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NASDAQ:UFCS
United Fire Group Earnings Date, Estimates & History
Adding United Fire Group, Inc.
United Fire Group (NASDAQ:UFCS) Earnings Information
United Fire Group last announced its earnings results on November 4th, 2020. The insurance provider reported ($1.37) earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of ($1.37). The firm had revenue of $282.12 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $278.70 million. United Fire Group has generated ($1.08) earnings per share over the last year. United Fire Group has confirmed that its next quarterly earnings report will be published on Wednesday, February 17th, 2021. United Fire Group will be holding an earnings conference call on Wednesday, February 17th. Interested parties can register for or listen to the call using this link.
United Fire Group Earnings Estimates and Actuals by Quarter
The chart below shows up to four years of a company's earnings history. The dark blue line represents the company's actual earnings per share. The light blue area represents the range of Wall Street analysts' earnings estimates for each quarter.
United Fire Group (NASDAQ:UFCS) Earnings Estimates
2021 EPS Consensus Estimate: $0.40
Number of Estimates
Average Estimate
Q1 2021 1 $0.36 $0.36 $0.36
Q2 2021 1 ($0.21) ($0.21) ($0.21)
United Fire Group (NASDAQ UFCS) Earnings History by Quarter
Consensus Estimate
Reported EPS
GAAP EPS
Revenue Estimate
Actual Revenue
(Confirmed) $0.06 Register (Before Market Opens)
11/4/2020 9/30/2020 ($1.37) ($1.37) ($1.25) $278.70 million $282.12 million Transcript
8/5/2020 6/30/2020 ($0.27) ($0.26) ($0.76) $285.10 million $297.80 million Listen
5/6/2020 3/31/2020 $0.12 $0.05 $3.00 $287.30 million $271.21 million Transcript
2/18/2020 Q4 2019 ($0.93) ($1.04) ($1.15) $290.00 million $289.72 million Transcript
11/6/2019 Q3 ($0.2750) ($0.40) ($0.71) $298.06 million Transcript
8/7/2019 Q2 2019 $0.01 ($0.59) ($1.01) $304.20 million N/A
5/8/2019 3/31/2019 $0.53 $0.91 $0.08 $332.25 million N/A
2/20/2019 12/31/2018 $0.23 ($0.30) $0.57 $279.65 million N/A
5/9/2018 Q1 2018 $0.83 $1.00 $0.20 $258.66 million N/A
2/14/2018 Q4 2017 $0.48 $0.89 ($0.03) $272.70 million N/A
11/8/2017 Q3 2017 $0.14 ($0.7290) ($0.74) $269.55 million N/A
8/2/2017 Q2 2017 $0.11 $0.05 ($0.02) $284.30 million Listen
5/3/2017 Q1 2017 $0.83 $0.67 $0.57 $279.11 million Listen
2/16/2017 Q4 2016 $0.46 $0.46 $302.13 million N/A
11/2/2016 Q3 2016 $0.41 $0.34 $286.90 million N/A
8/3/2016 Q2 2016 $0.08 $0.04 $278.18 million N/A
2/18/2016 Q4 2015 $1.21 $1.21 $275.73 million Listen
8/4/2015 Q2 2015 $0.57 $0.55 $247.40 million $255.15 million N/A
5/5/2015 Q1 2015 $0.91 $0.92 $0.90 $248.15 million $237.60 million N/A
2/17/2015 Q4 2014 $1.35 $1.34 $1.30 $238.80 million $250.50 million N/A
11/4/2014 Q3 2014 ($0.01) ($0.01) ($0.03) $236.40 million $235.90 million N/A
11/5/2013 Q3 2013 $0.54 $0.42 $0.39 $217.10 million $223.02 million N/A
2/19/2013 Q4 2012 ($0.10) $191.55 million $213.32 million N/A
11/5/2012 Q312 $0.32 $0.31 $205.30 million $176.53 million N/A
8/6/2012 Q2 2012 $0.26 $0.56 $0.54 N/A
2/21/2012 Q4 2011 $0.12 $0.62 $0.58 N/A
10/31/2011 Q3 2011 $0.07 ($0.22) ($0.25) N/A
7/26/2011 Q2 2011 ($0.60) ($0.71) ($0.73) N/A
10/25/2010 Q3 2010 $0.29 $0.11 $0.08 N/A
2/16/2010 Q4 2009 $0.30 $0.03 ($0.01) N/A
2/17/2009 Q4 2008 $0.55 ($0.41) ($0.26) N/A
4/21/2008 Q1 2008 $0.77 $0.80 N/A
(Earnings results data provided by Zacks Investment Research)


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Preview — Stolen Away by Alyxandra Harvey
Stolen Away
Alyxandra Harvey (Goodreads Author)
For seventeen years, Eloise Hart had no idea the world of Faery even existed. Now she has been abducted and trapped in the Rath of Lord Strahan, King of Faery. Strahan was only meant to rule for seven years, as Faery tradition dictates, and then give up his crown to another. But he won't comply, and now chaos threatens both worlds.
The only one who can break his stranglehol For seventeen years, Eloise Hart had no idea the world of Faery even existed. Now she has been abducted and trapped in the Rath of Lord Strahan, King of Faery. Strahan was only meant to rule for seven years, as Faery tradition dictates, and then give up his crown to another. But he won't comply, and now chaos threatens both worlds.
The only one who can break his stranglehold on the Faery court is his wife. . . Eloise's aunt Antonia. Using Eloise to lure Antonia, Strahan captures his wife, desperate to end the only threat to his reign. Now Eloise must become the rescuer. Together with her best friends Jo and Devin, she must forge alliances with other Fae, including a gorgeous protector named Lucas, and Strahan's mysterious son, Eldric—who may or may not betray them.
Watch Alyxandra Harvey talk about Stolen Away ...more
Published January 5th 2012 by Bloomsbury (first published December 25th 2011)
http://www.bloomsbury.com/Stolen-Away/Alyxandra-Harvey/books/details/9781408811320
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Nov 12, 2011 Maja (The Nocturnal Library) rated it liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: reviewed-in-2012, books-for-rainy-days, 2012-favorites, totally-saw-that-coming, netgalley, the-fae-are-so-scary, just-another-book-crush, arc-2012, alternating-povs, young-adult
Soon after her 17th birthday, Eloise started seeing Faeries everywhere. Unfortunately, that means they can also see through the glamour that's been hiding her. She is wanted by Lord Strahan, king of Faery, and she has no idea why. A fierce warrior named Lucas shows up claiming that he is pledged to her, which makes him honor-bound to defend her, but Eloise is unsure whether she should trust him or not. Her best friends Jo and Devin are there to help her every step of the way, and even try to sav Soon after her 17th birthday, Eloise started seeing Faeries everywhere. Unfortunately, that means they can also see through the glamour that's been hiding her. She is wanted by Lord Strahan, king of Faery, and she has no idea why. A fierce warrior named Lucas shows up claiming that he is pledged to her, which makes him honor-bound to defend her, but Eloise is unsure whether she should trust him or not. Her best friends Jo and Devin are there to help her every step of the way, and even try to save her when Strahan finally succeeds in kidnapping her. Conveniently enough, Jo has been Touched at some point in her life, so she also has the ability to see the Fae.
Unfortunately, Stolen Away is a pretty generic YA paranormal, made better only by Alyxandra Harvey's bright sense of humor. Even that, however, cannot compete with the humor in her vampire series, The Drake Chronicles, simply because she failed to create another character that would be nearly as amusing as Lucy. Jo had definite potential, she is stubborn, audacious and very smart, with a big mouth that refuses to close even at the worst of times, but she still doesn't have Lucy's warmth and I didn't really believe her loyalty to Eloise like I believe Lucy's loyalty to Solange and the rest of the Drakes.
It made sense for Harvey to create two very different couples. Eloise and Lucas, who do everything right, never break the rules and, truthfully, never show that much passion, and Jo and Eldric, both rebels and both full of confidence and fire. I'm quite sure that Eloise and Lucas will have their fans: those who enjoy a steady, non-turbulent romance without too many uncertainties and will-they-won't-they moments. While I didn't really feel anything more than mild affection for them, Jo and Eldric had me jumping up and down in my seat and rooting for them wholeheartedly. Another thing I really liked is that there wasn't even a hint of a love triangle, even though I kept expecting it to rear its ugly head as soon as Devin entered the picture. It's usually the nerdy best friend that ends up being hurt in these things, but Devin was refreshingly uninterested in either of the girls.
So to conclude, I can always count on Alyxandra Harvey to make me laugh. While Stolen Away certainly isn't her best work, it's still a pretty good choice when you just want to relax and have some fun.
For this review and more, please visit The Nocturnal Library
Mar 26, 2012 ๑ஜ๑ Jαѕмιиє ๑ஜ๑ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Recommended to ๑ஜ๑ Jαѕмιиє ๑ஜ๑ by: Stephanie (Bookfever)
Shelves: read-in-2012, released-in-2012, favourites
<3 I loved this.
I love how Eloise, Jo, & Devin are such great friends. Most book, there'll be two best friends, and either a) The main character starts seeing faeries, vamps, or other fantasy stuff, and then she starts keeping secrets from her BFF, and they get into arguments & start moving apart, then the BFF is hardly in the book. Or b) If the BFF is a guy, he loves the main character, but she loves some other guy, and that separates them. Or something like that. The BFF's aren't us <3 I loved this.
I love how Eloise, Jo, & Devin are such great friends. Most book, there'll be two best friends, and either a) The main character starts seeing faeries, vamps, or other fantasy stuff, and then she starts keeping secrets from her BFF, and they get into arguments & start moving apart, then the BFF is hardly in the book. Or b) If the BFF is a guy, he loves the main character, but she loves some other guy, and that separates them. Or something like that. The BFF's aren't usually close in fantasy books.
But not in this book. Eloise starts seeing strange stuff, and straight away she tells her best friends, and while at first they hardly believe it, they still help, and eventually they believe completely as well.
