a horror. The symbolism was quite powerful as well. I enjoyed the characters; they are diverse and well developed/rounded. I do wish I was more surprised with the ending.

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Read_By_Red
The Meadows | Stephanie Oakes
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Pickpick

While this novel started out quite slow, it definitely built itself up into an intriguing tale. Oakes jumps between the two different timelines to tell the story, revealing relevant details and events in a way that creates wonder and a bit of suspense. It was extremely effective at revealing Eleanor‘s journey throughout her time at the Meadows and as an adjudicator, along with those individuals that have played a part in her life.

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Read_By_Red
A Multitude of Dreams | Mara Rutherford
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Mehso-so

A reimagining of Edger Allen Poe‘s The Masque of the Red Death, and being a fan of E.A. Poe, I was excited to read this. There were some times that the narration dragged. The ending was fast-paced, it just took a lot to get there. I did enjoy Seraphina; she is a tough girl that has to face a lot of hate and obstacles. I feel like there is a phenomenal story idea here, but it all fell on its face when the concept of vampires was introduced.

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Read_By_Red
The September House | Carissa Orlando
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Pickpick

This book reminded me a little of Thirteen Ghosts with a mystery thrown in that I undeniably enjoyed. I absolutely loved the ghosts that inhabit the house–well, most of them–along with Margaret. She is such a strong individual and seems to have a heart of gold. A quick moving story that kept me on the edge of my seat made this a novel that I could not put down. I especially got a thrill out of the ending; it seemed to fit the story perfectly.

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Read_By_Red
Together We Rot | Skyla Arndt
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Mehso-so

It was a little slow at times for my tastes, as sections seemed to drag a little. I liked that there are multiple points of view, allowing the reader to experience the actions, emotions and motives of the characters better, although I struggled to connect with any of the characters. Normally I am a huge fan of novels involving cults, mystery, or the paranormal, but I struggled a little with it. It was not executed as well as it could have been.

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Read_By_Red
Holly Horror | Michelle Jabes Corpora
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Pickpick

Holly Horror is a gripping, twisted young adult novel that I enjoyed. It jumped right into the tale and didn‘t let go. It is a fast-paced novel and I liked the inclusion of things such as text messages to help in the telling of the story. I enjoyed the characters and the honesty in their feelings, motivations and actions. I was hooked into the mystery surrounding Holly and The Patchwork Girl and traveling with Evie on the path towards the truth.

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Read_By_Red
The Weaver and the Witch Queen | Genevieve Gornichec
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Pickpick

I kind of went back and forth in my opinion. There is a lot of action within the pages and Gornichec wrote these sections so well, but then there were large chunks of the story that seemed to drag. The characters are wonderfully written; it was easy to understand the relationship the girls had as children and what it became as they got older and as they faced their intertwined fates. The myth and magic pulled me in and the characters made me stay.

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Read_By_Red
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Pickpick

This is a touching novel that shows the strength of love within a family, as well as the pain that family can cause. The story is so well written and it drew me in right from the beginning, although at times the narrative seemed to drag. I really enjoyed the characters. They are so well developed, honest and relatable, and I found myself immersed and invested in their lives. This is a heart-felt novel full of love, drama, and perseverance.

TorieStorieS What a beautiful photo!!🌸🌺🪻🌼 8mo
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Read_By_Red
Mrs. Plansky's Revenge | Spencer Quinn
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Panpan

Throughout the story Mrs. Plansky is referred to as Mrs. Plansky. I found this to be almost disruptive to the flow of the novel, bordering on annoying. I also found her family to be maddening and exasperating. I cared about Dinu and his life more than I did her‘s, and his story is what kept me reading this book. The narration wasn‘t much better than the novel, and I think a lot of that had to do with her always being referred to as “Mrs. Plansky.”

