I’d heard quite a bit of praise for Patrick Senécal, even before I knew that the English version of Les Sept Jours de Talion was going to be released.I’d heard quite a bit of praise for Patrick Senécal, even before I knew that the English version of Les Sept Jours de Talion was going to be released. To be honest, I’m surprised that it took this long for one of his books to come to the English audience. With the comparisons to King and Nesbo, my expectations rose even higher.
Without getting into the plot, Seven Days is a thought-provoking book. What is a monster? Just because you feel justified in your actions, does it make them the right thing to do? How do you deal with pain and loss? Do you have to forgive to forget?
Senécal wove his scenario together to address all of these themes. He created any parent’s nightmare: the abduction and murder of a young child. I found myself thinking about cases that I remember from the past; what would I do in Dr. Hamel’s place?
Seven Days goes to some brutally dark places; could I/would I go there if that happened to my family? Was it brutal and dark enough compared to the actions of the villain? These are some hard questions to answer.
I love a dark and twisted police procedural. Some of my favorite fictional characters are detectives with an albatross around their necks. This is the point that I felt Seven Days was most lacking. While Hervé Mercure did have a troubled past, it just didn’t feel as overwhelming as I have seen in the past, and expected from Senécal.
Seven Days is a great introduction to Senécal’s work. It is a stand-alone that is entertaining, thought-provoking and cringe-worthy.
*I received a copy of the book from the publisher (via NetGalley). ...more
It’s always fun getting into the holiday season. When I saw that The Christmas Hirelings was being offered for free on Audible, I thought that it woulIt’s always fun getting into the holiday season. When I saw that The Christmas Hirelings was being offered for free on Audible, I thought that it would be a great addition to my holiday preparations.
The Christmas Hirelings is set in Braddon’s contemporary period, circa mid to late eighteen hundreds. It is set in an aristocratic household and revolves around a preposterous idea. A group of people with more money than brains decide to hire some children to enhance their own merriment during the Christmas season.
At first I was floored by the sheer arrogance that these people thought nothing of this idea, even going so far as discussing the temperament that these children must possess. As the story went on, the true intentions of the characters became evident. I saw early on where the story was going, but often the ride is more fun than the destination.
Richard Armitage’s narration was fantastic. He really immersed himself into the characters, each one with their own particular lilt or accent. It felt more like a presentation than a simple narration of a story. ...more
I think that everyone’s reading is influenced early on by the people in our lives. Parents, teachers, friends, they all tend to point us in c*7 Stars!
I think that everyone’s reading is influenced early on by the people in our lives. Parents, teachers, friends, they all tend to point us in certain directions for our reading. My influencing factors pointed me in directions other than Vonnegut. But I’ve heard his name come up frequently over the past few years, so it seemed to be about time to give him a shot. I’ve certainly been missing something special.
Based on my usual criteria, if I even have usual criteria, Galapagos should have been a 3-star rating. There was very little action or character development, and no real climax, but there was something exceptionally special about how the story was told. The best way I can describe my experience is comparing it to putting a puzzle together; you know what the picture is, it’s right there in front of you, but the fun or the challenge is figuring out how all of the pieces fit together.
Vonnegut’s big brain has explored the big picture of change and adaptation. I loved the way he highlighted how insignificant many of humanity’s “accomplishments” really are: in a million years no one will know or care about the 45th President of the United States, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony or Kurt Vonnegut, for that matter. We are just tiny specks on the massive timeline. Life will continue in one way or another and our mistakes and inaction can be just as significant as our “accomplishments.”
I “read” the audiobook of Galapagos and found Jonathan Davis’ narration to be a perfect match for the story. He kept me captivated with his matter-of-fact tone and sarcastic inflection. Davis became Leon Trout.
While post-apocalyptic in scope, it is not your typical post-apocalyptic story in nature…then again, I don’t think that there is anything typical about Kurt Vonnegut.
Sometimes I’ll read a synopsis and get a specific idea in my head. This can be a good thing or a bad thing, but it’s the reality of what I do.