Another thing I love? The best friends were 2 girls, and 1 boy. So straight away I think "O God, here we go. The guy loves one of them, they don't even know, and they don't love him back." So then Eloise meets a guy, and Devin doesn't act weird when when he's is around. So I'm thinking "Oh good. So either he's really good at hiding how he feels and it's gonna come out later, or, more likely, he likes Jo". But then Jo meets a guy too, and when Devin finds out about him, he doesn't act weird then either. So I'm starting to get excited, but still half expecting to find out Devin really does like one of the girls. Nope!
And there were the two guys, Lucas & Eldric, both different types of guys. Like Puck & Ash, Jem & Will, Adrian & Dimitri.. There's always the two types. But in this book, they don't fall for the same girl. One falls for Eloise, the other for Jo. And the whole story isn't just in Eloise's POV. It switches between Eloise & Jo. So we get to see both relationships happening.
So, in short, I loved the romance.
I loved the whole book.
A big thank you to Stephanie who recommended this to me! :D ...more
Oct 31, 2013 Mizuki rated it liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: young-adult-books, fairies-related, supernatural-stuff
3.5 stars. I can't remember what's going on in that book, nothing so bad and nothing so good, I guess?
Sep 02, 2011 All Things Urban Fantasy rated it it was ok · review of another edition
Shelves: reviewed-by-abigail
Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy
Even though I haven't been technically a young adult for more than a decade, I read a lot of YA, like 100+ titles a year. To date, I've read everything that YA author Alyxandra Harvey has written. With one recent exception, I'm a big fan of her Drake Chronicles series, and I flat out loved her Victorian ghost story, HAUNTING VIOLET. When I heard she was writing a new stand alone about faeries, I jumped at the chance to read it. Unfortunately, STOLEN AWA Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy
Even though I haven't been technically a young adult for more than a decade, I read a lot of YA, like 100+ titles a year. To date, I've read everything that YA author Alyxandra Harvey has written. With one recent exception, I'm a big fan of her Drake Chronicles series, and I flat out loved her Victorian ghost story, HAUNTING VIOLET. When I heard she was writing a new stand alone about faeries, I jumped at the chance to read it. Unfortunately, STOLEN AWAY wasn't half the book I was hoping it would be.
First of all, it's short. Really short (288 pages) and it feels like it. All the character developments, romances, and major plot points are rushed. So instead of learning through action and dialog about, for example, Eloise's kitschy love for rockabilly, we just get told that she loves it. Ditto for Jo's obsession with all things British. It made both protagonists feel very two dimensional. The romances, specifically Jo's, happened so fast that I got whiplash. She meets a strange guy, invites him back to her house, and is sharing 'heated kisses' with him and wondering why no guy has every made her feel that way before. The whole thing made Jo seem needy and desperate—not to mention incredibly stupid—not characteristics I enjoy in a heroine.
The main plot about Eloise getting trapped in Faery, escaping, and then mounting her own rescue operation felt tedious despite how quickly everything happened. Worse was how quickly Eloise accepted the Faery world. It was a bit like, "I can't believe Faeries exist, but I guess they do, so let's go!" Seriously, that's not much of an exaggeration.
I'm still a fan of Alyxandra Harvey, and will continue to keep an eye out for her books, but after two disappointments in a row, I'm going to have to start giving them the excerpt test before buying in the future.
Sexual Content:
Kissing ...more
Nov 07, 2011 Katy rated it liked it · review of another edition
The beginning was a big turnoff for me, so I was pleasantly surprised that I ended up liking this book. I'm not a big fan of fairy books, but this was not a bad read at all. It was different from your typical Seelie vs. Unseelie books with characters in some way related to King Oberon or Queen Tatiana.
The thing that really kept me from giving this a higher rating was the characters were very grating on my nerves. I think Harvey may have tried a little bit too hard to be clever, and her character The beginning was a big turnoff for me, so I was pleasantly surprised that I ended up liking this book. I'm not a big fan of fairy books, but this was not a bad read at all. It was different from your typical Seelie vs. Unseelie books with characters in some way related to King Oberon or Queen Tatiana.
The thing that really kept me from giving this a higher rating was the characters were very grating on my nerves. I think Harvey may have tried a little bit too hard to be clever, and her characters ended up being quite annoying. I hate it when girl best friends talk to each other in kind of ditsy, silly ways. Eloise was just somewhat annoying, but her friend Jo is the worst. And what's up with Jo's obsession for Brits, not that I mind, but it's never explained, and it's kind of odd that an American girl is going around saying, "I'd song that" and "what a wanker?"
I also wasn't fond of our two heroes in this book. I mean, they were okay characters, but not great, swoony dream guys. I also felt Lucas' entrance was beyond ridiculous. I mean, sure he's from another world, but really? He kneels before her in an ice cream parlor, saying, "My lady Eloise. Finally, you are undressed to our eyes." And again later when he scared her on the roof and she "squawked like a chicken being plucked bald." Again, I felt Harvey tried a little too hard to be clever here.
But I did like the story itself. I just felt I had to roll my eyes at the writing one too many times. ...more
Sep 08, 2011 Rachel (The Rest Is Still Unwritten) rated it liked it
Shelves: for-review, publisher-sent, bloomsbury-sent, i-own
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. **Thank-you to Bloomsbury Australia for providing me with a copy of this to read and review!**
Stolen Away is yet another brilliant tale by author Alyxandra Harvey that explores the world of Faerie in a quick, fun and modern setting!
I love Alyxandra Harvey's books and this one is no exception. Harvey is a talented storyteller who always manages to entertain me with her captivating world and her precise and easy to read writing. In Stolen Away, Harvey delves into the world of the Fae in a story th **Thank-you to Bloomsbury Australia for providing me with a copy of this to read and review!**
I love Alyxandra Harvey's books and this one is no exception. Harvey is a talented storyteller who always manages to entertain me with her captivating world and her precise and easy to read writing. In Stolen Away, Harvey delves into the world of the Fae in a story that is entertaining and romantic. Personally, I would have liked a bit more world building and at times I did feel as though parts of the story were rushed, but I'm taking into consideration that this is a stand alone novel when I look at that. The mythology was lovely and I loved the overall plotline!
Told in dual perspective, the book continues back and forth between best friends and protagonists Eloise and Jo. This isn't new for Harvey, with some of her other books set out in a similar manner, and it gives us an insight into the different goings on during the story from both girls. I found both Eloise and Jo to be likable characters and it was easy to follow them throughout the story. Both had their individual personality traits and were strong young women. As always with Harvey's books, the feeling of friendship is undeniable with both characters dedicated to helping each other no matter what.
Filled with a fantastic range of characters both from the mortal and human world, Stolen Away never lacks for flair and magic. It was so incredibly easy to get lost in the Faerie world that was so beautiful throughout the story. The Fae creatures and characters both Eloise and Jo met added a new layer of fun to the story, from a tiny warrior faerie Jo quickly befriends to Eloise's colourful mother and aunt, they were all wonderful editions to the story.
In the amidst of the danger and adventure both girls manage to find romance, Eloise with her protector Lucas and Jo with Eldric, a mysterious boy who isn't who he appears. I enjoyed both relationships; they were sweet and romantic, although they came on a bit fast for my liking. The passion was undeniable between Jo and Eldric, while Eloise and Lucas was more a subtle underlining to the tale.
Overall Stolen Away was an easily enjoyable story. Beautifully written and created, the tale draws you in easily and holds you the entire time!
May 30, 2013 ~Elijah~ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Shelves: young-adult
You can say what you want about me but I love Alyxandra Harvey novels.
Stolen Away took me back to why I've always loved Harvey's books. I fell in love with the story completely.
It I really liked reading Harvey's take on the Fey. Which was pretty traditional, I liked the whole aspect of the fey shape shifting into birds. If you've read Harvey's other books you'll also know that she creates very strong friendships bonds. Which is always refreshing, because Eloise Hart and Jo are a great duo. They' You can say what you want about me but I love Alyxandra Harvey novels.
It I really liked reading Harvey's take on the Fey. Which was pretty traditional, I liked the whole aspect of the fey shape shifting into birds. If you've read Harvey's other books you'll also know that she creates very strong friendships bonds. Which is always refreshing, because Eloise Hart and Jo are a great duo. They're strong-brave YA female characters, who always have each other's back, the ideal besties. As El and Jo's story are told from two different POV's, I felt like Jo's story overpowered El's. Jo story was way more interesting, a leading story.
Love interest Lucas(Eloise) and Eldric( Jo) are totally different characters. It's really a good vs. evil kind of thing. But they both have the same background; strong, dark, protective personalities that make them both good guys for these two amazing girls (which makes me jealous lol.) At times like Jo & El, Eldric overshadows Lucas. Eldric comes from a"brokin home" I understand his character, while Lucas on the other hand is like the "golden boy." I want to know him deeper than him just liking Eloise.
The writing as always with Harvey was perfect; I'm so use to just breezing through her books but the pacing was a little roller-coaster-y; fast at the beginning but towards the middle it seemed to drag a little then the pace picked but up in the end. But that was just because Harvey had a lot of background to cover with Elise's family and such. Be prepared to be stolen away in this wonderful Fey tale! ...more
Apr 03, 2013 Kirsty (Amethyst Bookwyrm) rated it really liked it
Shelves: paranormal, review
This and my other reviews can be found at http://amethystbookwyrm.blogspot.co.uk/
Eloise Hart had no idea that her family was connected to the world of the Faery until she was abducted by Lord Strahan, the king of the Faery, and was used as a hostage to lure his wife, Eloise's Aunt Antonia out of hiding. Now Eloise and her best friends Jo and Devin must forge alliances with other Fae to recuse Antonia, including Lucas, a boy who has sworn to protect Eloise and Eldric, who may have feeling for Jo This and my other reviews can be found at http://amethystbookwyrm.blogspot.co.uk/
Eloise Hart had no idea that her family was connected to the world of the Faery until she was abducted by Lord Strahan, the king of the Faery, and was used as a hostage to lure his wife, Eloise's Aunt Antonia out of hiding. Now Eloise and her best friends Jo and Devin must forge alliances with other Fae to recuse Antonia, including Lucas, a boy who has sworn to protect Eloise and Eldric, who may have feeling for Jo or may be planning to betray them all.
Stolen Away is a new book by Alyxandra Harvey which has romance, action and Faeries. While I really liked this book, I felt there was something missing but I can't put my finger on what.
