Into the eyes of a Visser......
591793
For the first time in Animorphs history Applegate explors the true feelings pf Visser 1. A basic plot: Visser 1 is on trial for treason. With her leadership of the invasion of Earth or even her life at stake she has a  lot to lose.  It delves deep into the past of Visser 1. This book reveals a  lot about her. It shows the hatred the love, the wrongs and the rights.  Well done K.A .
89623
It will always watch you with its red beaded eye. Hear every word you speak and whisper, feel every move you make. It knows every single thought you think inside your very own head. There is no sanctuary from this vile beast. No where to hide or to find comfort. Not even in your own body. There is no way to escape from the clutches of this monster. Incarceron controls you. You are Incarceron.

Imagine a prison, like many states put together controlled by itself. Imagine being trapped inside the prison for your whole life and wanting to see what is out there. If there is an outside. You are now Finn, a young boy who wants all of this. He has heard stories of one man, Sapphique, leaving the prison, but he does not know if they are true. He would do anything to leave and he's finally gotten his chance.

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher is a captivating tale about escaping something that is part of you. When Finn finds a key that allows him to communicate with the outside world, he starts to learn the truth that he was never told. With the help of Keiro; his oath brother, Attia; a slave girl, and Claudia; the mysterious girl from outside, they'll discover secrets that were better left uncovered.

To say that Incarceron was beautifully written will not cover it all. Even though the story was wonderfully written out, the way the words formed did not exactly flow well together. There were parts where I had to go back and re-read it, just to understand what I had read. Now this may be because I was tired when I read it, but either way I still had to go back every few pages. But when I say the story was beautifully written, I mean the general idea. A prison that controls you and gives you life is something that we can all learn to fear. But without spoiling, there were certain parts that made me hesitate to liking it even more.

For some very odd reason I really hated the fact that they saw little animals. Now for everyone who has read this, you will understand what I mean. I am talking about Claudia and Jared, when they see the little animals in the field. For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, go read the book. But that part really bugged me because for some reason it did not fit with the story. I mean if you were able to see the animals, should you not be able to see the others?

The characters are well written out, full of life and emotions that make you want to get to know them more. Catherine Fisher plays with your own emotions, making you feel pity for certain characters and then despise them a second later. Every character you meet has a pivotal role to setting the story forward, so it was impressive that they were all third dimensional.

The novel is action-packed and full of thought provoking incidents that make you wonder if everything is happening by accident, or if it was all planned out. Both the world outside and the world inside the prison mesh well together as they both fight to see what is real and what is an illusion. And it all leads up to the final moment where everything they learned is thrown away and one question pops up. Will they ever be able to escape Incarceron?
4213595
An intriguing book before opening the cover,&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Nazi-Sance-The-Strange-Story-of-the-Jewish-Psychic-in-Hitler-s-Circle/dp/0230620531/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Nazi Sance: The Strange Story of the Jewish Psychic in Hitler's Circle</a>&nbsp;steals the reader's attention in very much the same way a magician captivates an audience. The tale is almost too fantastical to believe, but here it is, laid out through the hard work of a writer who approaches this history as if he had infiltrated 1930s Germany as a time-traveling journalist.
3642846
A good read written from a perspective I think is  rare & seldom published.  it allows the reader a voyeuristic window into the life of someone whose  disabilities are never really  fleshed out, but we all know or come in contact with someone like him. The reader is left to speculate what they are from clues weaved throughout the story. A few figurative " hand grenades" along the way  keeps the reader invested in the main character and perhaps allows the reader a deeper understanding of those who are mentally disabled..
4380145
I loved this book , an eye into another way of life... I couldn't put it down... I would recommend it  and once again a book you will pick up and read again.
1367096
This is an amazing story told by the main character. As his thoughts unfold, so does his heart. Stories within the story build to their conclusion. A reader may not like what he does, but they will admire his lack of self-deception, until it drains away, like his life's blood. I can say no morea reader must see it in their mind's eyefor themselves.
3377518
Stephan Raszer is not your ordinary, run-of-the-mill private investigator sleuthing for dollars; he transcends the typical pulp noir P.I.s drawn and shaded with crayons straight out of Mickey Spillanes monochromatic Crayola collection. He doesnt sit alone, waiting, generally for some sexed-up dame to walk through his badly stenciled door and lay a case down on his desk; meanwhile, worrying about where this months rent money is going to come from, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, worn fedora cocked to the side, bottle of rotgut on his desk; his shabby office with water-stained walls situated in a dilapidated, rodent-infested building. Even when said sexed-up dame does show up on his doorstep, usually murders the name of the game.

