Four and a half Stars
583852
You've heard the hype about American Beauty but it's better just to see it for yourself. Everyone will take with them a different perspective of it. I don't like to use the term 'life-affirming', but that's precisely what this  film is. The message is rammed home with the subtlety of a sledgehammer,  but I actually saw this film with someone who took some aspects of the film  too literally. The world of American Beauty is dark, miserable and pitiful.  Yet it's also honest in it's caustic social satire. This could be any  sleepy suburb of Americana. No matter how bleak American Beauty appears to  be, it comes up smelling of roses.
3196207
Marcus and Penny are great characters. The submission is not hard core. I'm not sure Marcus' reasoning for leaving Penny out of the loop makes sense; he actually puts people in danger by not telling them what's going on. There seems to be two moments of plot climax, and that felt like too much. Still, a very good read.
2065406
The second half can be even better than the first. A very insightful book.
1273214
Some of the kindle first books aren't do great but this novel is an exception. It has complex characters and a fairly fast pace. I rate the story 5 stars and the editing four. There were a few typos but not enough to detract from the story.
3652742
Previous reviewers have done a great job covering the plot and characters of this book.  I agree that a few plot lines could have been explored further.  I am not qualified to be a literary critic.  When I review a book, I think about whether I enjoyed book and didn't have to force myself to finish.  In this case, I found the book enjoyable and will read this author again.
1175878
I did enjoy this book, but there were just a few spots where it felt like it slowed down a bit - not a lot, but the pace was not consistent and most of the book moves along nicely.  The descriptions of the people and places were vivid and I enjoyed the characters very much.  Funny dialogue and interesting plot.  Just a nice story.
1679720
I liked Chainfire--I didn't love it, but I liked it. Well, I liked big stretches of Naked Empire, too, even when I wasn't expecting to. The non-preachy bits and the bits with Cara added to the story with Jennsen that I hope will pay off somewhere in the future. Chainfire, too, adds to the story--this time continuing from Faith of the Fallen, which is a superior book in almost every way to this one. However, seeing the characters from Altur'Rang again (especially Victor and Ishaq) was a treat, and Nicci has grown on me since her Death's Mistress days. The plot, while somewhat slight compared to other SoT novels, does have some heft: what's happened to Kahlan? Has she been killed, or wiped from existence?

This is an important question, and the characters grapple with it convincingly. Those who find Richard whiny and hopeless must've read a different book; I was surprised his distraction over Kahlan wasn't worse, and in the end it doesn't make him fail. The brief glimpses of Kahlan and the scenes in Agaden Reach with Shota are very dramatic moments, and the blood beast of Jagang is an interesting creature with a lot of possibilities. The main issue with Chainfire is that a lot of the best ideas are only hinted at, not developed or acted on--maybe that will happen in Phantom?

I enjoyed this novel and will continue the series. It's not Faith of the Fallen, but it's not bad, either.
1591486
A good addition to the series and worth the read.
4541792
I am half way through this book and enjoy it very much.  I can probably review it better when I'm done with it.
748178
I enjoyed this book a great deal. The story of Max/Torment and Mac/Makayla was written very well. They both have quite a bit of turmoil in their pasts with troubling events from childhood so full trust takes some time to achieve. We see Mac grow and discover her own worth, passion and true self. There is a lot more to Torment than one would think. In a way, he is a lost soul in need of redemption. (The name of the club was not lost on me.) While an excellent fighter, we learn what fuels him. His protective streak was a bit much at times, but it's clear that is part of his make up. The secondary characters and story lines were phenomenal. There were a few twists I didn't see coming, and that always makes me a happy reader. On the down side, there were times when I thought of FSOG. It wasn't the same story line, but rather a feel while reading. There were not a lot of similarities, but the "aim to please" line was a bit much for me. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed those books as well. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good romance with a slight edge.
1329381
I think this fourth book in the Giver series is very good, at its strongest in the parts titled Before and Between.  I enjoyed the return to The Giver's community, told through the perspective of Claire as a Birthmother.  It is fun to meet Jonas, his father and Gabriel through her eyes.