I really like Eloise and Jo as they were both loyal and good friends but are also very different people. However I did feel the romance was lacking, very sudden and did not feel realistic, even though both of the couples had some very romantic moments.
Stolen Away is a very enjoyable YA faery story and I would recommend it to people who like the Fire Spirits series by Samantha Young or the rest of Harvey's novels. ...more
Sep 26, 2011 Annabelle rated it liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: i-love-a-guy-in-this-book, fantasy, arcs, i-own, paranormal, e-books, romance, insta-love, sexy-sexy-bad-boy, wish-there-was-a-sequel
***FINAL RATING: 3.30 STARS***
I really enjoyed this book. I didn't love it as much as I did Haunting Violet, but I still found it extremely enjoyable. It was a fun, quick read. The reason that my rating is relatively low even though I loved it so much will be explained. For one, the cover wasn't great. It was okay. For not as pretty as I'd hoped.
THE HEROINES
No, that's not a typo. This book is actually told from two different girls' P.O.V., thus making them both heroines in tis lovely ***FINAL RATING: 3.30 STARS***
No, that's not a typo. This book is actually told from two different girls' P.O.V., thus making them both heroines in tis lovely story.
I didn't care too much for her. I liked her well enough, but she's not one of my favorite characters. She was kind of, um, I hate to say it, but boring. She was too serious for my taste. I prefer my heroines fun. Deep down, she was more emotional, but on the outside she was too stiff. Still, she was actually a pretty intricate character, but definitely had room for improvement.
I loved Jo! She was such a flirt! She was exciting and emotional. While on the outside she appeared flighty, inside she was more vulnerable. She had a nice, solid background. I enjoyed her part of the story immensely. Jo was, in my opinion, a better character than Eloise. I really, really liked her. Honesly, I'd like a sequel just so I read my of her story. She's fresh and exciting and moreover, alive. But, uh, she was a bit too British for an American.
THE LOVE INTERESTS
ELDRIC
Mmmm. What can I say? I totally fell in love with Eldric. I mean, DAMN. He was hot. And totally sweet. And, um, I have a thing for bad boys :) Sometimes. He's tall. And dark. And handsome. Who doesn't love the gorgeous stranger? He was one of my favorite characters, hands down. He seemed genuinely caring but also passionate. And perfectly mysterious!
Hmm. I was okay with him. I thought he seemed pretty cute, but overall I just wasn't feeling it. He was from a different world, sure, but, um, overall I think Harvey overdid this point. He acted really weird at some points and it was just kind of not realistic or believable. Sure, he had his good points, and I love him for it, but as a general rule…not so much.
THE OTHER SECONDARY CHARACTERS
Devin was sweet and I really liked how he stayed a part of the story! A fun, layered character who I really enjoyed reading about. Not only that, but I really liked how Devin stayed a part of the story.
Eloise's mother was peppy and upbeat. I liked her a lot. She was a fun addition to the story. i didn't expect to like her so much, but there you have it. Jasmine was one of those minor characters who just draws you in.
To be honest, there's not a whole lot going for the plot. It's predictable and small, not going over a wide range of events but focusing on a climax. Still, it was nicely thought out. There wasn't too much extraneous stuff going on that detracted attention from the main focus. Honestly, it was really good. I only wish there had been a bit more depth and length to it.
THE ROMANCE
I am not going to give away who ends up with who! You can read other reviews or probably even guess, but I won't be the one to tell you, because that's part of the fun!
ELOISE'S ROMANCE
Sweet, if a bit underwritten. There's not a whole lot that goes on with Eloise's romance, not really. It's pleasant, but a tad bit instalovey. Still, I did think it was nicely written. Once or twice it was too disgustingly father-daughter, but I got over that and it got better.
JO'S ROMANCE
I enjoyed this so much better. Jo's romance was more fun, but again, it leaned towards instalove. The big moment was sweet, but when I was reading it I actually thought about how unbelievable it was. Anyhow, I did enjoy her romance. It was an equal romance with a bit of fairytale mixed in.
THE WRITING
Some of the writing was…questionable. For example, this line:
"My lady Eloise. Finally, you are undressed to our eyes."
Actually, the funniest thing about this quote is that it sounds even worse out of context than in context. But still. I really didn't like some of this writing, and this is just one example. I won't launch into them all.
Oh, actually, as aforementioned, Jo is too British for an American. This includes her Brit-speak, which just sounds kind of odd and misplaced. It really wasn't necessary.
Okay, but in general, I liked this writing. I doesn't have the gorgeousness that is Haunting Violet, but overall I thought it was nice. Harvey has a pretty writing style that I really like. It was pleasant and quick to read, and I didn't have to go back to try and understand.
It took me a little bit to realize there were two different P.O.V.s going on, but once I realized this it went much more smoothly.
THE ENDING
While a bit too predictable for my taste, it was still fine. It wasn't random or odd; it really fit and I'm sure Harvey did a fair bit of thinking before she chose to end it this way. I don't want to give this ending away, though! So all I'll say is that I liked it very well. It wasn't my favorite, perhaps, but it was still a very good choice for an ending.
My second Alyxandra Harvey book. It wasn't as good as the first I read, but it was good enough that I still want to read her other books. I will be eagerly awaiting future releases from her! I would definitely recommend this book to others, but not to everyone.
FINE.
Find this review and more on Sparkles and Lightning! ...more
Jun 20, 2013 Kiersten rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: cover-love, 2013-reads, kindle-deals
Check out more of my reviews at We Live and Breathe Books.
I got Stolen Away as a Kindle daily deal – I was so intrigued by the blurb that I had to have it. Eloise Hart is just a normal girl who likes to fly under the radar. One day when she's at the ice cream parlor with her friends, a strange boy in medieval dress kneels in front of her and tells her that she needs to go with him or "the others" will find her. Of course, Eloise is totally freaks out and leaves. As it turns out, Eloise's aunt An Check out more of my reviews at We Live and Breathe Books.
I got Stolen Away as a Kindle daily deal – I was so intrigued by the blurb that I had to have it. Eloise Hart is just a normal girl who likes to fly under the radar. One day when she's at the ice cream parlor with her friends, a strange boy in medieval dress kneels in front of her and tells her that she needs to go with him or "the others" will find her. Of course, Eloise is totally freaks out and leaves. As it turns out, Eloise's aunt Antonia was married to the King of Faery, Lord Strahan, and Strahan wants to lure Antonia back to the world of Faery with Eloise as bait. Soon, Eloise gets captured and it's up to her friends to try to save her.
Stolen Away is told from alternating point of views between Eloise and Jo. Although I found both girls to be charming, their voices were very similar and I found it a bit confusing sometimes. When the girls were separated, it was fine because of how different their situations were, but when they were together, I could barely follow who was saying what because of the "she said" and "I said"s.
Jo's story seems to center around her romance. Jo's romance was cute, but it was really rushed, even more so than Eloise's. Jo sees this gorgeous stranger at a party, but doesn't get a chance to talk to him. One day while she's at a coffee shop, said stranger appears and she starts getting to know him. Of course, when I say, "getting to know him," I'm using this rather loosely. Jo ends up bringing this guy to her family's farm and kissing him before she even knows his name. In fact, he actually shows up at her farm later on and they kiss some more and she still doesn't know his name after this encounter. Once she finally knows his name, she insists that she loves him. Sounds a bit like my favorite Pixar dog…
But seriously. After they actually get to know each other, the romance grew on me a lot more. In between seeing this boy, Jo is supposed to be helping her friend escape from the Faery Rath in which she is trapped. Jo is surprisingly resourceful when it comes to finding her friend, but she'd probably do a better job if she weren't obsessed with her handsome stranger.
On the other hand, Eloise's story is a lot more action packed. Her story follows how she's trapped in Strahan's Faery Rath and how she finds out about the Faery world and her aunt's part in it. Through Eloise's point of view, the reader finds out most of the mythology in this book. Although the mythology is interesting, it's thrown at the reader a bit too fast. Like Jo, Eloise had a romance, but hers was much briefer. Eloise's romance was so sweet and made me giddy. I wish there had been more of this romance.
The ending of Stolen Away, while finishing the actual conflict of the story, seemed to need more. I wish there had been a few more chapters to explain how everything turns out rather than the few pages of epilogue we get right after the conflict is resolved. It was just too brief. After investing myself in the plot and the characters, I just wanted more from the ending. Honestly, I would love to see a sequel. With a second book, Stolen Away would definitely move up to 4 stars for me.
Overall, I really wanted to enjoy Stolen Away more than I did, but it was just too brief. This book had so much potential with its story, but it lacked the follow through and elaboration I was looking for. However, I would still recommend this story for someone looking for a fun paranormal story with interesting faery mythology.
Rating: 3.5 stars ...more
Feb 02, 2015 kariny v rated it it was amazing
Shelves: 2015-challenge
find more of my reviews at http://karinysteenbooxfrenz.blogspot....
I loved Alyxandra's writing since i read Breath of Frost. Since it was set in victorian times the language was pretty poetic and this novel, the writing was so modern it surprised me! In a good way of course :P! When i read the Summary it looked so intricate that i wondered how the author could cover all that in a standalone novel less than 300 pages! I expected it to be kind of rushed or something but it really totally find more of my reviews at http://karinysteenbooxfrenz.blogspot....
I loved Alyxandra's writing since i read Breath of Frost. Since it was set in victorian times the language was pretty poetic and this novel, the writing was so modern it surprised me! In a good way of course :P! When i read the Summary it looked so intricate that i wondered how the author could cover all that in a standalone novel less than 300 pages! I expected it to be kind of rushed or something but it really totally was not. There were details and action and romance and funny moments=my kinda book!
I loved the friendship between Eloise, Jo and Devin. Even though Eloise was the main character i loved Jo a LOT more, She was witty, strong, funny and so loyal to her best friend, It all starts when Lucas keels in front of Eloise at an ice cream parlor and vows to protect her from a faerie king. Obviously she thought he was scary-i mean wouldn't you if a hot medieval guy swore fealty to you in front of all your classmates? Well maybe some of you like me would be scared but since we're book addicts i think we're all secretly wishing we're the heroine in the book!
