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May 30, 2013January 28, 2017 One Man Book Club

Prologue: The Brothers (The Great and Terrible, Vol. 1)

2/5 stars

Prologue: The Brothers (The Great and Terrible, Vol. 1) by Chris Stewart

LDS fiction at its…worst? cheesiest? Yup. If it weren’t for the numerous recommendations and the promise of an awesome story to come, I’d be done with this series.

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Dan Grover is the book-loving dad of six reluctant readers and the founder of One Man Book Club, a place for fellow parents and other content-conscious readers to find books they (and their kids!) will love.

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#TheFifthSeason (Broken Earth #1) By: #NKJemisin My Rating: Three out of Five Stars There's a lot to love about The Fifth Season. It's a story about a frantic mother, trying to cope with the murder of her young son, searching for her kidnapped daughter, and surviving an apocalypse. It's a story of a young girl, shunned by society for powers she has but can't control. It's a story of a woman, trying to impress and achieve the goals she's spent her life trying to achieve. In this world, some are born with the power to manipulate thermal energy within the earth and can use their power to, for example, stop earthquakes and volcanoes...or cause them. Winner of the 2016 Hugo for best novel. Talented female African American author. Strong female characters. Creativity on a whole new level. Multiple POVs. Multiple timelines. Complex world building. Unique magic with plausible rules. A surprise in the end. The Oppressed rise up against the Elite. Survival. Normals become heroes in the most desperate moments. Complicated, detailed and long...just the way well-written, epic fantasy should be. So ya, lots to love and loved by lots. Totally deserved. I'm sure you'll love it. I did... Mostly. I felt abandoned by a few of elements I feel compelled to call out. As a general rule, I try to avoid child abuse in my books. My dad heart can't take it, and I hate being surprised by it. I was surprised by it here a number of times. The amount of offensive language didn't cross my boundary, but the use of offensive language came very close. It felt gratuitous and out of character, and I was disappointed. The sexual content was dialed up, and again it felt out of place...instead of supplementing the story I felt distracted by it. There are Gay, Bi, and Trans characters, which adds interesting dynamics and opportunities for character growth in many stories. Here, however, the use of these character traits didn't add value and felt forced, almost like checking a box. All that said, I hear the story only gets better and I intend to continue on to book two, but I reserve the right to back out of the content continues to offend. Grown-ups only. Happy reading!

I've been waiting nearly a decade for this one, and today's the day! #markuszusak #bridgeofclay #betterthanchristmas

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#Legion (Legion #1) Skin Deep (Legion #2) Lies of the Beholder (Legion #3) By: THE #BrandonSanderson My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE Stars Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds, is a compilation of the three novellas about Brandon Sanderson's schizophrenic private investigator, Stephen Leeds. My opinion? The Legion stories are the most unique and creative applications of Brandon Sanderson's famous magic systems. I love these stories, they are a creative masterpiece, and I wish there were more. They would make an AMAZING TV series. The third and final story is the only new one. The first two have been published previously. My reviews of those are below, followed by some short thoughts on part 3, Lies of the Beholder. Here we go. Book 1: Legion (Reviewed March 2013) Stephen might be the smartest person alive. He is fabulously wealthy because his brilliance is in high demand--he can solve crimes and mysteries better than anyone. Stephen is also crazy . . . He doesn't like being smart, so he's invented "aspects," hallucinations that represent a different part of his brilliance. He converses with them and they help him solve mysteries--but of course he's the only one who can see them. It's like imaginary friends gone wild! He travels first class, but demands that he have 5 first class tickets. He orders his butler to bring drinks for him and all his "friends." His hallucinations even fall in love with each other . . . Seriously? Why hasn't this story been turned into the coolest mystery solving TV series yet? Book 2: Skin Deep (Reviewed November 2014) When is this going to be turned into a TV series? It'd be a hit! Stephen Leeds is a genius for hire. He leads a team of experts--currently 47 of them--in solving mysteries and puzzles. Cont'd in comments 👇🏼 #onemanbookclub #bookstagram #readersofinstagram

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