From the Bookshelf of Nothing But Reading Challenges…

The Rook (The Checquy Files, #1)

Daniel O'Malley

Start date: October 12, 2012

Finish date: September 30, 2012

Discussion: Books of the Month

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We voted and this is what we picked for the October Adult Paranormal/Sci Fi/Fantasy Book of the Month

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What Members Thought

Apr 21, 2015 Krissy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: lawlz, pgs-400-499, audible-library, 5-motherfucking-stars, cover-color-black, audiobook, buddy-read, book2film

This was a great book! It was so nice to read a book like this with a strong and capable heroine that didn't go goo-goo ga-ga over every pretty face then fall in and out of love every other chapter. When shit needed done then, dammit, she got shit done. Her love life was just not a priority to her when lives were at stake. Plus the story was surprisingly funny as hell. I found myself laughing out loud quite a lot.

This was a wonderful and imaginative novel and I would highly recommend it. I will ...more

9 likes · Like · see review

Sep 21, 2014 Yzabel Ginsberg rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, paranormal-supernatural, humour, mystery, london

This is one large doorstopper I picked from the library, but that I didn't regret lugging around in my bag for two days.

I really liked how the author wove past-Myfanwy and present-Myfanwy story lines using letters, a device that could've been cumbersome and artificial, yet that wasn't in my eyes: sure, lots of "exposition"... done in a believable way that didn't intrude upon the plot, on the contrary. Reading about the Checquy was both amusing and fascinating, and the cast of powers gathered by ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Apr 04, 2025 Beth rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, sf, sword-and-laser, audio

This started slowly, so I bounced when the book club read it but tried again on audio. And this time I pushed through to the interesting parts and it was a great book for a long drive, keeping me alert and interested. Maybe I’ll go on to the next.

2 likes · Like · see review

May 10, 2017 Marla rated it it was amazing

Shelves: adult, series, adventure, dragons, favorites, challenged, fantasy, made-me-laugh, with-reservations, mystery

4.5 stars. Excellent story about a secret group with paranormal abilities against a rival group of enhanced humans, imagine Fantastic Four vs. surgically enhanced mutants. Premise is very unusual (view spoiler) It wasn't a quick read, but it was a great concept and well worth the time.

Likes:
* New Myfanwy Thomas
* Myfanwy, rhymes with Tif ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Oct 10, 2015 Joyce rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult, audible

I chanced upon this after reading a comment on another web site so I downloaded the audible version. It was a great deal of fun, although at first quite confusing. We first encounter Mifanwy Thomas having just escaped death. Her body is intact but it appears her mind has been wiped clean. Fortunately, the previous Mifanwy left her a written set of instructions. It seems Ms Thomas works for The Checquy, a branch of British government that deals with the supernatural. It is a rousing adventure as ...more

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Feb 28, 2012 Angie Taylor rated it liked it

Okay, so this book was sooo weird. I wanted to give it more stars, but I just couldn't. It's kind of like Extreme E-Men squared meets Men in Black. A really fun idea, and I loved the execution, but the profanitiy was enough to make me want to throw it across the room a couple of times. Definitely more of an adult book, even though one reivew said it reminded them of Harry Potter. But let me make it very clear, there is no sweet "swish and flick" or "Expeliarmus" going on, but a lot more Voldemor ...more

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Dec 08, 2013 Shanyn rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorite-characters, read-in-2014

I'm giving this 4 stars because I don't really know what else to do. It's been a long, long time since I finished a book and felt as divided and unkempt as I feel after finishing this one.

On one hand, I absolutely adored Myfanwy and the majority of the other characters (can we PLEASE get more interaction between Myfanwy and Alrich!) and I was thoroughly caught up in the mystery of it all and the writing, oh my lord, the writing. Gorgeous and funny and witty and every single thing I look for in a ...more

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Oct 21, 2015 Vickie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: booksthatmakemegowow, nook

I have enjoyed finding books that are both humorous as much as they are paranormal/science fiction/mystery/etc...THE ROOK is one of those. It's science fiction/supernatural and funny. It is downright terrifying in plenty of places but the humor takes the edge off.
It starts off with a bang and keeps going. A woman wakes in a park and does not know how she got there nor who she is. Her memory is helped by reading notes she keeps finding from her previous self. She is a quick study, thankfully, si ...more

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Nov 26, 2014 Haze rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2024-books-read, 2014-books-read, audiobook

The second time reading it was just as wild as my first ride! I’d forgotten a lot, so I didn’t know who the bad guys were and had fun discovering it all over again. There were some gory parts, and it got really thrilling near the end as well, but it was really good pacing overall. Things kept happening, Myfanwy kept discovering new things, and I was kept well on the edge of my seat.

Read my full review. ...more

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Dec 30, 2012 Kelli rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy-fiction, spy

This book was pretty entertaining. The main character is a high British government agent that wakes up surrounded by dead bodies and amnesia. She stumbles through letters and a notebook to quickly learn who she is, what her job is at a secret paranormal agency, and tries to figure out which coworker is a traitor to the organization. Fantasy fiction.

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