Eloise goes home and things get weirder when Lucas shows up on her balcony and saves her from evil crows. She confides in her friends and then she gets kidnapped by an evil faerie king who uses her as bait to get his wife-her aunt-back.
In the meantime, Jo is being befriended and kissed(hotly) by Eldric who cannot seem to stay away from her! I loved the mystery surrounding Aunt Antonia..It was absolutely confusing and i had so many unanswered questions that i kept asking myself,. It made me want to keep reading so i could find this stuff out! The world building was breathtaking and i kept wishing i could see this stuff for myself.
The only thing i didn't like in this book was a teeny tiny part to do the with love interests; Eldric and Lucas. For one I LOVED ELDRIC AND JO!!absolutely awesome and hot together!!Eldric is an intense character and i liked that a lot however i felt that Lucas was too perfect and there was no real story to him compared to Eldric. I can honestly say i like Jo and Eldric more than Eloise and Lucas,,,But i feel that i should have liked Lucas a little more because he is the main love interest of the main character, I did like him, i just felt there was no character development. All we know is that he's sweet, shifts into a hawk and loves Eloise. That's it. Whereas with Eldric, we know that he broods, has mysterious and wicked smiles, he's in pain and feels lonely because he hates his Dad and has never met his mom. he was the typical hot brooding guy with shadows and Lucas was the golden boy. and that's not a bad thing i just wished there was more of a background to him!
Nevertheless i loved this book and it has made me love this authors writing even more!!Awesome standalone! ...more
May 26, 2011 SJH (A Dream of Books) rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: for-review, young-adult, own, faerie
It's official! Alyxandra Harvey can do it all! After having successfully written about the world of vampires and ghosts, she's now moved onto a new subject, faeries, weaving a captivating story of love and danger amidst the faerie realm. I found myself totally immersed in 'Stolen Away' from the moment that Lucas appears on the scene with his sword by his side and kneels at the feet of the main protagonist Eloise. He has vowed to protect her against the danger posed by Lord Strahan, the faerie ki It's official! Alyxandra Harvey can do it all! After having successfully written about the world of vampires and ghosts, she's now moved onto a new subject, faeries, weaving a captivating story of love and danger amidst the faerie realm. I found myself totally immersed in 'Stolen Away' from the moment that Lucas appears on the scene with his sword by his side and kneels at the feet of the main protagonist Eloise. He has vowed to protect her against the danger posed by Lord Strahan, the faerie king, who wants to use Eloise as a pawn in his battle to hold onto his crown.
There's romance aplenty between Eloise and Lucas, but also some hot and sizzling moments between Eloise's best-friend Jo and Eldric, the dark and handsome stranger that arrives on the scene to sweep Jo off her feet. I absolutely adored the relationship between the latter pairing as Eldric set my heart aflutter too. Everyone loves a bad boy! He's quite an enigmatic figure and so at the beginning of the book it's impossible to know whether or not he can be trusted but as his character is gradually developed we learn more about him and his own family history. I loved the way that he seemed as drawn to Jo as she was to him, like a magnetic force which is out of their control and he always appeared just when she needed him. There are plenty of hot kisses between them and an undeniable spark in the air whenever they're together. My only complaint was that I wanted to read more about them and I have my fingers firmly crossed that we may just see a sequel about them in the future.
Eloise and Jo are joined by their other best friend Devin who is right there by their side throughout the events of the story. Their friendship is rock solid and I liked the fact that even when they didn't necessarily agree with each others opinions or choices, they were always there to back each other up.
I love the writing style of Alyxandra Harvey and the way she paints such vivid pictures of people and places that I always feel completely transported into the story. 'Stolen Away' is no exception with wonderful descriptions particularly of the fae, including Isadora, the no-nonsense and feisty flower fairy, as well as the wasp and hornet riding fae who manage to be both endearing and fierce at the same time. There are also some fabulous passages conjuring up images of the realm of the fae which appears to be deeply magical as well as incredibly dangerous.
Harvey had me hook, line and sinker, captivating me completely with her tale of blossoming love amidst the world of the fae. This is another brilliant book by my current favourite YA Queen and I look forward to seeing what she'll turn her hand to next!
Nov 16, 2011 Susan rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Stolen Away is quite a spectacular tale of romance and adventure. It's a wonderfully written book that involves the mystical and entrancing world of the fey, filled with dangerous peril, heart-pounding (possibly forbidden) romance, and epic adventures that await the main protagonist. The fae world is not only enticing, but fascinating as well. Harvey's special care in creating such an amazing world that provides an earthy backdrop for her characters, and the originality of the story she tells Stolen Away is quite a spectacular tale of romance and adventure. It's a wonderfully written book that involves the mystical and entrancing world of the fey, filled with dangerous peril, heart-pounding (possibly forbidden) romance, and epic adventures that await the main protagonist. The fae world is not only enticing, but fascinating as well. Harvey's special care in creating such an amazing world that provides an earthy backdrop for her characters, and the originality of the story she tells has introduced an interesting take on the world of the fae in general. One of my favorite things regarding the faeries and the different courts, was that the fae could shift into various animals and take on their forms.
The character's were well written and established. Even though Eloise was the main protagonist of the novel, Jo ended up being my personal favorite. I enjoyed the fact that she walked to the beat of her own drum and possessed so much spunk and just seemed very likable and fun. The bond of friendship that Eloise, Jo, and Devin shared made this book even more fun to read. Their loyalty to one another, went above and beyond at times and made them even more likeable. Harvey did a wonderful job with character development and giving each of these character's their own sense of style and purpose, that possessed just the right amount of flare to have any reader falling in love with them.
I appreciated the fact that there wasn't a love triangle introduced into this story, like so many young adult books tend to over-use. I think my favorite love connection to read about was the one happening between Jo and Eldric. They had a very interesting dymanic going on between them, because neither Jo or the rest of them can ever really know for sure whether or not Eldric will betray them or continue to help them. Plus, there's something so forbidden about these two, that makes me appreciation them even more. It's almost hard to describe, but there's this burning snap, crackle, and pop of fire between them - the perfect mix of chemistry to balance the other one out.
Stolen Away is a fast-paced, beautiful look at the world of fey, that will defintiely keep anyone who enjoys fantasy novels entranced. The world Harvey has created is not only magical, but is filled with such richness and splendor in the story it has to tell and the history of the different fae courts interwoven amongst. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Melissa Marr, Holly Black, or Julie Kagawa. ...more
Oct 22, 2011 Lisa rated it really liked it
Shelves: bloomsbury-allen-unwin
Originally posted at Read Me Bookmark Me Love Me
It was just an ordinary day when a young man kneeled down by Eloise's feet and called her "my lady". Suddenly, her life becomes entangled with danger when she's told someone's out to get her and discovers she must resist all temptations in order to stay alive. After being kidnapped by Lord Strahan who wants to lure out her aunt Antonia, the next Queen of Faery, she immerses herself in a magical world where she can't trust anyone or anything... A ch Originally posted at Read Me Bookmark Me Love Me
It was just an ordinary day when a young man kneeled down by Eloise's feet and called her "my lady". Suddenly, her life becomes entangled with danger when she's told someone's out to get her and discovers she must resist all temptations in order to stay alive. After being kidnapped by Lord Strahan who wants to lure out her aunt Antonia, the next Queen of Faery, she immerses herself in a magical world where she can't trust anyone or anything... A charming novel that's enjoyable for all!
The first thing that caught my attention about Stolen Away was the characters. With friends like Jo (man-eater) and Devin (self-proclaimed hottie), El's life is far from boring although it's about to get a whole lot more complicated… Throughout the book, El's family and friends are largely involved with her kidnapping and release, working together to beat the impossible odds. I loved how the story was told from two perspectives (El and Jo), allowing us to experience two totally different journeys. The characters really made the book work, although I do wish we had been able to explore them and the world more thoroughly, as they remained very slightly two-dimensional.
With two perspectives come two romances. Yes, you read that correctly… Kidnapped El has a love interest, as does the main's character best friend, who, might I add, is quite amazing herself. I'll admit I loved Jo the most as a character and adored her love story! It was dark, seductive, dangerous and riddled with the types of complications you know you should avoid. Did I mention the mystery? Have fun turning over some stones in that head of yours! Hot Rock Star Guy is like a maths equation... Le sigh. Down in her prison cell, El's haunted by the other captured fae and the thoughts of her striking knight in shining armour, Lucas. They certainly have their sweet moments but they're not together nearly enough! While both romances were specked with insta-love, I managed to enjoy them for what they were ;)
Overall, an entertaining read by Alyxandra Harvey, whose Haunting Violet I adored. It was great to reunite with her elegant style again and roll around in the troughs full of romance and humour. If I were to complain about anything it would be the ending. Even now I'm asking, "Is that it?" because things aren't fully resolved and I'm left hanging! Another few pages would've done the trick. But nevertheless, give this book a try if you're in the mood for a supernaturally fun read! ...more
Jan 09, 2012 Britney rated it really liked it · review of another edition
First, I'd like to thank NetGalley and Bloomsbury Children's Books for the opportunity to review STOLEN AWAY.
I'm a big fan of THE DRAKE CHRONICLES (I mean, come on, all those sexy vampire boys!) anyway, I digress, so when I heard Alyx Harvey was writing a faery novel I was certainly intrigued. Her creative take on vampires captured me, so I was very excited to see what she would do with faeries. And I was very pleased with the book. To me, it wasn't quite as different as TDC, but it was just as First, I'd like to thank NetGalley and Bloomsbury Children's Books for the opportunity to review STOLEN AWAY.
I'm a big fan of THE DRAKE CHRONICLES (I mean, come on, all those sexy vampire boys!) anyway, I digress, so when I heard Alyx Harvey was writing a faery novel I was certainly intrigued. Her creative take on vampires captured me, so I was very excited to see what she would do with faeries. And I was very pleased with the book. To me, it wasn't quite as different as TDC, but it was just as enthralling. A sexy protector, fae that can shapeshift, a sexy, dark, mysterious boy, a kidnapping, a pint sized faery with an attitude, a sexy protector, a family secret, a sexy, dark, mysterious boy, a big battle, a sexy... well, you get the idea! What's not to love?!
