City of Miracles - Robert Jackson Bennett

So glad I was finally able to read this book.  It is the final installment of The Divine Cities series.  And like the rest I really did adore this book.  When this all began I thought the series would center around Shara.  While Shara plays an immense roll, I think the series actually mainly revolves around Sigrud.  He is prominent in all 3 books.  Even more so than Shara.  So it wasn't a surprise that book three really centers around him.

He has been hiding in the woods since Voortyashtan and the death of his daughter.  He can't cope with the things he has done.  Unfortunately something happens that draws him out of hiding.  He again loses someone he cares immensely for.  This loss sets in motion the greatest battle between man and god.  The Divine are hard to kill and unknown to everyone they still have a piece of this world.  But it isn't the big baddies we are used to, it is their offspring.  No worries not really a spoiler.  Sigrud has to come to terms with his past to save everyone, the world...Tatyana (Shara's daughter).

I loved this story.  I loved the action, the heartache, the depth of the characters.  We know so much but we are learning more.  Everyone we love makes an appearance along with some newbies that make this the best one yet.  I hate that this series has come to a close but it was a beautiful send off.  I laughed, I cringed, I cried...this time for real and not because it was ending but how everything ends.  It was perfect, happy and sad.  "What's good about sad? It's happy for deep people".  It is a must read for anyone that enjoys fantasy, especially if you've read the first two.

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books to read and give my honest review.

SPOILERS

Since the last book I keep wondering why Sigrud is still the strapping youngish man he has always been.  Haven't like forty years passed between book 1 and 3?  Mulaghesh has clearly aged, Shara too.  What is happening?!  He also can't seem to die.  He has had many many life threatening injuries but somehow he lives...how?  Clearly the mark on his hand has SOMETHING to do with this, right.  So right!  I just love him.  He is broken and beaten but he is a good man in the end.

So they kill Shara in the first ten pages, what?!?  Not what I was  expecting but okay.  But her daughter...where is Taty?!?  I mean the shadow of her comes back at the end but she dies AGAIN and its pretty brutal.  So brutal is changes Taty forever.

I do like how Ivanya is back.  She isn't the spoiled rich girl anymore.  She is a hardened woman.  She is Taty's guardian and has removed herself from society.  She thinks Sigrud is nuts but he grows on her.  She is tough as nails.  I liked the romance between them and was sad with how it had to end.

Taty is so innocent.  She just wants to be a normal girl.  She is in danger because the people (divinity) that killed her mother want her dead too.  Sigrud will protect her at all costs.  She is all he has left of Shara.  Taty has talents no one understands.  I knew she was a Divine Child but the revealing that her and Malwina make up the maimed child floored me.  They are time incarnate.  Taty the future and Malwina the past.  Together too powerful and a threat so the Divinities separated them into two beings.  Taty is amazing.  She matures so much but stays a child.

Nokov is freaking horrifying.  He is the night.  He is EATING the other Divine Children to become a true divinity.  He will bring about the final night because he has been wronged.  He is a brat with power and its scary.

When Sigrud with his mortal wound breaks through to Time (Taty & Malwina merged) and convinces her to stop I was so excited.  He will not let her/them forget who they are.  Taty is Ashara Komayd's daughter and she is good!  But Sigrud it dying.  He accepted his fate and the mark is fading.  He is no longer defying death.  Taty saves him in one last burst of divine energy.  She also disperses the divine spirit into the wind.  Now all people everywhere, not just on the continent have the potential to be divine.  Random strangers are showing signs of miracles, Taty created a whole new world.

Sigrud, although alive no longer has the mark.  He has aged overnight.  He is old and weak.  They make it back to the Dreyling islands to protect Taty from the world.  Its the only place she is safe.  Once he is well enough he goes with Taty to the sea to watch her play with other kids her own age.  She is frolicking and having fun.  She is being a kid.  He is happy.  He leans against the tree and I started tearing up.  When Taty came back to him I knew he was gone but I still cried.  Sigrud is finally at peace.

Its a...Cult...k...

So I thought we were f**king done with clowns.  This isn't AHS big top or whatever it was called.  The was 3 seasons ago FFS!