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Read_By_Red
The Legacies | Jessica Goodman
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Pickpick

The story is told through the eyes of the main characters predominantly through flashbacks centered around the events leading up to the fated Legacy Ball. I liked experiencing the story through each of their viewpoints. The Legacies is a fast-paced novel that, at many times, left me on the edge of my seat. I felt the ending was so appropriate to the story and sends a pretty solid message to the reader, especially those young adult readers.

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Read_By_Red
The God of Endings: A Novel | Jacqueline Holland
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Pickpick

I absolutely loved The God of Endings. It is full of emotion, suspense, action, and twists and turns; I could not put this book down. Maarleveld‘s narration of this novel was phenomenal. The voices used for the characters, as well as the emotion contained within, added so much to the characters, bringing them to life. I also liked the accents used for some of the characters. The narration brought with it emotion, suspense, and entertainment.

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Read_By_Red
What Lies in the Woods | Kate Alice Marshall
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Pickpick

While I enjoyed this book, I very early on the truth of what happened in those woods when they were eleven; there were quite a few aspects that reminded me of some true crime cases. There were some surprises along the way and I still found myself in the grips‘ of the story. I enjoyed the audiobook as well. Vacker creates suspense with her pace, inflection, and the emotion within her voice. She brings the characters to life, as well as the story.

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Read_By_Red
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Pickpick

I liked the characters, especially Violet; she is a strong, independent, determined woman. It is a fast-paced novel for the most part, and it kept me hooked right from the start. I enjoyed the audiobook! Sephora‘s voice was annoying though; it was whiny and shrill, but I will say it was probably the correct voice for a character such as she. Hutchinson-Shaw creates emotion and suspense in her voices, inflection and pace.

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Read_By_Red
The Woman Inside: A Novel | M. T. Edvardsson
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Mehso-so

While I enjoyed The Woman Inside, it was such a slow build, making it hard to get into the story. Using multiple narrators and short chapters to tell the events, suspense was created that, once things started really going, made it difficult to put the book down, but getting to that point took some time. The ending was a little flat for me however. I had most of what happened figured out rather early on and it seemed a abrupt. I wanted more.

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Read_By_Red
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Mehso-so

The Devil You Know is the third novel in the Detective Margaret Nolan series, and I would not recommend reading this novel before reading the previous two. While I could follow a majority of the main story, there were a few side narratives that, not having read the other novels, I did not understand; there are continuing relationships and histories that are further built upon in The Devil You Know. I enjoyed the characters.

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Read_By_Red
The Heretic Royal | G.A. Aiken
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Pickpick

I found myself laughing as much as I did with the previous two novels in the Scarred Earth Saga as I dove back into the events involving Beatrix‘s consuming desire for power. I enjoyed the new characters and what they brought to the story, especially Annwyl the Bloody. I did feel that this installment in the Scarred Earth Saga seemed to end rather abruptly; the climax and falling action seemed a little rushed.

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Lying in the Deep | Diana Urban
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Pickpick

This was a rather twisty, turney novel that kept me on the edge of my seat. It's one where I knew that there was a lot more going on below the surface, but I wasn‘t sure exactly what. It‘s rather fast-paced, and I flew through it, wanting to know what was going on. I enjoyed the characters and what each of them brought to the story. While I had a lot of suspicions about what was actually going on, and was halfway correct, there was one surprise.

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The Cabinet of Dr. Leng | Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
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Mehso-so

This novel was a hard one for me. I went in knowing that it was the 21st novel in the series, however I assumed, to my detriment, that it was a series that did not build upon the previous novels as much as it did; I thought it would be more like Agatha Christie‘s Poirot, and that they would all be separate entities. This made it difficult for me to follow the story. That aside, I enjoyed the mystery that is contained within this novel.

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Read_By_Red
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Pickpick

Wow! I absolutely loved this novel! I loved the characters, the story, the messages and the themes. The messages about humanity and technology, as well as love and family, are so relevant and moving. Henning gave life to each of the characters through the voices, inflection, and especially the timing within the delivery. Between Klune‘s story and Henning‘s narration I fell into this world, experiencing the events alongside the characters.