STOLEN AWAY is written in what I think of as Alyx Harvey's preferred POV. The chapters alternate between Eloise and Jo's POV. I'm a huge fan of this method! You get a first person POV but from different characters so you get to see what's going on in multiple places through multiple characters. And multiple character views means, in this case anyway, MULTIPLE SEXY BOYS! Yes, you know I can't let you forget that!
My favorite character is Jo, and I'm also quite fond of her sexy, dark, mysterious boy. Jo is one of the narrators, and she is kick butt. She likes poetry, and Victorian type clothing, pretty much anything male, and British slang. I adore her! Eloise is a little more quiet, although still spunky, and she rocks the rockabilly look (No pun intended. Ok, maybe a little one). She is fierce, and loyal, and totally into her knight-like protector (who is also sexy, in case I hadn't made that clear earlier). I also really love Devin and Jasmine (Eloise's spunky mother). This book is full of really great characters!
Overall, I really adored STOLEN AWAY, and I can't wait for more! 4 stars all the way!
Feb 24, 2012 Jaime (Two Chicks on Books) rated it liked it · review of another edition
Stolen Away was a cute short read! In my opinion it doesn't come close to some of the other amazing fey novels out there like the Wicked Lovely, Iron Fey, of Wondrous Strange series but it was a good story.
It's told in two POV's the main POV is Eloise and honestly I didn't care for her parts that much. The POV that I liked and that kept me interested was her best friend Jo's. Jo had me cracking up with her attempts at using British slang and her arguing with a faery the size of a flower. I also Stolen Away was a cute short read! In my opinion it doesn't come close to some of the other amazing fey novels out there like the Wicked Lovely, Iron Fey, of Wondrous Strange series but it was a good story.
It's told in two POV's the main POV is Eloise and honestly I didn't care for her parts that much. The POV that I liked and that kept me interested was her best friend Jo's. Jo had me cracking up with her attempts at using British slang and her arguing with a faery the size of a flower. I also loved that she was fiercely protective of her friends and didn't care if she looked like an idiot or got dirty defending them. There's a fair share of swoon worthy guys in this the main 3 being Lucas, Eldric, and Devin but I really didn't feel an intense attraction to any of them. I guess if I had to choose I'd pick Eldric because he reminded me the most of my fey crushes Ash, Irial, Niall, and Sonny.
The story itself played out pretty well there wasn't much originality to it there were parts of faery lore that we have seen in other books but like I said it was cute and funny. I also liked that it read fast and it's a stand alone novel.
Here's a quick passage and a glimpse into Jo's mind.
Isadora gave a long-suffering sigh, folded her arms over her chest, and refused to elaborate. Fortunately, Lucas didn't have any such compunctions.
"Isadora was lady of her ancestral rath," he explained. "Until she was transformed and could hold it no longer."
"She was shrunk," I explained for the others. She glared at me and I shrugged. "Well you were. You said so yourself."
"By who?" Devin asked. "Evil sorcerer? Troll king? Man, this is just like D&D."
I snorted "Not quite."
"A poet."
"A poet?"
I nodded. "Apparently he 'believed' her into being wee."
Devin wiped cookie crumbs off his shirt and sprawled back into his chair. "I told you English class was bad for my health."
Nov 28, 2011 Damaris (GoodChoiceReading) rated it really liked it · review of another edition
One of the things I love best about Alyxandra Harvey's books is that they always make me laugh out loud. There hasn't been a book by her that I've read that hasn't made me smile and laugh at some point. Stolen Away is no different. The characters are all very funny and very easy to like. It has action, a cute love story between the characters and lots of humor. It's a fast read and super entertaining. It has some similarities to her Drake Chronicles series, only with Faeries.
Eloise has no idea One of the things I love best about Alyxandra Harvey's books is that they always make me laugh out loud. There hasn't been a book by her that I've read that hasn't made me smile and laugh at some point. Stolen Away is no different. The characters are all very funny and very easy to like. It has action, a cute love story between the characters and lots of humor. It's a fast read and super entertaining. It has some similarities to her Drake Chronicles series, only with Faeries.
Eloise has no idea that Faeries exist until one day out with her friends this boy walks up to her and literally gets on his knees in front of her. He tells her how he has finally found her and how she is in danger. Eloise doesn't know how to react to this. She thinks he is just some weird kid dressed in weird clothes playing some kind of trick on her. Soon this boy keeps showing up and keeps giving her the same warning and begs her to let him protect her. She finds out his name is Lucas and even though she still finds it hard to believe, she can't ignore the weird things that have been happening around her. When she gets kidnapped, Eloise realizes that everything Lucas tried to tell her is true.
Stolen Away is not a complicated story at all and the story moves at a great pace. It's told from Eloise and Jo's points of views. You will fall in love with the characters and the new world Harvey introduces you too. You will also laugh and smile a lot throughout the story. If you liked her Drake Chronicles series, then you will definitely fall in love with Stolen Away. I enjoyed Eldric and Jo's story more than I did Eloise though, and wish I had more of them. I would love to read a standalone of Eldric and Jo. Eldric was a nice mystery that I had to solve. I had no idea whose side he was really on. This is a really good book! I recommend it!
4 out of 5 Stars! ...more
Jan 05, 2012 Jenny (hades2) (Chocolate Chunky Munkie) rated it liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: review-books-arc, kindle
I'm beginning to read more and more books based on the Fae. I have to say I am really getting into these kind of books. Anyway back to Stolen Away, it was a fairly good book and the story was certainly exciting in places. It has certainly made me want to read more books on fairies and also I would like to try more books by this author. I don't like to write authors off after one book.
One of my concerns was that I was a little confused at times with the dual narrative, I kept getting the two fema I'm beginning to read more and more books based on the Fae. I have to say I am really getting into these kind of books. Anyway back to Stolen Away, it was a fairly good book and the story was certainly exciting in places. It has certainly made me want to read more books on fairies and also I would like to try more books by this author. I don't like to write authors off after one book.
One of my concerns was that I was a little confused at times with the dual narrative, I kept getting the two female characters mixed up and had to keep going back to see who the character was. The two main characters are Eloise and Jo, they both have different experiences of the Fae but both of them have a love interest. Also at times the story seemed to fall a bit flat. A couple of times I really had to pick the book back up otherwise it was in danger of staying unread. Although not gripping read, it did have moments of glory. I felt there was no one character that stood out for me, they all seemed to lack depth. I love a good complex character, and I certainly like to see character development throughout, this did not happen for me in Stolen Away. The British slang used by Jo is a little annoying too, I'm from England and it had me cringing.
However this book does have some good points, I liked the setting both in this world and the Fae world. The description of the surroundings was certainly a plus for me. The style of writing is also good, it is an easy reading style and one I certainly felt comfortable with.
I wish this book was not a stand alone; there was certainly room for another one as there were questions left unanswered. Shame really.
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book. ...more
Jun 02, 2011 Princess Bookie rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: read2011
My Thoughts: Stolen Away is told in two different prospectives. First, we have Eloise whom the book is about. Than we have her best friend Jo who falls for the bad guy. A guy who is supposed to be against Eloise.
Eloise has spent her whole life with a glamour hosted on her to protect her from the world of fairy but over time it wears off and now she's likely to being seen.
Her aunt has been the faery queen for many years and her husband is looking for a new wife. Someone in the same family line. H My Thoughts: Stolen Away is told in two different prospectives. First, we have Eloise whom the book is about. Than we have her best friend Jo who falls for the bad guy. A guy who is supposed to be against Eloise.
Her aunt has been the faery queen for many years and her husband is looking for a new wife. Someone in the same family line. Her aunt is the only one who can break it.
Eloise gets kidnapped and than goes after the king, to take him down.
With the help of Lucas, who is sexy by the way and Eldric who is the king's son she goes on her way to freeing her aunt and destroying the king's reign. She must enlist other fae to help her fight a long the way.
Honestly, this one sounded really great and I enjoyed reading it a lot but it still wasn't as great as The Iron Knight. I think that is probably my favorite book based on fairies. It would be very hard to top that series though.
Stolen Away didn't have a lot of depth, half the time I wasn't sure quite what was going on and I had to sit back and think, so what just happened? It was a really good book but just not as great as other fairy books out there.
Overall: I enjoyed reading it a lot but not a 5 cupcake fairy book in my eyes. Would I recommend it to other people? Sure. Could it become a series? Sure, but I think it would be better as a stand alone and if the ending was just left alone.
Cover: The cover is gorgeous, has a lot of colors.
What I'd Give It:4/5 Cupcakes
Review Based On Hardcover Edition
Taken From Princess Bookie
www.princessbookie.com ...more
Jul 01, 2011 Faye rated it liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: fae
Stolen Away took me back to why I've always loved Harvey's books. I fell in love with the story completely.
It I really liked reading Harvey's take on the Fey. Which was pretty traditional, I liked the whole aspect of the fey shape shifting into birds. If you've read Harvey's other books you'll also know that she creates very strong friendships bonds. Which is always refreshing, because Eloise Hart and Jo are a great duo. They're strong-brave YA female characters, who always have each other's bac Stolen Away took me back to why I've always loved Harvey's books. I fell in love with the story completely.
It I really liked reading Harvey's take on the Fey. Which was pretty traditional, I liked the whole aspect of the fey shape shifting into birds. If you've read Harvey's other books you'll also know that she creates very strong friendships bonds. Which is always refreshing, because Eloise Hart and Jo are a great duo. They're strong-brave YA female characters, who always have each other's back, the ideal besties. As El and Jo's story are told from two different POV's, I felt like Jo's story overpowered El's. Jo story was way more interesting, a leading story.
Love interest Lucas(Eloise) and Eldric( Jo) are totally different characters. It's really a good vs. evil kind of thing. But they both have the same background; strong, dark, protective personalities that make them both good guys for these two amazing girls (which makes me jealous lol.) At times like Jo & El, Eldric overshadows Lucas. Eldric comes from a"brokin home" I understand his character, while Lucas on the other hand is like the "golden boy." I want to know him deeper than him just liking Eloise.