And suddenly we have Twisty again...What The F**k...OVER?!?!?!

I hate hate hate hate hate hate...have I said hate...? CLOWNS!

So apparently this whole f**king season is going to revolve around a cult...of clowns who are...Trump supporters...I think.

I dunno.  I hate when ANY show or celebrity starts with a political agenda...in either direction.  I just want to be entertained without thinking about the state of the country...I get enough of that on the news...

Also...PEOPLE BE F**KING CRAY CRAY!  Evan Peters' character is freaking DISTURBING!

That being said...I legit screamed during the opening of Episode 2.  B**ch rolls over and there is a...F**KING CLOWN.

Ahhhhhhhhh I hate clowns!

Also, during Episode 1...there was a bunch of advertising for IT and I just..NO NO NO NO!  I hate IT.  I saw the original and it still FREAKS ME OUT.  Pennywise is f-ing A freaky!  And I hear Skarsgård's version of Pennywise is even more alien and scary.  Which even with my...phobia...I will at some point probably see the new IT and I will probably not sleep for a week.

Moving on...So yea...I'm gonna keep watching Cult because I've been watching AHS since day 1...but f**k clowns!

Team Incest

Yes I just said that...

DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED THE GoT Season 7 Finale.  

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

So while I am 100% grossed out by Cersi & Jamie, I was all about Jon bumping uglies with Dany. Yea I said that.  Go 'head King of the North, defile your Auntie.

I have problems.  I think the reason I am okay with it is because THEY don't know and they are clearly VERY fond of each other.  Yay for Nekkid Jon Snow butt, ha!

Obviously LOTS happened in the finale.  Cersi is still a tw@t and I think my theory of Jamie leaving her or killing her is looking like it may be coming true.  He realizes she is f**king A nuts!

Tyrion seems conflicted about the Wolf/Dragon hook up.

Brianne reaching out to Jamie gave me life.

Littlefinger FINALLY getting what he deserves.  As Sansa was reciting the charges, I was like no no no no Sansa do NOT do this to Arya.  And then she says Lord Baelish.  WHAT??!?!  Yaaaas, f**king YAAAASSS!

So many things...all culminating in *brown chicken brown cow* family love....

Did I mention the DEAD F**KING DRAGON SHOWING UP...?  No...yea that happened.

Night King, came riding in on Viserion and destroyed the wall...CRAP...this is bad...this is very not good....this is very bad and not good!!!!

Oh yea and Jon's name...is Aegon Targaryen and Bran & Sam know...and they just can't wait to tell him.  OH dear....how is the new couple gonna react to that one....

Yea....just be glad I didn't write this last night...

Winter is about to get hisself BBQ'd

So I wont spoil anything really but my reactions are below.  So for like 60% of the episode I was all

Then $hit got REAL!!!  And my emotions were all over the f**king place

AND THEN THE F**KING ENDING!  I mean I saw it coming and was yelling at the TV but....

Like WTF, no, what...AHHHHH, no f**king way....I need a drink!

I think I fell with him!

Okay, so this is WAY overdue but I've been moving.  And not just like hey I moved to a new house.  I mean we sold our house, moved in with parents, moved in with another relative, moved into new home.  I've been all over SE LA and I am f**king exhausted.  But I FINALLY got to see the Season Finale of Doctor Who, The Doctor Falls.

Can I just say how f**king difficult it is to watch a recent but old episode of this f**king show?!?!  I had to buy it!  $2.99 for ONE episode...ONE!  Because we don't have cable and because you can't stream it ANYWHERE else.  Well you can find a torrent I'm sure but I have the worst luck with those so boooooooo!

With all that out of the way...holy $hit I still cried.  Like ugly cried.  I mean I'm easy emotional right now but geesh!  I did manage to avoid most spoilers and I am soooooo glad I did.

While most of the episode was hella cheesy.  I mean HELLA cheesy I was happy I waited until now.  You know why!?!!??  Because they hinted at the Doctor regenerating into a woman.  Straight up said it!  It was when Simm's Master was complaining about all the females...I LOVED IT!

