Apoorv ’s Comments (group member since Mar 26, 2014)

Apoorv ’s comments from the Nothing But Reading Challenges group.

May
Completion Post

Book Read: Behind Her Eyes | Sarah Pinborough
Date Completed: 26-May-2018
Pages: 320
Buddy Read: Discussion Post (Initial)
Points: 20+30 = 50
Challenge Shelf updated

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Spells:

A: Character A - Adele Martins
B: Title B
D: Character D - David Martins
H: Character H - Hawkins, Anthony
I: Character I - Ian
L: Character L - Louise
M: Character M - Martins, Adele
P: Author P
R: Character R - Rob
S: Author S

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Classes:

Arithmacy: Page Length Category - 161-350
Care of Magical Creatures: Description - Human Eye; Aspect- (view spoiler)[ Body swap (hide spoiler)]; Classification- 3.75
Potion: Flobberworm Mucus - "A worm of a thought slithered into my brain - Page 59

Laura wrote: "Here's another for you if you haven't already read it. I read this one in January and I think you may really enjoy it. My Husband's Wife by Jane Corry .."

OMG! I did read this early last year (had a leftover ARC for this one which I had never gotten to) and I absolutely LOVED it. It was probably the best of all these books that I have read on marital psychological thrillers, so far. The whole Lily and Carla thing was totally cray cray.

I am so glad to know that you read it as well. I hope you liked it too.
I am certainly getting hooked onto this genre (also it most certainly is pushing me further away from ever getting married. LOL!) :P

Team Gilderoy Lockhart
Chapters 49 - END

Hmmm... indeed!
A twist on top of a twist!!

(view spoiler)[Did I see the end coming? Yes! Did I see the end end coming? No! While Rob was a critical part of the story, I somehow just sidelined him throughout the narrative, focusing on the craziness of Adele and stupidity of Louise. And when Louise passed through the second door and went to see Laura, her neighbour, I began thinking along the lines of a body swap between her and Adele. So, the end was not necessarily a shocker.

... and I wouldn't have minded if the story would have ended there. But, the whole Rob bit was not on my cards. And I do applaud Ms. Pinborough for that (or maybe I just conveniently limited my focus).

Now, was it necessary? Honestly, I am still processing it. On one hand, it seems like she wrote the whole book to just be able to shock the readers with this one bit; but, on the other, I did think it worked out decently well, so why not?! (hide spoiler)]

Having said that, It certainly is a solid 3-star read for me, purely because I was hooked from the get-go. Now, I may add another half a star after I work out my feelings for that ending.

Team Gilderoy Lockhart
Chapters 25 - 48 (Parts 5-8)

If this is how the book is going to end, then I am going to be slightly disappointed. While the story so far is intriguing, (view spoiler)[if the thriller is going to turn into a phantasmagorical paranormal crazy fest, I'm not necessarily ready for it. (hide spoiler)]

Louise (view spoiler)[just plain lacks the ability to think. She is unable to put two plus two together, she would blindly trust absolutely anyone at this stage, she is not thinking about Adam and how this may possibly hurt him, and she is still reeling in the madness instead of waking up and realizing how much of a soup she is in. She bothers me. (hide spoiler)]

Adele, on the other hand, (view spoiler)[is evil, but very cunning. And I like that in an 'antagonist'. There is so much about her that we still don't necessarily know. Who knows what motivates her to do what she does? And does she really travel in her dreams? How far can she go? Did she kill her parents? Rob? Will she kill Louise? What's her end game here? Maybe she will have Louise kill David, so that she can get her money back. (hide spoiler)]

Hmmm...

Elena wrote: "A question for everyone - when you read books like this do you try to figure out what a plot twist could be or just go along and let the story take you there when the time comes? ."

Gah! I shamelessly keep making my theories even when they are torn down by the authors book after book. :P

Even here, since there was a hullabaloo about the shocking ending, with the whole #WTFIsTheEnding publicity of the book; I am already thinking of all wacky endings - more on the lines like;

(view spoiler)[- Louise kills Adele and frames David for it.
- Ian is actually tied up with Adele to frame Louise and David.
- Louise and Adele become a couple and kill David.
- Adele turns Louise crazy and makes her kill David. (hide spoiler)]

I would only be surprised if any of this turns into reality; but I am going to WTF!! :P

Team Gilderoy Lockhart
Chapters 1 - 24 (Parts 1-4)

This is surely becoming my favourite genre. In the last couple of months, I happened to read two really good marital psychological thrillers in The Couple Next Door and Behind Closed Doors. Both really gripping thrillers about what happens in a marriage behind the societal facade of rosy matrimony.

So, this story has already gripped me in the first 24 chapters. Ofcourse, I have already made my theories (which are all going to be completely wrong), but I LOVE the fact that every character is broken and unreliable.

