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amandasbookreview's Reviews (966)
Believe it or not, my son and I are still reading the Harry Potter series. We have finally finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. We are only able to read 10-15 minutes before bed because he has other books that he needs to read for school. We started the series when he was 5 years old. At the time he could read a little bit, mostly sight words that he was learning in class. Now, he is 8 years old. He is an amazing reader! He is a second grader reading at a fourth and fifth-grade reading level. He is also a huge fan of audiobooks. He could probably read the books on his own now. But this is our thing and I will read to him until he tells me otherwise.
In the last book, my son started to realize that things would not be the same for Harry. When Cedric died, he was still a little young to fully understand the impact. However, when Sirius died…he was aware that something wasn’t right. When we watched the movie, he definitely understood. With this book, I think my son enjoyed the mystery of the Half-Blood Prince the most. He actually got a little frustrated that the mystery took so long for Harry to solve. —Well, Harry doesn’t really solve it. When he discovers who the Half-Blood Prince is probably a better way of putting it. My son loved seeing the past through the Pensieve with Dumbledore. However, the end of this book really shook him up. He did not believe that this major death was final and that there had to be a way to bring this character back. —I told him to be prepared for the next book.
One thing that my son definitely did not understand is the relationships. He is 8, he doesn’t really understand crushes. When the subject of “snogging” got brought up, he asked what that is. When I told him, the look on his face was absolutely priceless.
Now, we are reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. There will be much more to discuss in this installment.
In the last book, my son started to realize that things would not be the same for Harry. When Cedric died, he was still a little young to fully understand the impact. However, when Sirius died…he was aware that something wasn’t right. When we watched the movie, he definitely understood. With this book, I think my son enjoyed the mystery of the Half-Blood Prince the most. He actually got a little frustrated that the mystery took so long for Harry to solve. —Well, Harry doesn’t really solve it. When he discovers who the Half-Blood Prince is probably a better way of putting it. My son loved seeing the past through the Pensieve with Dumbledore. However, the end of this book really shook him up. He did not believe that this major death was final and that there had to be a way to bring this character back. —I told him to be prepared for the next book.
One thing that my son definitely did not understand is the relationships. He is 8, he doesn’t really understand crushes. When the subject of “snogging” got brought up, he asked what that is. When I told him, the look on his face was absolutely priceless.
Now, we are reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. There will be much more to discuss in this installment.
You all know I can’t go long without Will Trent. Busted by Karin Slaughter is technically book 6.5 of the Will Trent Series. It is a novella, so this will be a short review. Well, what is my sweet Will Trent up to now? He is currently undercover, well on his way to assignment to infiltrate a corrupt town. He stops at a store to get an ICEE. Does Will get his ICEE? No, he does not. That is because the store gets shot-up and Will follows the criminal in pursuit.
Now, Will has had a hard life and Karin Slaughter could let the man get his ICEE?? –that is just cold. However, this book is 68 pages of nonstop action. Will even gets a little fast and furious action.
Could Karin Slaughter make this a typical convenience store robbery? Of course not. This is full of misdirection! As always, it is just phenomenal and I am utterly addicted. I am now picking up book 7, Unseen. I need to go now. This novella gets 5 out of 5 stars!
Now, Will has had a hard life and Karin Slaughter could let the man get his ICEE?? –that is just cold. However, this book is 68 pages of nonstop action. Will even gets a little fast and furious action.
Could Karin Slaughter make this a typical convenience store robbery? Of course not. This is full of misdirection! As always, it is just phenomenal and I am utterly addicted. I am now picking up book 7, Unseen. I need to go now. This novella gets 5 out of 5 stars!
"This book somehow manages to make readers think about getting up and going for a nice jog along the beach."
Check out my full review at:
http://magazine.indtale.com/magazine/2019/december-january/viewer/desktop/#page/78
Check out my full review at:
http://magazine.indtale.com/magazine/2019/december-january/viewer/desktop/#page/78
"This book should be a movie or TV series! This is an amazing romantic comedy that also touches on deeper issues."
Check out the full review at InD'Tale Magazine:
http://magazine.indtale.com/magazine/2020/february/viewer/desktop/#page/92
Check out the full review at InD'Tale Magazine:
http://magazine.indtale.com/magazine/2020/february/viewer/desktop/#page/92
This paranormal is filled with nonstop action from the very beginning!"
