Hypno-Xia is the 3rd and final part of the Recognition series by Mark Dowson. I became his fan after reading the first 2 parts of this seAh-mazing!!!
Hypno-Xia is the 3rd and final part of the Recognition series by Mark Dowson. I became his fan after reading the first 2 parts of this series and was eagerly looking forward to reading the finale. And man, it did not disappoint me at all!
I am impressed by how well-researched the author is about spirituality, science, technology, climate change, and psychology. The author has a distinctive writing style. He doesn't bore the reader with info load and I find it commendable. The ending was shocking as well as thought-provoking. I am definitely rereading this series in the future....more
Mind-blowing! What a roller coaster ride, jam-packed with different elements and subject matters like time travelling, artificial intelligence, cyborgs
Mind-blowing! What a roller coaster ride, jam-packed with different elements and subject matters like time travelling, artificial intelligence, cyborgs, arts, history and religion!
The year is 2112 and the earth is no longer sustainable for life. The United Nations Authority came to know if Dr. Ben Richards had not been assassinated in 2017, the world would not be dying today. They sent a shapeshifter cyborg, Merisi, to protect and help Dr Ben Richards to bring his plan of building wind harnessing power generation system to fruition. Dr. Ben's project threatens the monopoly of GIATCOM, a nuclear power generation corporation so they sent Shui Feng, an AI android, from the future to counter Dr. Richard's plan. Dr. Richard is accompanied by a gorgeous reporter, Grazia Rossini, who is not only intrigued by his research but also concerned for his safety. She added a nice romantic touch with an air of mystery to the story but my favourite character is Merisi and I would like to call him the guardian angel of Dr. Ben Richards.
This book gave me Terminator 2 vibes and I could vividly picture Arnold Schwarzenegger and Robert Patrick playing the roles of Merisi and Shui Feng, respectively. The author did a brilliant job in flawlessly combining the aspects of science, history and religion to create this unputdownable sci-fi thriller. Thank you author for the powerful doze of infotainment. I not only enjoyed reading this book but also learned some new information that has piqued my interest like renewable sources of energy and SATOR Square.
For me this story was more about a hungry cry baby and his sleep deprived mother rather than a thriller about the missing wife. 50% of the book is aboFor me this story was more about a hungry cry baby and his sleep deprived mother rather than a thriller about the missing wife. 50% of the book is about feeding hungry Noah, how the 40 year old mom Louisa is suffering from sleep derivation and how it is affecting her mental health.
The rest of the story is about friendship, betrayal, manipulation and forgotten memories of the dark past.
I did like the writing style of the author though. Her writing is fluid. Her characters have distinguished personalities and I can clearly see them in my head. Noah always crying and hungry. Louisa always tired and struggling. The bubbly and chirpy modelesque Tiff. The handsome and dashing Oliver. But I feel sorry the story wasn't what I expected. The ending wasn't justifiable. There weren't any dramatic twists and turns. Nothing made me jump off my seat or intrigued me to read further. I just wanted the book to end so I can start reading another book. If only the writing style wasn't good, I would have DNF the book.
Cover Art The cover art is nice. Apt for a thriller about a missing wife. I like the choice of colors too.
Conclusion Did I like the story? No. Did I like the characetrs? No. Did I like the writing style? Yes. Does this book qualify for a good thriller? No. Did I manage to read it in one day after a horrible reading slump? Yes, and that matters to me if a book managed to get me out of my horrible reading slump so thank you for that.
It was subtle and not a nail-biting thriller. I think this book is more suitable for young adult readers who like thrillers rather than adult readers.
An eARC of this novel was provided by Avon Books UK via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ...more
It took me a lot of time to decide if it is a 4 or a 5 star book for me.
It is fast-paced, has easy writing style, great story and has the ability to kIt took me a lot of time to decide if it is a 4 or a 5 star book for me.
It is fast-paced, has easy writing style, great story and has the ability to keep you hooked. The perfect formula for a good book! Except for the end. The end was so unpredictable and shocking.
The story starts with a couple living happily together. Then things start to change for the worse when the topic of them getting married surfaced. Ellen wanted Finn to propose her which he did reluctantly. Soon after that, they both started receiving Russian dolls at different places. These Russian dolls are connected to an old memory of a girl (Layla) that the guy, Finn, used to date who was also the younger sister of Ellen with whom Finn is living now.
Finn started receiving emails from Layla in which she ask him to leave her sister to bring Layla back otherwise she would disappear forever. Now, he is torn between the two sisters and didn't know who to choose.
Who would he choose and who he would ask to leave? Also, there is a dark secret behind vanishing of Layla and Finn is afraid if someone finds it out.
The ending was mind-boggling nonetheless but not justified. I don't want to give spoilers so I will leave it to the readers to read the book and decide themselves.