Adele, (view spoiler)[however cynical and weird, certainly holds your attention and I can only envision her getting crazier as the narrative progresses, (hide spoiler)] Louise, on the other hand, (view spoiler)[is sort of getting on my nerve with her naivete and stupidity. Having said that, I did pause reading at a time to think about what would I do if I were in her shoes, and I didn't come up with a very different answer; so who am I to blame her. :P (hide spoiler)]

I love the dual POVs. They are normally very difficult to pull off, because the reader can very easily lose track of what's happening and who is narrating the story. Plus, there is a past and a present to add to the confusion here. Ms. Pinborough, has held the fort pretty stoic-ly so far to that end, and I am intrigued to see what's going to hit us next.

Melissa wrote: "So it seems as if Quidditch is supposed to start tomorrow. (It might get pushed back since we haven't seen anything from the Mods regarding prep) Before we begin does anyone want to volunteer for a..."

In previous versions of Quidditch (in other groups across GoodReads), I've been the Seeker and/or the Chaser.

Although, I don't necessarily have to be a part of this, if we have limited spots. I would rather go with speed readers to get more books read in order to get to the snitch.

Melissa wrote: "Definitely! Let's get everyone on there. Only takes a minute!"

Added my two cents!
The Leaky Cauldron - Top 3 Harry Potter characters

Team Gilderoy Lockhart

Apart from the obvious favourites in Hermoine, Molly Weasley, and Minerva McGonagall (funny how the first three names I thought off were women) as well as hot sexy dudes (eventually on screen) like Neville, Draco (yes, that wasn't the only reason, but don't blame me for ogling at the screen while wiping drool :P); I am going a slightly different route in picking up my three names.

These are my picks purely because of how beautifully they were written, irrespective of their actions or their repercussions:

Sirius Black: The Prisoner of Azkaban is all likelihood my favourite book of the series, and it is because of this man to a large extent. The story arc of Sirius Black is so potently designed, that I actually did felt drawn to him as the narrative progressed. His bond with Harry, his unwavering will of being the guardian-figure for Harry and his friends, was just very appealing. Plus, Harry named his first born after him - enough said!

Severus Snape: Love doesn't always have to be rosy and ripe; it can be raw and rocky; and this man showed me how. The way JK Rowling wrote the character throughout the series is a testament towards her emotive penmanship. The way his story ended, broke my heart.

Lord Voldemort: For any protagonist to be remotely good, the antagonist has to be equally (if not more) bad... and boy, was Voldemort an ass. But, he wasn't bad just for the heck of it, his being cruel had a long backdrop of him growing up parentless; and the fact that he 'decided' to be bad. However obnoxious, I do believe that Harry Potter wouldn't be Harry Potter, save for Voldemort.

Team Gilderoy Lockhart
Second Stop

Ugh! This book is bothering me more and more now. Especially the (view spoiler)[insta-love between Paul and Eliza. I was hoping to see Eliza have a more gradual curve with respect to her feelings of Paul, but this is just too rapid switching for my taste. While I personally LOVE a slow-burn, I am not averse to insta-love IFF there is a progressive curve emotionally. (hide spoiler)]

More so, the guarded and grounded Eliza, (view spoiler)[suddenly seems frivolous (hide spoiler)] and the playboy Paul (view spoiler)[suddenly has more gravitas. (hide spoiler)] You cant just write stuff to randomly please the readers (if you think showing spectrum of a personality will make the audience believe in the characters).

Anyway, I loved the scene (view spoiler)[at the elder's home and their conversation atop the building overlooking Manhattan. (hide spoiler)] Some salvageable moments for sure.

Have fun at Yellowstone, Vicki!
I am jumping back on this, let's see how far I get along with a long day at work in sight! Ugh!

Hope your trip is super fun. Click loads of photos! :P

May
Completion Post

Book Read: Every Heart a Doorway | Seanan McGuire
Date Completed: 23-May-2018
Pages: 173
Buddy Read: Discussion Post (Initial)
Points: 20+30 = 50
Challenge Shelf updated

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Spells:

A: Character A - Angela
B: Character B - Bronson, Kade
C: Character C - Christopher
E: Title E
J: Character J - Jack Addams
K: Character K - Kade Bronson
L: Character L - Lundy
M: Author M
N: Character N - Nancy
S: Author S
W: Character W - West, Eleanor
Y: Character Y - Youngers, Loriel

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Classes:

Arithmacy: Page Length Category - 161-350
Care of Magical Creatures: Classification - Rating - 3.87; Uses- Blood
Potion: Flobberworm Mucus - Worms is mentioned in the book.
Transfiguration: Book Cover - Anything can be turned into a door or trees.

Team Gilderoy Lockhart
Part 1 - Chapters 4 -8

Hold on! What the hell happened? I went into the book without reading the blurb or absolutely anything and was I completely taken aback with what happened to (view spoiler)[Sumi and Loriel (hide spoiler)]. I mean, whaaat?

When did this book turn from a (view spoiler)[nice fantasy to a gory mystery (hide spoiler)]? Obviously, Sumi being such a frothy character, (view spoiler)[ her death did come off as a surprise, since she had so much to offer in terms of her relation with Nancy, but I believe that was the author intention to shock us into getting involved with the narrative. (hide spoiler)]

I don't know why, and I would be keen to see if anyone else feels this way; but I keep confusing Jack for a boy every freakin' time she is mentioned. Maybe its the name or her actions, but initial confusion (which happens every time she is mentioned) baffles me.