Not with Raszer, though. Finding missing people is his Monopoly. And its something hes good at. Really good at.

And these aren't the got-lost-on-the-way-to-the-liquor-store-hey-check-me-out-on-the-side-of-a-milk-carton kind of missing persons. These people fall off the grid completely, seemingly vanishing into thin air, spiritual victims led astray by persuasive cults or religious-themed alternate reality games. Victims, whove searched for God in all the wrong places, looked for salvation in too many faces. One moment they're here, the nextpoofgone like the Devil in a brimstone-scented puff of smoke.

See, Stephan Raszer is a cult specialist; an extractor who finds and returns people, who have tumbled down the wrong spiritual rabbit hole, back to their loved ones. He doesnt save them just physically, but mentally and spiritually, a shaman who guides them back to the flock, shepherding them, protecting them. Hes not just a deprogrammer looking to reverse the effects of brainwashing, hes more. Hes a soul savior.

His latest missing person is a young woman named Katy Endicott, a member of the Jehovahs Witnesses who was abducted during a brutal triple homicide. In order to find Katy, Raszer will have to travel deep down the rabbit hole, to where mysticism and reality converge, always careful not to lose himselfand his soulin the process.

Trying to describe A.W. Hills Nowhere-Land is like trying to describe how something tastes without using the word chicken. Extremely difficult, to the point of seeming nearly futile. Forget about putting it neatly in some genre; its far beyond genre. Its like nothing youve ever read before, probably like nothing youve even imagined before, singular and refreshingly unique. And completely unforgettable.

Hill seamlessly merges together disparate elements in the narrative like mysticism, cults, castration, religious-based alternate reality games and Middle Eastern slavery rings, each element well-researched and imagined, creating an intellectual powerhouse of a novel. Nowhere-Land is stunningly intricate, detailed and erudite, a novel that is both highly philosophical and substantive containing numerous overlapping layers. Which makes Nowhere-Land extremely challenging fiction.

Most of the challenge comes from the mystical, reality-distorting nature of the novel, which is most evident in its last act. Nowhere-Land is the mystical experience, novelized; it is belief, faith and spirituality, described. Its the visions of Hildegard of Bingen wrapped up in a mystery like an evangelical egg roll. Points in the novel are reminiscent of Platos allegory of the cave, surreal moments where the reader emerges from the shadowy confusion of the cave to behold the light and truth outside, finally glimpsing reality, utterly overwhelmed. While disorienting at first, its also extremely rewarding, and it makes Nowhere-Land feel mystical. Special. And, strangely, believable.

A.W. Hills Nowhere-Land will likely be overlooked by readers due to its challenging subject matter and genre-defying nature. Thats a shame, because its one of the most substantive and unique novels Ive read in years. Clearly, one of this years best.
171201
"The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision"

In the special introduction of this novel Ella Frank states "My goal is to immerse you in this book by giving you the opportunity to view the images and hear the music that is discussed." And "At its core, this novel is about the amazing power of the senses that we, as humans, possess. Sight and sound are the two I hope to bring to you."