Cover Art The cover of the book is absolutely amazing. It is pleasing to look at and you will be intrigued to pick up the book and found yourself interested in reading the synopsis. But sadly it doesn't reflect the story.
Conclusion If you are good at guessing the stories and are used to of your predictions turning out correct (as if there is no originality in the stories anymore) then this book is perfect for you. Put yourself to brainstorming and guess wildest endings and prepare yourself to be amazed because you will be wrong this time.
Review This is the first book I have read by the writer Gillian French. I loved the synopsis and cover of the book so I knew I had to rMy Rating: 🌟🌟🌟.5
Review This is the first book I have read by the writer Gillian French. I loved the synopsis and cover of the book so I knew I had to read it. (Pretty covers are my weakness).
I started the book with high expectatations. The character development and world building was amazing. I liked the setting of the place where rich people come and stay for the summer. Gillian French has done an amazing job. She has painted perfect picture of the houses and lives of the townies and the country club where the summer boys love to hangout.
Pearl Haskin is the only child in a broken family. Her father is a drunken man. He works as a groundskeeper. He was on duty when one of the summer boy, Tristan's family was shot in sleep and their house was set on fire. Only Tristan survived. The police couldn't find the murderer. Because of this incident Pearl's father couldn't get anymore jobs and Pearl had work even harder so they could pay their bills.
She works at a country club as a waiteress. Her friend Reese also works there and she has a crush on him but he is more into another girl but treats Pearl as a good friend. However, the summer boys started taking interest in her and she started hanging out with them more.
She is intent on clearing the name of his father so he could get his job back. For that, she started to investigate the murder herself. What she found out wasn't unexpected because somehow, I guessed what had happened and who murdered the family and I was proved right.
The ending was unsatisfying, though. I felt like the story was wrapped up abruptly. Everything happened so fast and yet felt so incomplete. Mainly because Pearl was left alone at the end. She was the center of attention for the summer boys and Reese and then there was no one there for her. I would have liked this story more if there was a happy ending to the story; if Pearl had found a love interest at the end.
Cover Art On the cover, we see three boys standing by the shore and sparks of the fire. The color combination of black, white and red always works and looks pretty. The cover is perfect and reflects well to the story.
Conclusion The story took pretty good time to develop and everything was so detailed. Unfortunately, I did not like reading it as much as I had expected I would. I struggled to finish it because I was intrigued to know if my guess was right. This book might not be one of my favorites but nontheless it might be good enough for mystery readers. If you like a slow-burning mystery novel, then you would definitely like this novel.
I recieved an e-ARC from Edelweiss and Harper Teen in exchange for an honest review....more
I read the blurb of The Bone Curse and found it to be quite interesting. How can a bone curse a human being? This intrigued me and I wasn't disappointI read the blurb of The Bone Curse and found it to be quite interesting. How can a bone curse a human being? This intrigued me and I wasn't disappointed after reading the book.
Ben is our MC and he is a pragmatist. He is pursuing MBBS. He is harworking and determined. Completing MBBS is his first priority and everything and everyone else comes second.
This is how the story goes. He visited a catacomb in Paris and got cursed by a bone. His best friend Laurette helps him and stayed side by side him to help cure the curse. She is sweet and funny. She adds fun to the story otherwise this story would have been dry.
Laurette is from Haiti and her family practices vodou. Yeah its vodou and not voodoo. Vodou is a religion practiced by Haitians. It is practiced by carrying out ceremonial rituals to bring good fortune. At first I thought Carrie Rubin made it up but then I did my research and found out that it is real. I was amazed by her research on vodou and how she has brilliantly centered the whole story around it.
The story is fast paced. There is horror, there is blood, sacrifice, dark magic and unending thrill throughout the story. Ben encounters one mishap after another and believe me when I say you can not and would not be able to predict what is going to happen next. This book is so unexpected and hard to guess.
The only thing I didn't like about this story is that it lacks emotional value. Ben loves his both fathers and expresses his emotions for them. But he is not shown to attend funeral of any of his deceased loved one. Attending funeral is the most common thing you expect when you read a book that talks a lot about the deaths of loved ones. Just saying a simple prayer at their funeral or shedding a tear when you miss them are normal reactions. Once someone dies they just disappear from the story.
I get that its a fast paced story and Ben was in action from page 1 to last but showing him attending funeral or just a little hint like why he couldn't attend the funeral and that he felt bad because of it could have made a huge difference for the reader.