So we have The Master killing him/her self.  But he/she can't be gone forever!  They are the Master...I feel like at some point they would come back.  Or her or him or a new her or him...whatever.

Soooooo The Doctor is dying...which we knew because Peter is leaving.  But Bill....Bill is crying over the Doctor's still form *tears*.  She is crying*tears streaming.  Bill is SAVED by the girl from Ep 1...The Pilot!  When she popped up I started sobbing.  She made Bill like her.  She got the Doctor to the T.A.R.D.I.S.  She helped PILOT the T.A.R.D.I.S.  She gave Bill the option to stay with her, become human and go home...do whatever she wants.  Bill chose her *squeeeeeeee*.

Bill cried over the Doctor...hmmm I feel like that's significant.  She leaves all happy *yay*.    The Doctor pops up reciting all the regenerating lines "I'm the Doctor", "I don't want to go", "I'll always remember when....the Doctor...was me..."  Nooooooooooooo!  He's in the Christmas Special...I know he is....right...?!?!  So the T.A.R.D.I.S. takes him somewhere.  Its cold.  He doesn't want to regenerate.  He doesn't want to change again.  He wants to stay him.  He walks out and....and someone is there.... no...NO!  I mean I know who is going to be in the Christmas Special (I didn't avoid that spoiler) but he's showing up here?!?!?!  "whose there?"  *squeeeeee*.  "I'm the Doctor".  *OMG YAAAAAAAASSS* "Maybe a Doctor.....but not THE Doctor"...*Ahhhhhhh* "I'm THE Doctor...the Original, you might say"....OMG I am dead.  I love this!!!!!

Look I know Moffat has a bad rep for writing horrible stories that never are concluded.  But I hope....I HOPE! Whatever he is doing here I hope its good.  I try not to be overly critical of any writer/director/creator.  I love the show...the premise too much to NOT watch.  So *fingers crossed* whatever he is doing it blows us ALL away.  

The Travelers by: Chris Parvone

At least a 4 star book

What can I say but I truly enjoyed this book.  I don't know much about spies or the CIA but I did love the movies True Lies and Mr. & Mrs. Smith so this book was a great fit for me.  We are following the life of a travel writer, Will Rhodes.  Will is a 30 something married writer in the failing printed magazine industry.  He is bored with his life...his wife and makes some very stupid decisions.  I won't spoil it much but because of his wandering, um eye, he gets himself and those he cares about into a messed up situation.  He unknowingly becomes the center point of a massive espionage plot and doesn't know who he can trust.

This book was quite the adventure.  Who can we trust?  Who is the good/bad guy?  Why is this even happening?!?  Its spy thriller on a roller coaster that tries to keep you guessing.  if you read my ramblings I thought I figured it out way early, and I kind of did.  But I think you are supposed to because so much is thrown at you, you start to second guess your guessing just like Will.  We don't know who we can trust but we do know that Will is a genuinely good guy who got caught up in a bad situation.  But if you want to find out more, you are going to have to read the book.  I thought it was a decently written espionage novel.  It had enough action to keep you interested and enough questions to keep you wanting to read more.  I say give it a go. 

SPOILERS



This will be short and sweet.  Oh my God Will keep it in your pants you adulterous bastard!  You are literally sleeping with the enemy.  Your wee wee got you mixed up in some crazy international James Bond stuff.  And what about Chloe?  Yea she has her own secrets but she doesn't deserve this.  She loves you, you idiot! 

I wanted to love and hate Malcolm.  He seems like he wants to be an adulterous bastard but he isn't and his stupid wife goes and sleeps with another enemy.  What is with you people?!!!?  At least both Will and Allison realize their mistakes but still.  Malcolm is actually a pretty good guy.  He is the head of the super secret ACTUAL CIA agency and only wants to keep his people safe.  Including Will even though he is working for the enemy thinking its the CIA.  I am just glad the Will is smart enough to realize Elle and her crew of goons are the actual bad guys and goes rogue.  I wish he would have trusted Mal but I get why he wasn't sure.  I am glad he kind of told Chloe even if she didn't believe him at first. 