Check out my full review at:
http://magazine.indtale.com/magazine/2019/december-january/viewer/desktop/#page/88
Check out my full review at:
http://magazine.indtale.com/magazine/2019/december-january/viewer/desktop/#page/88
This is a rare moment. I may have watched the show The Last Kingdom, before starting the book series. I know, I know, but I LOVE the show, so my hopes were high before I began the books. The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell is the first book in The Saxon Stories. So far, there are 12 books in the series and rumor has it that book 13 will be coming out this year. The book takes readers to England in the 9th Century. Except the land isn’t England as we know it. England is divided and also being attacked by the Danes. Uhtred, Son of Uhtred of Bebbanburg is just a young boy when the Danes arrive. His father goes off to fight in the shield wall. This battle leaves Uhtred an orphan but also kidnapped by the Danes. He is then raised by Ragnar and becomes accepted in the Danish community. As years pass, (a lot happens here, but I want to avoid spoilers) he comes in contact with Alfred who is King of Wessex and will become to be known as Alfred the Great. Uhtred finds himself torn between these two vastly different worlds.
As I said, my hopes were high for this series and I have to say it went above and beyond! This is definitely the start of a new series obsession. I couldn’t stop listening to this book. I have my degree in European History and this is exactly the era that is one of my favorites. The author really captures the rugged wilderness and uncertainty of the time. Even though this is a fictional account, it feels so real. The research that went behind this fictional account is phenomenal. After I finished the book, I found out that the author discovered that his heritage dates back to the Saxons who controlled the fort Bebbanburg, which was the inspiration for this series. —How incredible is that?! Bernard Cornwell has officially been added to my “authors I have must meet” list.
So the descriptions and time period are fantastic, but the characters are utterly superb. We see so many familiar historical characters and it is wonderful to see them come to life outside of a history book. I really loved the collision of the two cultures, especially with the religious beliefs. (My minor in college was Religious Studies.) Uhtred is such an entertaining character. I laughed, I cried, and I already want to pick up book 2.
Not only is the writing phenomenal but the narrator, Johnathon Keeble is BRILLIANT! There is so much emotion in his voice. When he would narrate the battle scenes, it felt like he was fighting a battle. He was out of breath and yelling, and I loved every minute of it. I love when narrators really immerse themselves in the story. So this audiobook is definitely getting 5 perfect stars! I am already having withdrawals.
As I said, my hopes were high for this series and I have to say it went above and beyond! This is definitely the start of a new series obsession. I couldn’t stop listening to this book. I have my degree in European History and this is exactly the era that is one of my favorites. The author really captures the rugged wilderness and uncertainty of the time. Even though this is a fictional account, it feels so real. The research that went behind this fictional account is phenomenal. After I finished the book, I found out that the author discovered that his heritage dates back to the Saxons who controlled the fort Bebbanburg, which was the inspiration for this series. —How incredible is that?! Bernard Cornwell has officially been added to my “authors I have must meet” list.
So the descriptions and time period are fantastic, but the characters are utterly superb. We see so many familiar historical characters and it is wonderful to see them come to life outside of a history book. I really loved the collision of the two cultures, especially with the religious beliefs. (My minor in college was Religious Studies.) Uhtred is such an entertaining character. I laughed, I cried, and I already want to pick up book 2.
Not only is the writing phenomenal but the narrator, Johnathon Keeble is BRILLIANT! There is so much emotion in his voice. When he would narrate the battle scenes, it felt like he was fighting a battle. He was out of breath and yelling, and I loved every minute of it. I love when narrators really immerse themselves in the story. So this audiobook is definitely getting 5 perfect stars! I am already having withdrawals.
Thank you, Lisa Wingate, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!
I immediately snagged The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate because I loved her previous book Before We Were Yours. This book follows two timelines. The first is post-Civil War Louisiana where three women embark on a journey to Texas. The first is Lavinia is the heir to a plantation that is facing financial difficulty. The second is Juneau Jane who Lavinia’s illegitimate half-sister. Then finally, Hannie. Hannie is Lavinia’s former slave. Lavinia and Juneau Jane are looking to find information regarding their inheritance. Hannie is just looking for family that she was separated from when she was sold into slavery. The second timeline takes place in Louisiana in 1987. Benny Silva is a teacher at a local school and is desperate for them to become interested in literature. After finding a local treasure trove of books from a local plantation that contains local history, she may have just found a way to get to these kids.