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Read_By_Red
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Pickpick

This novel has a lot going on; there are so many smaller narratives that make up the story, allowing for different themes and character types to exist within the bigger picture and message of the novel. At times it did feel like things dragged. McInerney brought life to Shook‘s characters. I enjoyed the inflection (although the pace was a little too slow) as well as the emotions I could feel coming from many of the characters.

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Read_By_Red
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Pickpick

I liked the duel timeline; the action jumps between Isabelle‘s present and past, revealing tidbits of information at just the right time. It was hard to fully enjoy the book because I did not like Isabelle. I didn‘t like how her relationship with Ben began, and that, along with other character traits, may have affected how I felt about the novel. The audiobook was okay. The pace was way too slow for my tastes so I didn‘t feel any anticipation.

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Read_By_Red
They're Watching You | Chelsea Ichaso
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Mehso-so

This novel was enjoyable, but it had way too many similarities to the movie The Skulls for my tastes, it almost made the novel extra predictable. I liked the character Maren. She is a tough girl with her heart in the right place. I also liked the connections to ancient mythology. At times it seemed like things happened just too perfectly, and in almost unrealistic ways, making this piece of fiction almost too fictitious.

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The Headmaster's List | Melissa de la Cruz
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Pickpick

The Headmaster‘s List was an enjoyable young adult mystery, although it was almost too predictable, even for a young adult novel. I really liked that it touched on some serious and relevant topics, such as underage drinking, drinking and driving, drugs and the reasons for their use and abuse, financial power and influence, school pressures, living personal truths and more, as well as many themes; love, revenge, power.

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Read_By_Red
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Mehso-so

The story was just ok to me. I found Emily and Chess to be rather annoying–I didn‘t really like either character–which took away from the story. The audiobook fell into the ok category as well. While I liked the emotions given to the characters through changes in the pace and inflection given to words, overall the narration was way too slow for my tastes and if I had been unable to increase the speed I feel that the book would have dragged for me.

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Read_By_Red
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Mehso-so

The fact that it started off with King Arthur and the legends surrounding him, along with the concept of courtly love made the beginning drag a little; I picked up this book to read about the Tudors, not Arthur and Guinevere. Once it got more into their history I enjoyed it more. I also was pleasantly surprised that this novel went beyond just Henry VIII, including information about the love lives of his children as well.

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Read_By_Red
Exiles | Jane Harper
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Mehso-so

To me, the narration was too monotone, which made it hard to get into the story. I did like that Shanahan didn‘t try to use different voices for the female characters in an attempt to make them sound like women; I‘ve never been a fan of overly female voices done by male narrators. I also enjoyed his accent, especially since the story is set in Australia. It added an authenticity to the presentation of the story and the events.

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Read_By_Red
Five Survive | Holly Jackson
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Pickpick

Oh what a tangled web we weave, especially when all involved are trying to deceive. This is a twisted novel that I enjoyed untangling. While there were some things that I found easy to figure out, I was still surprised along the way. It is a fast-paced, to the point story; it doesn‘t describe things that are basically unimportant to the narrative and mystery and instead focus on the action and events, making it into an on-the-edge-of-my-seat read.

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Read_By_Red
Blood Atonement | S.M. Freedman
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Pickpick

I flew through Blood Atonement! It was fast-paced and gripping, keeping me on the edge of my seat for most of this novel. I liked the nonlinear timeline; the action moves between Grace‘s time in the Brigham compound and the time, years later, after their escape. It was an effective way in which to reveal things (people, events, motives) while also creating suspense. It also didn‘t hurt that this is a topic I find interesting.

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Read_By_Red
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed this retelling of the life of Clytemnestra. Clytemnestra, as well as many of the other characters, is very well developed and well written. I could really understand why someone put through the things that it is said she went through would resort to the actions that she did. I also like how strong she is in this novel, especially during this period of time. The story had me hooked right from the beginning; I enjoyed this novel.