The writing as always with Harvey was perfect; I'm so use to just breezing through her books but the pacing was a little roller-coaster-y; fast at the beginning but towards the middle it seemed to drag a little then the pace picked but up in the end. But that was just because Harvey had a lot of background to cover with Elise's family and such. Be prepared to be stolen away in this wonderful Fey tale!
*Review Taken from Ramblings Of A Teenage Bookworm ...more
Nov 02, 2011 Debbie I Heart YA Books rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Stolen Away is a fantastic faerie adventure with a double shot of romance. Alyxandra Harvey always makes me laugh with her sarcastic humor. Stolen Away is told through Eloise and Jo's POV. These two best girl friends are hilarious, and their romances are an adventure in itself with the two gorgeous fae guys. I love the way Harvey writes. Her stories are a fun adventurer with characters full of personality. I know when I read one of her novels to sit back and enjoy the hilarious fun. She just has Stolen Away is a fantastic faerie adventure with a double shot of romance. Alyxandra Harvey always makes me laugh with her sarcastic humor. Stolen Away is told through Eloise and Jo's POV. These two best girl friends are hilarious, and their romances are an adventure in itself with the two gorgeous fae guys. I love the way Harvey writes. Her stories are a fun adventurer with characters full of personality. I know when I read one of her novels to sit back and enjoy the hilarious fun. She just has that amazing talent in her writing for making you laugh.
Eloise and Jo are best friends, and they are total opposites. Eloise is tee shirt and jeans while Jo is into long skirts and filly blouses. But these two a true best friends and when Eloise is kidnapped by the Unseelie King, Jo is right there to rescue her. But what starts out as a rescue mission for Eloise turns into them going to war against the Unseelie King to save Eloise's aunt Antonia, who just happened to be the Unseelie wife. Let alone the gorgeous new guy Jo is crushing on, who is the Unseelie King's son, Eldric. Then we have Eloise's gorgeous shining Faery in armor, Lucas, the son of the Seelie King, who has come to save and protected her.
Lucas and Eldric are just as opposite as the girls are. Lucas is there in front to fight for the girl he loves while Eldric is trying to hide and get the girl he loves to just run away with him. Both these guys are swoon worthy and I love them both.
Stole Away is double the fun, double the romance, double the adventure, double the sassy girls, double the gorgeous guys, with a few heart tender moments. I recommend Stole Away as a fantasy fun must read.
Feb 06, 2012 DayDreamer rated it liked it · review of another edition
It was readable. Didn't really see the point of the switching POV between Jo and Eloise. I feel as if Jo's POV could have been cut out of this entirely.
It's a fast-paced book. I enjoy more dialogue than description, but sometimes this book moves way too fast. It was rushed in places, as if the author wanted it over and done with (I know the feeling). But I shouldn't get that feeling as a READER. Quite often it read: And then this happened. And then this. And then this. (Insert lots of dialogue a It was readable. Didn't really see the point of the switching POV between Jo and Eloise. I feel as if Jo's POV could have been cut out of this entirely.
It's a fast-paced book. I enjoy more dialogue than description, but sometimes this book moves way too fast. It was rushed in places, as if the author wanted it over and done with (I know the feeling). But I shouldn't get that feeling as a READER. Quite often it read: And then this happened. And then this. And then this. (Insert lots of dialogue and repeate cycle.) So yeah, kind of under-developed at times. The characters were all right. I got a sense of who they were and everything.
However, it's ridiculous that by the end of the book Lucas and Eloise are "in love". Now, when I say "by the end of the book" you may be wondering what's wrong with that. Well, they didn't talk about anything. They don't know anything about each other for them to love each other. They meet up now and then throughout the book but it's brief and not very insightful. I didn't feel a connection between them at all.
Still, this book would be good for when you're travelling. You know, just something light, quick and something that you can put down and not have any in-depth feelings upon you. This book didn't touch me in a way that makes me feel as if I have been sucked into the story. It teeters on the edge: fun, fluffy and overall just "okay". ...more
Oct 04, 2011 Scarlett rated it it was ok · review of another edition
Shelves: reviewed, netgalley-arc
Originally posted on my blog here.
I enjoy books about the Fey and Fairies quite a bit so was excited to give this one a try. I had attempted to read Alyxandra Harvey's vampire series but ended up quitting after 1.5 (for the same reasons, though the first one was descent enough) of them but wanted to see if this one was better.....no such luck.
What I liked about this book is that it tried. There were times where the details almost, almost made it more believable, but then it just annoyed me.
I am Originally posted on my blog here.
I am going to keep things short for this review because honestly, I just didn't like the book. It wasn't my cup of tea and I don't want to belabor that point unnecessarily. The characters tried to have depth but it was fake, the storyline is not original in how it portrays the fey, I did not feel transported to another world or another time, and there was a TON of insta-love.
In the end I just lightly skimmed the last 100 pages because it just was not keeping my attention at all and totally knew how it was going to end. I was getting frustrated reading it and just don't like forcing myself to read that kind of thing when there are simply oodles of other great books that I could move onto.
Overall, not a recommendation. You might like it if you liked her vampire series the Drake Chronicles, but I'm glad I moved on to other books. ...more
Nov 26, 2013 Zanel rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Recommends it for: Fantasy
The book cover caught my eye at first and I was intrigued of how neat it looks. So I decided to give it a try for my book report at school. The book was really interesting on how it began. It had a bit of humor in it which caused my to laugh multiple times. I was a bit confused with a few chapters because I was too busy indulged in it to be noticing the POVs. Eloise is timid, quiet, and shy but she also has bravery and courage in her. Jo is the opposite of her. She's fierce, rebellious, and outg The book cover caught my eye at first and I was intrigued of how neat it looks. So I decided to give it a try for my book report at school. The book was really interesting on how it began. It had a bit of humor in it which caused my to laugh multiple times. I was a bit confused with a few chapters because I was too busy indulged in it to be noticing the POVs. Eloise is timid, quiet, and shy but she also has bravery and courage in her. Jo is the opposite of her. She's fierce, rebellious, and outgoing just like her lover Eldric. I enjoyed it but I got a feeling something was wrong or either missing in the story. Alyxandra seemed like she was rushing things out, I didn't get the romance between the four lovers, and I didn't feel like I connect with the characters in the book, especially the romance part. There were only a few romance scene, which was really good, but it seems like it was all rushed. So Eloise just kiss the guy she just exchanged a few sentences for the past few days? So, I really don't get that part. Although the book was rushed, it was really awesome and interesting. It was well-written though I don't recall any mistakes. It was really good! I recommend this book to people who enjoys fantasy, with specks of romance and adventure. ...more
Jun 24, 2012 Brittany rated it really liked it · review of another edition
This is a fun read with a lot of great faerie lore references that I really enjoyed. It's not as developed as some of Harvey's other novels, sadly, but it really didn't matter all that much in the end, I still enjoyed it very much. I kind of wish she would turn this one into a series, honestly - there is clearly more here and I want to read it! I do feel like, if it wasn't planned to be a series, there should have been more to the novel because it does feel ever so slightly thin.
The thing that This is a fun read with a lot of great faerie lore references that I really enjoyed. It's not as developed as some of Harvey's other novels, sadly, but it really didn't matter all that much in the end, I still enjoyed it very much. I kind of wish she would turn this one into a series, honestly - there is clearly more here and I want to read it! I do feel like, if it wasn't planned to be a series, there should have been more to the novel because it does feel ever so slightly thin.
The thing that I can't get over with Harvey's novels is that her aesthetic is *exactly* my aesthetic... the descriptions she comes up with for places and clothing particularly practically makes me drool with desire. It's just perfect. Her roses and Persian rugs and candles and flowery tattoos and Pre-Raphaelite references and Victorian coats and skirts, etc. all give me a ridiculous amount of joy. I think I would honestly read anything by her just for the fantastic aesthetics. While this one didn't quite reach the insane "THIS IS ME OMG" levels of Waking, it was pretty close and I was delighted by it.
Harvey's definitely a writer to watch, I've loved everything she's come up with thus far and think she's only going to get better and better. ...more
Jun 07, 2015 Serenity rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Only took a few pages to get me hooked. Once I was, I just flew threw the pages. I love Harveys books. I haven't read one that was less than perfect, from her. She is an author to watch.
So Eloise has a pretty simple life. Cool style, good mom, tattoo, and just a normal teen life. Well at least she thought it was normal. Things were going just fine until a guy shows up, makes the crows go away and give her a necklace. Then her mom mentions that something is happening. Then she gets kidnapped by t Only took a few pages to get me hooked. Once I was, I just flew threw the pages. I love Harveys books. I haven't read one that was less than perfect, from her. She is an author to watch.
So Eloise has a pretty simple life. Cool style, good mom, tattoo, and just a normal teen life. Well at least she thought it was normal. Things were going just fine until a guy shows up, makes the crows go away and give her a necklace. Then her mom mentions that something is happening. Then she gets kidnapped by the fae. Normal just went out the window.
So now El is under the hill and is trying to figure things out. She needs to find out more about the fae, why they have her, and about her aunt. And maybe plan an escape. Meanwhile, Jo is trying to figure things out. When she doesn't get very far, she goes to Els mum.
Soon the pace picks up even more and I just had to finish the book. Els aunt shows up and sends El home and she just shows up on her couch. So now El and Lucas are in Els home. El explains things to her mom and her mom explains everything else.
The entire story was just amazing. I love the characters, the details, the overall story. Harvey is such a great writer and I have loved every book she has written so far!
Jan 28, 2012 Trisha Wolfe rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
I love Alyxandra Harvey's writing, her style, her books…especially the Drake Chronicles. I have a copy of Haunting Violet staring at me, and after finishing Stolen Away, I now plan to dive in immediately. Harvey knows how to write young, fresh characters. I always enjoy their dialogue, and Eloise and Jo were super cool and fun. Eloise with her Rockabilly style, and Jo with her quirky love of all things British. I loved that they were best friends yet had different interests and personalities. Ev I love Alyxandra Harvey's writing, her style, her books…especially the Drake Chronicles. I have a copy of Haunting Violet staring at me, and after finishing Stolen Away, I now plan to dive in immediately. Harvey knows how to write young, fresh characters. I always enjoy their dialogue, and Eloise and Jo were super cool and fun. Eloise with her Rockabilly style, and Jo with her quirky love of all things British. I loved that they were best friends yet had different interests and personalities. Even the ways they approach guys and think in terms of relationships are different. But, they ban together and defend each other against anyone who threatens the other. That's real friendship.