Kade has this bankable quality that just makes him someone you would want to befriend. Plus the fact, that he unabashedly talks about Fairyland, unicorns, works with clothes while still talking about (view spoiler)[having dibs at asking Nancy out first, since he met her first (hide spoiler)] is just very adorable.

... or so I think, I haven't finished the book yet. :P

Team Gilderoy Lockhart
Part 1 - Chapters 1 -3

OMG! This book is sort of making me very happy (so far, at least). I absolutely LOVE when the MCs are not the caricatures or versions of the typical, conventional, run-of-the-mill boys and girls, and so far nothing is textbook.

Ofcourse the world Seanan is creating is very intriguing, but I have loads of questions about the how's, what's, and why's of things. Nancy (view spoiler)[ seems reticent at best right now, and so Sumi's contrasting nature is slightly jarring to me. I would have liked a more common thread between the two, than just two polar opposite's getting together and eventually (maybe) becoming best friends. That would be typical in my book. But, let's see how Seanan executes the tale. (hide spoiler)]

I am even more intrigued about Eleanor. What is her story?

.. and Kade!! I have a feeling, I am going to fall in love with this guy. ^_^

Dragana wrote: " do have the perfect book for banishing clothes LOL."

Dayum! Read it, Dragana, just so that we can see the cover mentioned a few times across threads! ;) :P

Team Gilderoy Lockhart
Chapters 16 - 20 - FINAL

So, I did finish this two days ago, and never really got around to talk about my final thoughts. Honestly, there isn't a whole lot to talk about - certainly not in terms of the positives.

The book meandered for 384 pages with hardly anything happening along the way, that made me want to sit back and gasp at. I was thoroughly intrigued by the concept, but the execution fell flat for me, almost from the get go! This was my first Kendare Blake, so I don't necessarily want to trash her for her work here, but it most certainly was half-baked even after having such a brilliant subject to play with.

Most of the issues that I had with the book, have been echoed by many of you, which unfortunately gives a majoritively bad rep to the book. But some questions for all of you, who have probably enjoyed Ms. Blake or Greek mythology in general previously:

- Do you agree as to why the teams were (view spoiler)[Apollo/Athena/Hermes/Cassandra vs Poseidon/Hera/Aphrodite? (hide spoiler)] Who do you think will win in the rest of the books, just purely on their powers?
- Which God did you (view spoiler)[miss from the action and why? (hide spoiler)]
- Did you agree to the way the Gods behaved? If not, whose behaviour seemed out of character?

May
Completion Post

Book Read: Antigoddess | Kendare Blake
Date Completed: 19-May-2018
Pages: 384
Buddy Read: Discussion Post (First of others)
Points: 40+40 = 80
Challenge Shelf updated

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Spells:

A: Title A
B: Author B
C: Character C - Cassandra Weaver
D: Character D - Demeter
H: Character H - Hera
I: Character I - Isabella
K: Author K
M: Character M - Meridan
O: Character O - Odysseus
P: Character P - Poseidon
S: Character S - Selene
T: Character T - Travis Kearns
W: Character W - Weaver, Cassandra

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Classes:

Arithmacy: Page Length Category - 351-500
Care of Magical Creatures: Book Cover - The cover has a feather, so we can claim that our magical creature has feathers.
Charm: Levitation Charm - Feather on the cover
Defense Against the Dark Arts: Dark Art/Defense - Loads of Greek Gods mentioned throughout the story
Divination: Prophecy/Vision - Cassandra has prophecies about the upcoming events throughout the book
Transfiguration: Book Cover - Anything can be turned into a feather or a leaf or water, all on the cover.

Team Gilderoy Lockhart
Chapters 11 - 15

What's sad is I almost forgot a whole lot of what happened in these chapters already. Goes to show that the book is not really holding up to its mark or my attention.

I can flat out say that (view spoiler)[ the Athena-Hermes-Odysseus storyline is far more interesting than the Cassandra-Apollo one, and given that the narrative really will be triggered because of Cassandra's power/abilities (?), it sort of feels counter-intuitive that her story does hold any meat. (hide spoiler)]

Having said that, I do like that (view spoiler)[the two teams FINALLY meet. But boy, what a fizzle fest that was! I had totally imagined there to be fireworks or at least struggle that would raise eyebrows and make my nerves tinkle... but it was just meh! (hide spoiler)]

Now, that maaaaaaybe because I grew up on Indian Mythology which is extremely bombastic and potentially over-the-top in terms of the wars and fights and all sorts of crazy things flying out of the Gods' arms/eyes/heads. It may read weird, but boy, is it a load of fun!! Plus, I am still in the Avengers: Infinity War haze, so there Thor and the other 'so-called' Gods have shown a lot of flare in that. It probably is incorrect for me to judge and compare this to any of that, but I certainly expect more show-stopping narrative, than just a on-the-run, lets-hide, lets-swoon-seeing-a-sexy-God saga!

P.S. I ABSOLUTELY loved the scene where Hermes and Odysseus are slouching in a motel room watching Spartacus on the television. :P :P

Oh hold on! Do the classes need to be completed in a certain order? Year-wise?