OMG... did she ever bring them to me! I am sitting at my computer with earbuds in and listening to Air by Johann Sebastian Bach and hours after I finished reading this book, I still have a lump in my throat. I can't remember the last time a book grabbed me and totally immersed me in it. I felt the love, the lust, the music, the art, the wine country of France and I fell in love with a dead blind women and her Stradivarius violin named, `Diva'

Journalist Gemma Harris arrives at Chateau Tibideau in France to interview the infamous artist, Phillipe Tibideau a "man so private and so isolated from the outside world that no one has seen or heard from him in months, ever since he was hounded relentlessly about his involvement in the tragic events that had unfolded here" A story that will either make or break her career.

This story of a lifetime for Gemma's profession turns into a life-changing story for her. Through the interview sessions with Phillipe and the journal entries of Chantel; Gemma is caught up in a web of intrigue, salvation, pain and intense love of two people.

In order to learn the story of what happened to Chantel, Phillipe has Gemma recreate the poses of Chantel's collection: The Blind Vision Collection.
These sessions turn into some of the most captivating erotica I have ever read. No words can describe what I felt while reading (experiencing) this.... intensity... . I was on fire with rapid heart beats; hanging on every descriptive detail. It was a savory-sensational-sensual-sensory overload.

While the story unfolds, Gemma finds herself in a predicament of loving a very tortured gorgeous man and his once in a lifetime love of a women he can't let go of.

"Trust me, I'm not what you want, Gemma. I'm not what you need," he whispers, stressing his last word. "Don't waste your time loving me."But love? Where does she get the absurd notion that I'm capable of loving anything anymore? I'm not even capable of loving myself, let alone someone else."

Even though Chantel is gone from this earth she is everywhere and Phillipe will not have it any other way even while he is with Gemma he still sees Chantel, or does he?

The story gets harder for Gemma to write, she is too caught up in her feelings for Phillipe as well as Chantel:

When did this story morph? When did it change from a tale of two to a tragedy of three?

And what a story this is. It will mess with your mind, heart and soul. This book rocked my world and I know I will be reading it again because it is so hauntingly beautiful.
It is very hard to write a review that comes close to expressing what I thought about this book without giving more detail and I don't want to tell any more of the story. I want you, the reader to fully experience this amazing book.

"For the lady we never let go of. Blind Obsession You are both mine. P"
3636025
The Beholder by Ivan Amberlake. This Genre is definitely Urban Fantasy. I really liked this book! Ivan has written something so fascinating; I just couldn't put it down. Reading his work was like watching an excellent movie play out in my head. His characters are intricate, from Jason to Emily to especially Pariah.

Jason finds himself trying to put the pieces of a puzzle together before time runs out. With the help of Emily, he finds his true potential and love. Pariah was so well written, you could just feel the darkness this character exuded. The Beholder has action, and adventure and its clear that Ivan Amberlake has put a lot of thought and dedication into this work. I will most likely re-read this book next year! Ha!
760477
Holy mind blown out my eyeballs, Batman!  Ive never read a Nova Ren Suma book so I didn't know what I was getting myself into with THE WALLS AROUND US but I glad I got into it.  So, SO glad.  If I could easily digest electronic components I would have eaten my reader in order to better absorb this glorious story.

The story starts off as a pseudo-confessional for Violet and Amber but about different things.  Amber isn't involved in Violets and Oris story except that shes incarcerated with Ori once she finally arrives at the detention center.  Shes an impartial observer into this story, if you will, while at the same time giving bits and pieces of her own life and filling in the why gaps of her being jailed.  At first I was a little confused as to who she was and I kept confusing her with Ori but everything finally settled into place and I was able to get into the storys groove just fine.

You know from the beginning that theres something big you're missing and it becomes obvious fairly early on that Voilets the one who should be in jail but thats not a major spoiler to the story.  You KNOW that.  What you don't know is how Violet feels about it all and that slowly unwraps as the story progresses and its SHOCKING.  Im not sure how I thought those feelings were going to turn out but Im glad Suma didn't shy away from going where she did.  It made the story all the more powerful.