If you like fast paced thrillers and horror stories than this would be a great read for you. It is not hardcore horror story. There are no ghosts or any sort of paranormal stuff but its dark as in black magic and blood sacrifice stuff. The character building is good except it lacks emotional connection. All in all it is a good read you can enjoy on a chilly night at home....more
Title: The Pageant Trap Author: Usman Aman Genre: Thriller Pages: 94 Published: Feb. 28, 2017
My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟
[image] Ryan Abdullah organized a beauty [image]
Title: The Pageant Trap Author: Usman Aman Genre: Thriller Pages: 94 Published: Feb. 28, 2017
My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟
[image] Ryan Abdullah organized a beauty pageant but struggled to find a venue. A friend of his referred him to Mariel Cruz a.k.a Mama Mariel who lives in Philippines and promised him excellent services throughout the beauty pageant including all arrangements for venue, free accommodation, paid return tickets and sight-seeing all free of cost. Mama Mariel’s offer seems so tempting that he signed the contract without any investigation. (He sure did discuss with his colleagues though).
He encountered his first disappointment when he found Mama Mariel has breached the very first term of contract before he even reached Philippines. Little did he know when he reach there he would be more surprised in a not-so-good way. One after another Mama Mariel keeps violating the contract’s terms religiously. Not just that, a contestant goes missing and miraculously comes back later.
This part has spoilers so you can skip. Now first of all, human trafficking is no child’s play. Human traffickers are pro and they know exactly what they are doing and how to keep things neat and tidy. They use drugs to sedate their victim so they won’t cause any problem by resisting in any way like shouting to grab anyone’s attention or attempt to escape. Secondly, if they don’t sedate then they blindfold them so the victim never knows the exact location where they are being held captive. In The Pageant Trap, the victim was neither sedated nor blindfolded when she was kidnapped from the hotel (even not later when she was in the car). So she saw the kidnappers and the route to where she was taken.
And the strange part was when the kidnappers decided to return her in exchange of ransom money! Seriously? She has seen your hideout for crying out loud! I have read enough human trafficking novels and watched numerous movies to know that people kidnapped for human trafficking are either sold in sex slavery or killed or their organs are sold into black market but they are never set free by the kidnappers.
The story would have been more interesting if somehow she has managed to escape and then later told the authorities about the whereabouts of kidnappers.
Another thing that bothered me was Ryan’s selfishness by ditching the contestants in the heart of danger. I know its hard to stand your ground when you know you have made enemies in the foreign land but the young contestants were more in danger as they were the prime target of the human trafficking gang.
Now lets talk about the star of The Pageant Trap – Mama Mariel. She reminds me of the witch from Hansel and Gretel (perfect example, I tell you). She is a sweet talker and the mother of con as she succeeded in tricking everyone (except for a few) to believe she is the savior and the only one who could make all the wrongs right.
And this is not the only fairy-tale touch this book has. Everything smoothed out like a piece of cake particularly the miraculous returning of the abducted contestant (it wasn’t miraculous at all). No one got hurt even the kidnappers and the suspects were roaming around freely and no one asked them questions. Ryan was constantly in touch with some policeman yet he never told them about the suspects. This does not happen in real life.
[image]
The book cover is of orangish brown color and there are faded out pictures of a pageant winner with crown on her head along with other contestants. At the bottom left corner there is a cartoonic image of a tonga. To be honest, this is not one of my favorite cover art.
[image]
The Pageant Trap’s best attribute was its pace! Boy, it was fast paced and laced with twists and turns – something I crave for when I read a book. Even though I had some issues with the plot but this book kept me hooked on from start to finish. The author Usman Aman has potential and he can weave better stories. If only some more attention was paid to the above issues I mentioned, this book could easily be a great one.
This is the first novel by Sibel Hodge that I have read and just after finishing this book I looked for her another novel (and I wasn't disappointed tThis is the first novel by Sibel Hodge that I have read and just after finishing this book I looked for her another novel (and I wasn't disappointed to read that one either).
Beneath the Surface is a thriller about the dark side of pharmaceutical companies. Sibel Hodge has done extensive research and I highly appreciate her efforts. I couldn't find a single plot hole in the story. It maintained the aura of a medical thriller perfectly well while encapsulating all the dirty money-making tricks of pharma compaines and realistic details of clinical trials. All I want to say is whatever written in this novel actually do happen in real life. A medical rep friend of mine once called pharma companies "butchers". All they care about is profits. Human life has no value for them.
I like this book but still I am rating it 4 stars because I couldn't connect to the characters. I felt no sympathy towards any character nor did she make me feel hatred for the culprits. For me, this story lacked in developing an emotional connection. Except that, this book is great, insightful and everyone should read it.
I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. ...more
I could not connect to the story. There were too many characters and the story is very descriptive. This novel is multi-themed - crime, thriDNF at 38%
I could not connect to the story. There were too many characters and the story is very descriptive. This novel is multi-themed - crime, thriller, mystery, paranormal, erotic, LGBT.
The author does have potential and I have seen all positive reviews by other reviewers. Perhaps this book wasn't for me.
An ARC of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
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