I think Lowry does a great job building up suspense as Claire discovers her connection to Product #36 and starts to break the community's rules.  I like how Lowry uses the next community as a way for Claire to gain knowledge and strength in order to "climb out" and find Gabriel.  Lowry makes an interesting comparison of the two communities, the second one being very rustic and using no technology.  Everyone plays a role and makes a contribution in this fisherman's community, but unlike The Giver's community, it is free, full of love and loss.  The third community, too, is successful and likewise honors freedom.

I was disappointed with the third section, Beyond, and its conclusion because I was expecting a bigger revelation at the end.  I wanted to know more about where these communities were and what had happened to The Giver's community after Jonas left.  I thought it was rushed and I was dissatisfied with the way Gabe's battle with the evil Trademaster was fought.  Matty's previous battle with the Trademaster is not fully explained, making Gabe's duty to the community unclear.  (Here is where knowing the full story of the three previous books is necessary.)

But despite this disappointment, I think this book is nearly as excellent as The Giver.  There are many poignant moments, particularly between Claire and Gabe in the Before section.  I think Lowry really captures the horror of the community's dirty truth at the Nurturing Center when the staff learns Gabe is going to be released.  Claire's relationship with Einar is my favorite and I think her training and climb are very suspenseful.

The story can stand alone, but it's much better knowing the story of The Giver, Gathering Blue and Messenger.
1922953
Although I don't think the execution of this book quite lived up to the blurb, it was, nevertheless, an enjoyable read.  Fast paced throughout, and very easy to get into, this was, for me at least, a book of two halves.

The first part of the story had good build up and suspense, with strong characters and good interaction between them.

After the mini-climax, I did feel as though things became a little over complicated for me, and the story lost a a little of its momentum as a result.  However, I thought that the resolution was right for this story.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.
1646740
This is almost perfect in its genre ,I think.  Not too revealing, not too intrusive but still revealing enough for us to understand that these men are human.  Sharing ordinary days, turmoil and some triumphs.

We get a fairly complete picture of both men as sensitive, worried about their careers and money.  And we feel their love for each other.

This book can be enjoyed by all literary people.  I ended up wishing I had half of Phelps' literary sensibility and half of Salter's  skill with words.  This is worth reading to see how a good life is lived.
2525573
This was good.  Not great, but good.  The first half of the book and the last half don't seem to blend very well.  It's almost like reading two different books.  But there is great character development here, and great insight into the human mind.
1214219
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author. It's more of a slice of life novel than one with a defined beginning, middle, and end plot. I love this kind of novel, but if you don't, you probably won't feel the same way I do about it. The characters weren't perfect, but they were interesting enough to make me want to know what happened to them. It reminds me of a Bret Easton Ellis novel, only meatier, less hectic and better.

I might have given it 5 stars instead of 4, but I read it around the time I read a few definite 5 star novels. To be fair maybe I should give it 4 1/2 stars.
4438904
I wish I could give four and a half stars. I reserve five stars for what I consider "great" literature. This is a very good read but won't go down in history as a classic.
But it was interesting. The characters were mostly believable and the plot, while being slightly overboard wasn't so drastically so as to be beyond the realm of possibility.
That said, I truly enjoyed it. This is definitely not my usual genre and it was slightly more violet than I would normally want to consider but if I leave that aside, it was very entertaining and I hope to read more from this author.
3870343
It's said that a good novelist throws her heroine and hero down a well, then throws rocks at them.  Lynda Bailey has a barrel of rocks for Darcy and Ben:  mistaken identity, kidnapping, injuries, the mysterious Ana, assaulting a police officer, disapproving families, skeevy bad guys--and did I mention kidnapping?

I'm a major Bailey fan--I've read everything she's written and will read all future books (hope there will be lots!).  I love the head-butting between the stubborn Ben and the feisty Darcy.

However, this story didn't evoke quite the intensity of emotion that I've come to expect from a Bailey story.  The love scenes were excellent--passionate, but always with deep feelings.  What I miss was a stronger sense that Ben and Darcy had to agonize over decisions, that they were forced to make a choice when there were no good choices.  I wanted to see more struggle when they had to assert themselves against the disapproval of family.

Nevertheless, it's a darn good story as one crisis after another only serves to intensify Darcy and Ben's commitment to mutual trust and support, their road to a deep and abiding love.  Four and a half stars!