I absolutely loved Before We Were Yours. It still haunts me and I read it years ago. I wanted to love this book just as much. I enjoyed this book, but I didn’t love it. There are so many parts of the story that are so slow that it is almost hard to follow. The switching of timelines didn’t come together cohesively and was a bit jarring. Although, the storylines are quite beautiful individually. Hannie discovering letters and her desperation to find her family moved me to tears more than once. Reading the real letters throughout the book broke me. But it is a part of history that is so important to learn about and puts things into perspective.
I did absolutely adore Benny and her determination to ignite passion in her students. I know so many teachers that have this same drive and I love how the author really depicts Benny fighting for her students. I love her creativity with her students. Honestly, it would be a dream to stumble on a treasure trove of old books filled with history. This made me almost giddy while reading the book.
Overall, I liked it but I wanted to love it. So I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.
I immediately snagged The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate because I loved her previous book Before We Were Yours. This book follows two timelines. The first is post-Civil War Louisiana where three women embark on a journey to Texas. The first is Lavinia is the heir to a plantation that is facing financial difficulty. The second is Juneau Jane who Lavinia’s illegitimate half-sister. Then finally, Hannie. Hannie is Lavinia’s former slave. Lavinia and Juneau Jane are looking to find information regarding their inheritance. Hannie is just looking for family that she was separated from when she was sold into slavery. The second timeline takes place in Louisiana in 1987. Benny Silva is a teacher at a local school and is desperate for them to become interested in literature. After finding a local treasure trove of books from a local plantation that contains local history, she may have just found a way to get to these kids.
I absolutely loved Before We Were Yours. It still haunts me and I read it years ago. I wanted to love this book just as much. I enjoyed this book, but I didn’t love it. There are so many parts of the story that are so slow that it is almost hard to follow. The switching of timelines didn’t come together cohesively and was a bit jarring. Although, the storylines are quite beautiful individually. Hannie discovering letters and her desperation to find her family moved me to tears more than once. Reading the real letters throughout the book broke me. But it is a part of history that is so important to learn about and puts things into perspective.
I did absolutely adore Benny and her determination to ignite passion in her students. I know so many teachers that have this same drive and I love how the author really depicts Benny fighting for her students. I love her creativity with her students. Honestly, it would be a dream to stumble on a treasure trove of old books filled with history. This made me almost giddy while reading the book.
Overall, I liked it but I wanted to love it. So I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.
I honestly don’t know what I am going to do after I finish the Will Trent Series. —Probably start Karin Slaughter’s other series, Grant County. But I will miss Will Trent so much. I still have a few more books to go. Unseen by Karin Slaughter is book 7 in the Will Trent Series. Will Trent and Sara Linton’s relationship is still going strong. Now, Will Trent is going undercover. He is posing as an ex-con, working at a hospital, trying to find out the identity of a gang leader who deals in drugs and prostitution. This undercover mission takes him to Macon, where detective Lena and her husband Jared live. Lena was once the partner of Sara’s husband before he was murdered. Lena and her husband are attacked in their home and it could be linked to the gang leader. Will keeps the information regarding his undercover work a secret from Sara, but this investigation is close to Sara. Will’s work puts his life and his relationship with Sara at risk.
It physically hurt me when I had to put this book down. At one point I couldn’t take the pain anymore, so I stayed up until 2 am to finish the book and had no regrets the next morning. As always with Karin Slaughter, the suspense is intense. The scenes are raw and extremely emotional…for all the characters, even the characters that may not be particularly likable. Speaking of characters, Faith is the star in this book. Don’t get me wrong, I love all the main characters. Will is perfect. PERFECT. Amanda is my hero. But Faith stole the show for me in this book.
“Will kept shaking his head. ‘I wish you hadn’t told her.’
‘Yeah, well, I wish I hadn’t lost my virginity during the midnight screening of Die Hard. Get over it.’ Faith pushed open the door.”
UNSEEN BY KARIN SLAUGHTER
Faith and Will had a rough start as partners, but now I couldn’t imagine one without the other. They will do anything for each other. Yeah, she gives Will a hard time but she also cares for him a great deal.
“No, she doesn’t,’ Faith insisted. ‘No matter what you did, Sara’s not the woman I thought she was if she can’t forgive you.”