Harvey also has a knack for writing romance. Eloise's relationship with Lucas wasn't as all-consuming as Jo's and Eldric's, but it was deep and sincere on its own level. I loved reading about each of these developing love interests from the protagonists. Harvey has proven she can write just about anything in the world of fiction, and I was so impressed with her take on Fae. Combining the old myths with a new, original twist, along with witty, loveable characters, Harvey has penned a must read for anyone wanting they're next fantasy fix. ...more
Jan 03, 2012 Steffy rated it liked it · review of another edition
Stolen away was a quick read. I read all of Alyxandra Harvey's books and the writing style is always flawless. Just note that this review might be at some points a little bit spoilery.
I have to admit that Stolen Away is the one I liked the least. There was nothing wrong with the book per say I just didn't get into it as much as I expected to.
I like the two main characters that shares POV (Jo and Eloise) but when Jo and Eris shared the big "I love you" it made me cringe.
The characters are diff Stolen away was a quick read. I read all of Alyxandra Harvey's books and the writing style is always flawless. Just note that this review might be at some points a little bit spoilery.
The characters are different, but yet very simple. It seems that Harvey was trying to give levels to her characters but sadly they seem to be mostly uni level, there is not a lot of background on the characters.
The plot is very simple too, there was not a lot of surprises.
I think this book might be a lot more enjoyable for younger teens.
In conclusion: Stolen away is definitely for younger teens, The book was a quick read but the extreme simplicity of characters and plot might not make it such an enjoyable read for older teens.
Stars: 2.5/5 ...more
May 29, 2012 Ms. Yingling rated it it was ok · review of another edition
Eloise always knew that her aunt Antonia had some problems that kept her out of touch for much of the year, but she did not realize that these problems stemmed from the fact that she was married to the Faery king, who is angry with her aunt and kidnaps Eloise to get back at her. Luckily, Eloise has good friends Jo and Devon who are able to help her excape, and there is also the very hot Fae Lucas who is on her side. Strahan does not want to give up his crown after serving for seven years, as tra Eloise always knew that her aunt Antonia had some problems that kept her out of touch for much of the year, but she did not realize that these problems stemmed from the fact that she was married to the Faery king, who is angry with her aunt and kidnaps Eloise to get back at her. Luckily, Eloise has good friends Jo and Devon who are able to help her excape, and there is also the very hot Fae Lucas who is on her side. Strahan does not want to give up his crown after serving for seven years, as tradition dictates, and this has thrown the entire faery realm into chaos. Eloise gets a good look at this world, starts to learn more about her aunt, and realizes that she is somehow the key to the survival of both worlds.
Strengths: This is a different paranormal romance from many of the ones I have read. Harvey's vampire series, as well as Haunting Violet, are popular in my library and are middle school appropriate, which I appreciate.
Weaknesses: Going between the points of view of Eloise and Jo seems confusing since I was also trying to understand the faery world. ...more
May 09, 2013 Jaime rated it liked it · review of another edition
Stolen Away is honestly a very good, very cute book. I think that the only reason it wasn't a huge hit with me is because it feels like it may have been written for a younger YA crowd than I, who is not a young YA anymore. Not even a YA at all. I think it would be a great book for my 16 year old niece. The plot is fun and fast paced, the characters are all cute and distinctive. It honestly just comes down to my age, I think. Haunting Violet was a story that seemed written for an older crowd. Me Stolen Away is honestly a very good, very cute book. I think that the only reason it wasn't a huge hit with me is because it feels like it may have been written for a younger YA crowd than I, who is not a young YA anymore. Not even a YA at all. I think it would be a great book for my 16 year old niece. The plot is fun and fast paced, the characters are all cute and distinctive. It honestly just comes down to my age, I think. Haunting Violet was a story that seemed written for an older crowd. Me thinks that is why I loved it in a big way, unlike this one. Very cute story, just not for me. Definitely recommend to the 13-16 crowd. I can't wait to read the Drake Chronicles. I have heard fantastic things! ...more
Book Boyfriends: Stolen Away 9 11 May 01, 2012 03:51AM
Book Boyfriends: Lucas Richelieu 6 24 Jan 23, 2012 11:27AM
Book Boyfriends: Eldric Strahan 2 16 Jan 23, 2012 11:09AM
Paranormal > Fairies
About Alyxandra Harvey
Alyxandra Harvey
www.alyxandraharvey.com
Alyxandra Harvey lives in a stone Victorian house in Ontario, Canada with a few resident ghosts who are allowed to stay as long they keep company manners. She loves medieval dresses, used to be able to recite all of The Lady of Shalott by Tennyson, and has been accused, more than once, of being born in the wrong century. She believes this to be mostly true except for the fac www.alyxandraharvey.com
Alyxandra Harvey lives in a stone Victorian house in Ontario, Canada with a few resident ghosts who are allowed to stay as long they keep company manners. She loves medieval dresses, used to be able to recite all of The Lady of Shalott by Tennyson, and has been accused, more than once, of being born in the wrong century. She believes this to be mostly true except for the fact that she really likes running water, women's rights, and ice cream.
Aside from the ghosts, she also lives with three dogs and her husband. She likes chai lattes, tattoos, and books.
Author of The Drake Chronicles, Green Jack,
Haunting Violet, Stolen Away and The Lovegrove Legacy: A Breath of Frost and Whisper the Dead.
Sometimes fueled by literary rage.
Books by Alyxandra Harvey
Trivia About Stolen Away
2 trivia questions
Quotes from Stolen Away
"You were at the party on Friday night, weren't you?" I didn't mentioned I'd followed him into the woods.
He leaned back in his chair, his legs sprawled out. His boots nudged the bottom ruffle of my skirt. "Aye."
Aye? Seriously? Could he be any hotter?
Unless he had been looking for his girlfriend at the party.
Not hot.
"I was supposed to meet my cousin," he elaborated, "but I didn't find her,"
Hot again." — 14 likes
"That alone made me want to find every Richelieu in the world and kiss them. With tongue." — 13 likes

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Wherein I talk about some (true) stereotypes
Mike The King of Spades July 22, 2019
I came across two articles from GQ about gay stereotypes, and while they were both written with a tongue firmly in a cheek, they both admit there's some truth to them (even if they can't prove anything scientifically).
The first: that gay men walk fast.
If gay men feel self-conscious or fear attack, they could walk quickly to get away from perceived risks in order to feel safe again," she explains. "They might also fear being judged or stared at, so want to move away from the 'perceived risk' as quickly as possible."
Though Phillips also says that feeling confident can increase walking speed. "It is all about the feeling of safety and security in the body. If you feel safe somewhere, then you may feel like 'strutting', being more open and feeling more extroverted," she explains.
MacRae tells me that walking fast might be a method for gay men to give a "visual cue" of their physical fitness and attractiveness, and that there's a gendered element to how we perceive sexuality that may influence walking speed. "People generally perceive sexuality from women's bodies when they're standing still and men's when they're in motion," he says. … So gay men upping the pace of their walking also amplifies their sexuality. Strutting, or walking at a rapid pace, can be a way of displaying homosexuality in safe spaces."
And the second: that iced coffee is part of gay culture.
"Like, gays will do ridiculous things and there's something so counterculture about drinking an iced coffee during the winter." It's also, he says, a sign of resisting homogenization. "Hot coffee is so normcore. Like, it's for dads and old people commuting on the train."
For Sam, iced versus hot coffee is the perfect symbolism between queer and straight culture. Essentially, iced coffee has become a queer avatar, and a way for gay people to signpost themselves against the uniformity of heterosexuality.
But there's still an element of covert behavior that occurs in the queer community, be it sexual or, in the case of social media, through the development of digital languages like memes and modern slang. From things like the rise of the word "wig" and Wendy Williams GIFs, there's an aspect of digital communication that feels exclusive to queer people, although these then tend to filter down into more mainstream culture. Iced coffee could just be an IRL manifestation of this playful covert language, signaling to any fellow gays in Starbucks that you're one of them. As Dr. Bengry posits: "It has to be a shared experience."
But really, the reason iced coffee is gay is actually quite simple. A number of people on Twitter got in touch with me to suggest that part of the gay appeal is quite literally the straw you drink it through. One user suggested that the straw meant that you could "maintain eye contact on your phone, some cute boys, [and] homophobes wanting to attack u [sic],"
The two articles are fun and playful, don't think too much about them. But I do have to say, both are very true about me. And I'm okay with that. I can enjoy the signposting of both and look at them with a wry smile, understanding a bit more about myself if I truly want to dig a bit deeper.


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text:
Pterygoneurum kozlovii är en bladmossart som beskrevs av Lazarenko 1946. Pterygoneurum kozlovii ingår i släktet Pterygoneurum och familjen Pottiaceae. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Irina has been teaching our son maths for the last two years – in person and online. We hugely recommend her. Irina's style is warm and inventive – it's no surprise that she is so qualified and it is also obvious she is a Mother herself. Our son really enjoys and looks forward to his lessons. The teaching materials Irina uses are often very creative and a few times after his lesson my son has been inspired to use them to make his own art work. At a time when school curriculums are becoming more constrained it's such a joy to see this kind of fusion of art and maths. Yet Irina also gently challenges – pushing our son to stretch himself. He now sees himself as "good" at Maths and that's had a knock on effect on how he has approached his number work at school. More than that though I feel Irina's lessons and homework have grown a love of puzzles and creative thinking which will put him in good stead whatever he decides to do. Thank you Irina! (12 December 2020)
― Mr. and Mrs. Martin, North London
We met Irina two years ago when she was one of the teachers in a local Russian class for 3-4 year olds. My daughter absolutely loved the class and could not wait to see Irina each week. Now Irina runs a weekly morning Russian club at my children's school, and my two boys, ages 10 and 8, and my daughter, who is now 5, are greatly enjoying the club. Irina has an amazing talent for teaching children with different abilities and different levels of knowledge. She keeps the lessons fun, incorporates popular songs, poetry and cultural concepts, and the children learn so much along the way. They don't mind getting up extra early to make it to Irina's club! (1 December 2017)
― Oksana Lekarev


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Europe.view
Wobbling Westward
What is Mr Lukashenka's price to quit Belarus?