I will say I am assuming the guy Will finds in Iceland is the missing ex head of Travelers, Johnathon.  We never find out for sure really find out for sure but when Mal gets the call that he's been spotted its safe to assume they are one in the same.  He goes dark again but it looks like Chloe and Will will be hot on his trail.  I thought it was a fitting ending.  Looks like Mr. Smith is going to join Mrs. Smith as a super spy duo.  At least I hope so. 

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books to read and give an honest review. 

RAMBLINGS:

March 20, 2017 –

page 16

3.57%"Okay, either Will is crazy and thinks every woman wants to f**k him OR he oozes sexy...."

 

March 21, 2017 –

page 34

7.59%"Will's obsession with perfection is disturbing...."

 

March 21, 2017 –

page 39

8.71% "Ugh! Really...guess he takes that whole "different area code" thing seriously..."

April 5, 2017 –

page 45

10.04%"Good lord man! Keep it in your pants!"

April 5, 2017 –

page 79

17.63%"Will, you ducking idiot!"

April 5, 2017 –

page 80

17.86%"Soooo is "Marina" who I think she is...also HOLY CRAP that list...."

 

April 6, 2017 –

page 113

25.22% "This is all very True Lies with a twist...."

April 27, 2017 –

page 164

36.61% "Hmmm maybe not so much true lies...more like Mr. & Mrs. Smith....maybe....still not sure...."

 

May 3, 2017 –

page 239

53.35% "Tell...her...the...TRUTH! Where is my Genie from Aladdin when I need him!?!?!?"

May 15, 2017 –

page 266

59.38% "i feel like will is being duped. Elle isn't with the CIA...they are the bad guys...and Travelers is cover for the good guys...right?!?!!?!?!"

 

Why do we only get one season of this banter?!?!

Okay so I am sad that The Doctor is regenerating this season.  I LOVE Capaldi as The Doctor.  I know there has been a lot of criticisim but I truthfully think people are being excessively hard on the show, the actors, and the writers.  Just freaking enjoy what we have people!

And really if you stop and look he is fantastic!  I'm always leery of new companions but I like to give them a shot.  I don't think there really has been one I hated or disliked.  They are all great in their own way.  Moving on, I think my favorite part of Capaldi as The Doctor is they are staying away from the whole in love with the doctor thing.  Not that he isn't attractive but 9/10/11 was a love story...or multiple love stories and while I adored them, it took away from the fun that is Doctor Who.  He is an alien who travels in time and space.  Of course he has feelings but lets go on an adventure and forget about the sexual tension for a bit. 

So we got to meet Bill in the season premier.  And I like her quite a bit.  She is funny and smart and cute and I dunno she's fun! She had some great one liners and her repertoire with 12 seems like the beginning of a BEAUTIFUL friendship.    I feel like we are going to be cut short with him regenerating...I hope she sticks around.

My only concern is the feels.  My feeeeeeeels during the season premier were off the charts...if this is going to happen the whole season I am going to be an emotional mess!  

Why you may ask?  Well for one he is HIDING on Earth as a professor (nice).  His office has pictures of RIVER and SUSAN on his desk...what?!?!  Knife to the heart!  Then Bill doesn't know much of her mother and she tells the Doctor.  Miraculously she goes home and a long lost box of pictures appears.  He went back in time and took pictures of her Mum and left them for her!!!!!!!  They go on an adventure, yay!  And Bill get to experience like everything in on e episode.  Travel across the Earth, travel in time, travel in space, see a Dalek.  Then...then!!!! Then we get to the end and he doesn't want to travel.  He wants to wipe her memories and make her forget it all.  Then she fights back and says something like "how would you feel if someone did the to you" and f**king Clara's theme starts playing.  SERIOUSLY!?!?!!?!?  Then he says fine, go and she runs.  Then looks at the pic of Susan and says shut up, then at River and says shut up, then the T.A.R.D.I.S. chimes in and its hilarious to me. 

So he asks her to travel with him and I am so excited!  But if this many feels were had in Episode 1...I may need to Wine it up for the rest of the season!!!!