UNSEEN BY KARIN SLAUGHTER
I mean, Damn. These characters and these relationships are everything. I want them in my life and I miss them when I am not reading the series. I am currently having withdrawals. I have so many books before I can pick up book 8. *tears* Anyway, the way the dots are all connected with this mystery is just brilliant. Everything flows smoothly while being utterly addicting and throwing curveballs along the way. Obviously, this book gets 5 addicting stars!
It physically hurt me when I had to put this book down. At one point I couldn’t take the pain anymore, so I stayed up until 2 am to finish the book and had no regrets the next morning. As always with Karin Slaughter, the suspense is intense. The scenes are raw and extremely emotional…for all the characters, even the characters that may not be particularly likable. Speaking of characters, Faith is the star in this book. Don’t get me wrong, I love all the main characters. Will is perfect. PERFECT. Amanda is my hero. But Faith stole the show for me in this book.
“Will kept shaking his head. ‘I wish you hadn’t told her.’
‘Yeah, well, I wish I hadn’t lost my virginity during the midnight screening of Die Hard. Get over it.’ Faith pushed open the door.”
UNSEEN BY KARIN SLAUGHTER
Faith and Will had a rough start as partners, but now I couldn’t imagine one without the other. They will do anything for each other. Yeah, she gives Will a hard time but she also cares for him a great deal.
“No, she doesn’t,’ Faith insisted. ‘No matter what you did, Sara’s not the woman I thought she was if she can’t forgive you.”
UNSEEN BY KARIN SLAUGHTER
I mean, Damn. These characters and these relationships are everything. I want them in my life and I miss them when I am not reading the series. I am currently having withdrawals. I have so many books before I can pick up book 8. *tears* Anyway, the way the dots are all connected with this mystery is just brilliant. Everything flows smoothly while being utterly addicting and throwing curveballs along the way. Obviously, this book gets 5 addicting stars!
Exit Velocity by Simon Pearce is the 2nd short story in The Spotlight Tales. I was kind of worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep up since it had been a while since I read the first book. However, the worry went away immediately because these are standalone stories. This story begins with an unknown person trying to find the perfect mix of poison and candy. His plan is to distribute this candy everywhere to inflict maximum devastation. The book then goes through multiple points of view. They can be a suspect or a victim.
For a story that is less than 100 pages, it really accumulates a lot of suspense. None of the characters are safe which will keep readers on edge. Even though each section focuses on one character the tale weaves together perfectly. Also, all the characters are realistic and far from perfect. They all have their faults which makes none of them safe.
If you are looking for a quick suspenseful read, then this is it! This story was so good, that I immediately jumped into book three! I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars!
For a story that is less than 100 pages, it really accumulates a lot of suspense. None of the characters are safe which will keep readers on edge. Even though each section focuses on one character the tale weaves together perfectly. Also, all the characters are realistic and far from perfect. They all have their faults which makes none of them safe.
If you are looking for a quick suspenseful read, then this is it! This story was so good, that I immediately jumped into book three! I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars!
Devushka: A Winter’s Tale by Simon Pearce brings together many different elements. The story opens up in Russia in the early 1900s. The story is narrated by a mysterious trickster. After a prank gone wrong, the story introduces Aleksandra who witnesses the prank. She is a young girl and witnessing this one prank triggers a series of events that make her leave home. She then travels to St. Petersburg. She is able to find work but times are changing. The people of Russia are growing tired and Russia is on the brink of Revolution. Meanwhile, Aleksandra is trying to figure out her place in this world.
This is such a unique story. This book feels like historical fiction but is filled with mysticism. The author really captures the unease during this time in Russia. I love how it is from the perspective of the working and laboring class. Normally, this story focuses on the revolution with Tsar and his family.
The main aspect is how powerful the concept of a belief is…and how it can change everything. I also love how the ending leaves everything up to the reader’s belief and for them to make their own conclusions.
The pace can be a little slow in places and the point of view does switch quite often. However, it does not take away from the enjoyment of the story. So I rate this story 4 out of 5 stars!
This is such a unique story. This book feels like historical fiction but is filled with mysticism. The author really captures the unease during this time in Russia. I love how it is from the perspective of the working and laboring class. Normally, this story focuses on the revolution with Tsar and his family.
The main aspect is how powerful the concept of a belief is…and how it can change everything. I also love how the ending leaves everything up to the reader’s belief and for them to make their own conclusions.
The pace can be a little slow in places and the point of view does switch quite often. However, it does not take away from the enjoyment of the story. So I rate this story 4 out of 5 stars!