AT ANY time in the past 12 years it would have been not merely an implausible turn of events, but a sensational one. Alyaksandr Lukashenka of Belarus has denounced Russia, and praised the West.
"We are in the centre of Europe and we must be on normal terms with the East and the West", he said last week. The previous policy, aiming for a union state with Russia, was all wrong, he continued: "we have been flying on just one wing."
Never mind that the old one-winged foreign policy was his own creation. Never mind that his regime has murdered, bullied, beaten and blustered its way to international isolation for more than a decade. Now he is citing Finland, Sweden, Germany, France, even Poland as commendable economic models.
The prospect that Belarus may be emerging from its black hole is a tantalising one. There is a precedent, of sorts. President Vladimir Voronin of Moldova came to power as a Communist leader determined to make his divided, dirt-poor country into another Cuba, perhaps even joining Russia and Belarus in their union state. But he soon turned into a moderate social democrat, suspicious of the Kremlin, and determined to push Moldova to the West (a course for which the West has given him shamefully little support).
Will the same happen with Mr Lukashenka (shown below, left, with President Vladimir Putin of Russia)? As Vladimir Socor of the Jamestown Foundation points out: "Lukashenka's overtures are marred by his difficulty finding an idiom understandable to a Western audience".
It was quite nice knowing you
That's putting it mildly. The Belarusian leader is a wild-eyed veteran of the collective farms, a museum-quality homo sovieticus whose pro-Kremlin sentimentality and do-it-yourself authoritarianism are matched only by a volatile temper and crudity of manner. Anyone who has grown used to Mr Lukashenka's cynical rule will find it hard to nurture any hopes of a change.
The comparison with Moldova is only partial, moreover. Whatever his views on foreign policy, Mr Voronin was no authoritarian. Moldova, for all its problems, is a model of Athenian democracy compared to Belarus. Mr Lukashenka's Damascene conversion to the joys of the Western model have not brought any change in his repressive domestic policies. The recent local elections were a farce, with most opposition candidates and their supporters intimidated into withdrawing.
Previous tiffs with the east and flirtations with the West on the part of Belarus have always ended in business (with Russia) as usual. But this time the rhetoric is certainly stronger.
Bruised by his recent brawls with Russia over oil and gas supplies, Mr Lukashenka's denunciations of Russian energy imperialism would not sound out of place coming from a Pole. The Belarusian boss says he wants Western companies to buy stakes in his country's energy infrastructure.
A deep opening to the West may be wishful thinking, but nothing should be ruled out. The fundamentals are changing. Russia's swaggering, clumsy, regional policy is alienating all its loyal ex-Soviet allies—Armenia, the Central Asian states, now even Belarus.
That creates a huge, unexpected and undeserved opening for the West. Handled wrongly, this could be disastrous. Trying to prop up Mr Lukashenka against Russian pressure would make the West look appallingly cynical.
But it should be possible for the West to talk to the Belarusian nomenklatura—the senior officials and businessmen who administer the country. Neither pariahdom nor incorporation into Russia offers an them an attractive future.
In an ideal world, the fractured, weak opposition would unite and sweep Mr Lukashenka and his cronies out of power and into prison. But in the real world, if providing him (and them) with luxurious villas in Montenegro or Cyprus was the price of freeing Belarus from both dictatorship and Russian hegemony, it would look a pretty good outcome.


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REVIEW | Under the Cover of Cloud (2018)
John Roebuck
18:51 • 05.08.18
"The film occupies a murky territory between fiction and documentary."
"Under the Cover of Cloud will undoubtedly benefit from more than one viewing, if only to appreciate every nuance."
Perhaps it takes a certain form of inspired self-indulgence to make a film that focuses on yourself, I'm not sure, but it also takes insight and artistry to convey the interesting in the mundane. Ted Wilson and his family are not interesting, at least not unusually so, yet Under the Cover of Cloud is aware that, as a consequence of history and personal dynamics, every family is interesting. And so, Wilson's film is one of the most interesting films of the year, his family one of the year's most interesting subjects.
The film occupies a murky territory between fiction and documentary. John Cassavetes is a notable influence, Wilson has alleged, although Under the Cover of Cloud is not simple mimicry of Cassavetes' work, it's something all its own. It is also an irregularity in that it may be wholly unique. I have never seen anything like it.
Wilson, himself the focal point, has lost his job and is in search of direction, and perhaps inspiration. He heads to Tasmania to be with his family and to start work on a new book. "I wanted to write something beautiful about cricket," he tells us. His intentions in regards to the book are appealingly vague.
Occupying the film alongside Wilson is his own family, including siblings, in-laws, nephews, nieces and his mum, Colleen. They play with the kids, head to the pub for a beer, have a family lunch. Under the Cover of Cloud isn't burdened with the complications of narrative pressure, rather it relishes the engagement to be found in natural, personal relationships. A threadbare structure involving Wilson's search for cricket legend David Boon is arguably a parody of a traditional narrative. A plot is simply not important here.
Wilson's short film, Family Holiday, in which a family engages in one of the most depressingly stale vacations ever committed to film, was similarly aimless. This is not a criticism but rather the point – or one of them. It takes a good filmmaker to engross us with a considered plot and written characters. It takes something special to do the same without them. Wilson's situations, his family, are appealing because we respond to them by virtue of memories of our own experience. Wilson taps in to the universality of familial connection.
Under the Cover of Cloud will undoubtedly benefit from more than one viewing, if only to appreciate every nuance. Some of that nuance is deliberate and some of it, I suspect, is happy accident. At the premiere, Wilson told the audience that his editor, James Vaughan (a wonderful filmmaker in his own right), was presented with a fifteen-hour cut and preceded to whittle it into something more manageable over a month while participating in a paid drug trial at a hospital. Whatever was cut, Wilson and Vaughan have kept the right material.
I don't know how this film was made, how Wilson coerced such natural behaviour out of his family while they were being filmed, how much is premeditated, if any, and what of the film is fact and what is fiction. I don't want to know. To know would be to shatter the illusion, to reveal the mechanism behind the magic.
Wilson says he is part of the Hobart New Wave. Like his film, there's an ambiguous line between joke and earnestness to the claim. But watching Under the Cover of Cloud, I was struck with the overwhelming impression that Wilson's film is something entirely new. I imagine that audiences seeing Godard and Truffaut's early work in the early 60s, or savoured the inaugural films in von Trier and Vinterberg's Dogme 95 movement, may have felt something similar. It is refreshing in an industry that tends to reward and perpetuate staleness.
Wilson funded the film himself. It is painfully difficult for filmmakers to obtain support from federal and state film funding bodies in Australia, more difficult still when an idea is something that doesn't adhere to a formula that hasn't already proven successful. I am not sure whether Under the Cover of Cloud will gain an audience, but it deserves one. Another of the very few films that I have given a perfect score to is Kasimir Burgess' wonderful movie, Fell. It didn't receive the attention nor the wide release that other films, films supported by the businessmen that run those funding bodies, enjoy.
Under the Cover of Cloud deserves your attention. It is the best film of the year. I am looking forward to seeing it again, to spending time with Wilson and his family in Tasmania, to appreciating what the film says in moments in which nothing is said. There is one more screening at the year's Melbourne International Film Festival. You ought to be there.
reelgood film festival
ted wilson


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2017 Half-Year Results
Written on Sept. 19, 2017 - Press release
12.9% growth in revenues to €127.9m
Current operating income up sharply at +€4.6m
Levallois, 19 September 2017 – The Keyrus Board of Directors met today and finalized the consolidated accounts for the first half of 2017. These accounts have been reviewed by the Auditors.
Operating performance
In the first half of 2017, the Keyrus Group recorded consolidated revenues of 127.9 million euros, an increase of 12.9% as compared with the first half of 2016.
This strong increase resulted from mainly organic growth (+11.3%) driven by the two segments of activity: Large Accounts (+13.3% based on reported figures and +11.9% at constant structure and exchange rates) and Mid-Market (+11.3% based on reported figures and +9.4% at constant structure and exchange rates).
The Current Operating Income from the Large Account segment, which stood at €2.0m, was sharply higher than in the 2016 financial year (€0.4m). This reflects an initial return on the strategic investments made in the first half of 2016 at the commercial and marketing level, and also results from the continuing policy of investing in terms of innovation and the deployment of Keyrus's overall offering internationally.
The Current Operating Income from the Mid-Market segment was €2.5m, an increase of 24% in comparison with the first half of 2016 (€2.0m). This solid performance was in line with the previous financial year and is based, on the one hand, on growing recurring revenues achieved from the established client base, and, on the other hand, on healthy revenues from the provision of services and support contracts.
Operating income for the first half of 2017 amounted to €4.1m as against €1.6m for the first half of 2016. It includes exceptional and non-recurring costs (€0.5m) partly linked to the renewal of certain management functions.
The net income Group share was significantly higher, at €1.9m, and incorporates a financial result of €(0.6)m and a tax charge of €(1.6)m, as against €(0.3)m and €(1.2)m respectively in the first half of 2016.
The net debt was €24.0m as at 30 June 2017, as against €15.3m a year earlier and €15.0m as at 31 December 2016 ; this rise is mainly due to an increased working capital requirement.
Eric Cohen, President & CEO of the Keyrus Group, comments: "We can report a good first half of the year across all our geographical areas, with a marked improvement in our operating margin.Keyrus thereby confirms its organic growth momentum and remains confident going forward in this 2017 financial year. Our Group will pursue its continuing investments in incremental innovations around its "core business" offerings: Data Intelligence, Digital Experience, and Management and Transformation Consulting. Moreover, this year, it has already started developing its portfolio of service offerings so as to incorporate disruptive innovations focused around 4 strategic themes: Artificial Intelligence, the IoT, the Blockchain, and Cybersecurity."
Keyrus will publish its revenues for the third quarter of 2017 on 8 November 2017 after the market close.
Breakdown of revenues and operating income by operational sector
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