When I rSometimes I’ll read a synopsis and get a specific idea in my head. This can be a good thing or a bad thing, but it’s the reality of what I do.
When I read the synopsis of The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore, I thought: Awesome! This sounds like a West Coast, female version of The Troop meets Stand by Me (tell me that doesn’t sound fabulous). But when I got into the story I realized that wasn’t the case. I had to push my own reset button, get over my own disappointment and immerse myself in the story at hand.
To me, Fu’s story came across as five stories, tied together by one tragic event. Each of these stories were intriguing and well presented in the audiobook, with a different narrator for each of the girls. I think that as a reader I do have to let go of where I thought the story was going to go and just enjoy the one that the author wants to tell me.
In the end, I enjoyed the story. Fu gave me the story that I needed and not the one I expected. I really came to appreciate the coming of age story from the female perspective, something that seems to me to be lacking. ...more
I’ll give Jodi Taylor this, she’s got a good thing going on with The Chronicles of St. Mary’s. I’ve grabbed a few of her shorts on Audible. *3.5 Stars
I’ll give Jodi Taylor this, she’s got a good thing going on with The Chronicles of St. Mary’s. I’ve grabbed a few of her shorts on Audible. They are great little distractions on my daily commute.
Ships and Stings and Wedding Rings takes its readers on a quick little holiday trip back to ancient Egypt. It is filled with what I am coming to know as Taylor’s trademark sarcastic humor. Let’s be honest, the story has to move quickly for an hour and a half, there really isn’t a whole lot of time to waste.
What I really like about The Chronicles of St. Mary’s shorts is that I can just jump midway into the series without following the full-length books in the series.
While it’s not a full-length, in depth story, Ships and Stings and Wedding Rings was fun and entertaining. Job done! ...more
No book by my favorite pink-haired author would be complete without cake. Yes, there is cake in Muse of Nightmares, and that is the last spoi*7 Stars!
No book by my favorite pink-haired author would be complete without cake. Yes, there is cake in Muse of Nightmares, and that is the last spoiler that you’re going to get from me.
Less than two months ago I finished reading Strange the Dreamer, I was so captivated by this amazing world created by Taylor that I wanted…no, needed to get to the rest of the story. That in itself tells you how good this series is.
Muse of Nightmares was book perfection. The main characters enthralled me, the supporting cast filled in every aspect of the story. There were moments that I had to wonder if this was all part of some master plan or if the author came across a bridge and realized if she changed a certain aspect of a character it would allow her to resolve the problem in the most fantastical way. Everything flowed seamlessly.
As a non-YA reader, Laini Taylor’s books have become my guilty pleasure. There is something about the way she puts her stories together, the way she phrases her thoughts, it takes me away to another place.
With the way my reading was going, I went with the audiobook version of Muse of Nightmares. I’ll admit, I was worried about how Taylor’s magical prose and phrasing would translate into the spoken word. Steve West’s performance was an impeccable fit, his English accent highlighted the text.
While my enjoyment of Muse of Nightmares may not have been a surprise, the story is filled with jaw droppers and how did I not see that coming. The duet format is becoming a personal favorite, the length of the overall story is not daunting and the author is confident enough to tie things up. It makes me prepared to invest in more of the author’s stories.
I was looking for a quick little story to listen to on my Friday commute. I really didn’t want to start a full-length book and then let it sit over thI was looking for a quick little story to listen to on my Friday commute. I really didn’t want to start a full-length book and then let it sit over the weekend. An hour and a quarter trip back in time to meet Julius Caesar and Cleopatra seemed like just the thing.
This was my first time-traveling adventure with the gang from St. Mary’s, and I have to admit, even though Roman Holiday is #3.5 in the series, I didn’t feel like I was out of the loop at all.
I loved the snarky, sarcastic attitude of the protagonist, and Zara Ramm’s performance complimented this attitude perfectly. I had a lot of great chuckles as I listened. I have since added Jodi Taylor’s other books to my wish list and I’m looking forward to more historical/hilarious adventures with her....more
Greg at 2 Book Lovers Reviews
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Books:
2018
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