Suma also did a good job painting a picture of the detention center and the girls who resided there and she kept you guessing as to what happened to all of them but I guess, in hindsight, if you picked up on the subtlety youd be able to guess at the very least how.  Why wasn't something that was very obvious at all, even looking back on it, until the very end and even then it was kind of thin.  Mental illness, obviously, but Im not sure Im too on board with that particular element of the story.  But everything else going on around it was fantastic so I can easily overlook it.

I would say I wish I had more story from Oris point of view but you get everything you need to know from Violet and Amber and even Miles, Oris boyfriend, when he finally makes an appearance, that Ori doesnt need to be immediately present to feel like shes a fully fleshed out character in the story.  Not once did I feel like Ori wasn't anything other than a major character helping to play the book out.  I loved the way Suma wrote her like that.

The supernatural element was very light and really only came into play twice: what could have been a time rift that exposed the past and the present to each other, and at the very end.  And OMG that ending.  I teared up, as sick as it kind of was.  It was just fantastic.  In another story it may have been cheap and predictable but here, when everything was so real and powerful and the supernatural wasn't a main element in the book, it surprised me and I loved it.  Another shocking moment and one that Im glad Suma didn't shy away from.

THE WALLS AROUND US is a pretty brutal story.  Its unforgiving with unlikeable characters that, even at the end, you may still not understand and thats the point.  Not all endings for all characters are happy.  Not everyone is redeemed but that doesnt mean it isn't satisfying.  That also doesnt mean I don't want more.  I need to read more of Sumas books.  If they're anything like this Im missing out on so much and thats a damn crime.

5

I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
202971
Very interesting--Almost a total one-man show set inside a moving car!  ...Tension builds as
the plot grows more intricate and the viewer feels compassion, admiration, and surprise as
details are revealed---I kept watching to learn how it ended!  This movie is DIFFERENT, but
well done!
2312041
Beautiful vignettes, some prescient and cautionary, that paint the soul of the artist upon the canvas of the viewer's imagination. Each is striking in its own way yet the film as a whole is far more than the sum of its parts. Scorsese as Van Gogh is beyond beyond!!!!
2812598
Like beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so too is truth in the mind of the perceiver. Lies we tell ourselves to justify our actions. Truth we bury to forget and move on. Lies others tell us we perceive as truth because we want to. Should you believe everything you see and hear?  Paula takes us down a twisted path of murder and deceit. The truth is revealed slowly through the eyes of three characters....One of them the victim. Well crafted story with an "I didn't see that coming" ending.
1667165
Unfold the world to your eyes, see expanses of the world through the lense of great photgraphers.  If you want to expand your visual experience of life on this planet in the most exquisite platform, this film is for your.  Stare into the face of the world, dance, sing, roam the most intriquing pallettes of the world.  Do you think I liked this film?  I washed myself in its experience and return whenever I want to reaffirm the greatness of life.
1155979
Wonderful visually, thought provoking allegory.
2116530
Surprisingly good. Astounding attention to detail and grounded in reality with very detailed descriptions. At first I wasn't sold on the idea of the talents but the concept grows on you, and imagine the possibilities!!!!!looking forward to Wondering Sight.
4473040
This book will have you looking over your shoulder and staring at moving shadows. What I really liked about this story is the detailed description of the location; it allows you to use all your senses as the paranormal experiences occur.

Something for nothing - we all are looking for opportunities to get something for free and the main character found a inexpensive place to live. But, was it worth the price?

As you will find out the main character gets more than he bargained for at this run down rental property. You are in for an adventure as you move in and explore what happens behind closed doors at The House on Cooper Lane.

The visual imagery in this book will be with me for a while. I enjoyed this book but I think my teenage son will enjoy it too.

This story will give you chills as you read it, as if it was happening to you.