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Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated The Girl Before in Books
Mar 15, 2018
Read my first ever author Q&A, with Rena Olsen! http://bookbum.weebly.com/author-qas/qa-with-rena-olsen-author-of-the-girl-before
Also read my review here: http://bookbum.weebly.com/book-reviews/the-girl-before-by-rena-olsen
<b><i>I am nothing if not obedient.</b></i>
I was anticipating this novel for a goddamn long time and so when it finally showed up at work (Id preordered it months in advance) I was so excited to finally get my hands on it and start reading it and from page 1 it did not disappoint! This novel got more and more gripping with each page, I didnt want to put it down!
I have voiced my opinion on books that flit about between the past and the present and in case you missed my last rant, I <i>usually</i> hate it because it confuses me a lot of the time (simple mind, I know). But it worked excellently in this novel because, for one, it made it <b>very</b> clear when we were in the past and when we were back to the present, and secondly the two flowed really well together. I loved how Olsen made the stories of the past connect so perfectly with the present - this whole book was written beautifully.
Claras refusal to cooperate got a little irritating after a while, but you cant really expect anything different from such a brainwashed woman, and just hold out a little longer and things might just start going your way! The plot for this wasnt exactly unique, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1640564203?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1">The Butterfly Garden</a> <i>kind of</i> has the same storyline, to name something recent, but there were no faults in this book. Olsen worked out exactly how to progress with this book, it was flawless. Granted, there were a couple of predictable parts, <spoiler>the fact she was pregnant, the real use of the morning sickness tea</spoiler>, but they didnt make the story less exciting in anyway.
I was so close to giving this 4 stars for the reason of me not liking Glen but then I realised, no. We werent suppose to like Glen. He was a manipulative, evil, disgusting human being and I <i>hated</i> him. The fact that Olsen could make me hate him so much just shows how amazing her writing was. She brought out a really strong emotion in me that often times made me feel anxious and sick. Hating a character as much as I did isnt at all a bad thing when the character is there to be hated.
This is a really emotional read. I'm sure if it wasn't for the fact I mainly only read this on the train, I definitely would have bawled over this, hence the reason I'm classing this as a book that made me cry. I cant even imagine the feelings Clara goes through as this book progresses and she begins to find out things shes believed her entire life are not all that they seem. Its so horrible to think this kind of thing isnt just a figment of someones creative mind, my heart goes out to all those men and women that have been subject to this kind of twisted abuse - this is one of many reasons I give so much to human right charities every month.
I cannot believe this is a debut novel. I am stunned at the quality of Olsens writing and story-telling, I cant wait to read more from her. This tackles many difficult subjects but if youre a lover of all things suspense and thriller, then you definitely <b>need</b> to pick this up in the future. <b>Its 2016 must read!</b>
Also read my review here: http://bookbum.weebly.com/book-reviews/the-girl-before-by-rena-olsen
<b><i>I am nothing if not obedient.</b></i>
I was anticipating this novel for a goddamn long time and so when it finally showed up at work (Id preordered it months in advance) I was so excited to finally get my hands on it and start reading it and from page 1 it did not disappoint! This novel got more and more gripping with each page, I didnt want to put it down!
I have voiced my opinion on books that flit about between the past and the present and in case you missed my last rant, I <i>usually</i> hate it because it confuses me a lot of the time (simple mind, I know). But it worked excellently in this novel because, for one, it made it <b>very</b> clear when we were in the past and when we were back to the present, and secondly the two flowed really well together. I loved how Olsen made the stories of the past connect so perfectly with the present - this whole book was written beautifully.
Claras refusal to cooperate got a little irritating after a while, but you cant really expect anything different from such a brainwashed woman, and just hold out a little longer and things might just start going your way! The plot for this wasnt exactly unique, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1640564203?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1">The Butterfly Garden</a> <i>kind of</i> has the same storyline, to name something recent, but there were no faults in this book. Olsen worked out exactly how to progress with this book, it was flawless. Granted, there were a couple of predictable parts, <spoiler>the fact she was pregnant, the real use of the morning sickness tea</spoiler>, but they didnt make the story less exciting in anyway.
I was so close to giving this 4 stars for the reason of me not liking Glen but then I realised, no. We werent suppose to like Glen. He was a manipulative, evil, disgusting human being and I <i>hated</i> him. The fact that Olsen could make me hate him so much just shows how amazing her writing was. She brought out a really strong emotion in me that often times made me feel anxious and sick. Hating a character as much as I did isnt at all a bad thing when the character is there to be hated.
This is a really emotional read. I'm sure if it wasn't for the fact I mainly only read this on the train, I definitely would have bawled over this, hence the reason I'm classing this as a book that made me cry. I cant even imagine the feelings Clara goes through as this book progresses and she begins to find out things shes believed her entire life are not all that they seem. Its so horrible to think this kind of thing isnt just a figment of someones creative mind, my heart goes out to all those men and women that have been subject to this kind of twisted abuse - this is one of many reasons I give so much to human right charities every month.
I cannot believe this is a debut novel. I am stunned at the quality of Olsens writing and story-telling, I cant wait to read more from her. This tackles many difficult subjects but if youre a lover of all things suspense and thriller, then you definitely <b>need</b> to pick this up in the future. <b>Its 2016 must read!</b>
Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated I am missing in Books
Mar 15, 2018
<b>3.5 stars</b> but Im rounding up to 4 because I liked more than I disliked.
My first impression of this book, before I even picked it up was this: oh no. Firstly, Netgalley is pretty useless at telling you when a book is part way through a series, so I didnt initially realise this was the <b>EIGHTH</b> book in a series, secondly this is over 500 pages. I often find mystery thrillers over 400 pages are dragged out and could really be around 300 pages long with some good editing. But I was pleasantly surprised.
This is my first taste of the David Raker series, as mentioned above, but it was so easy going into this one with no background information about him as a character. The book got straight on with the storyline of The Lost Man and didnt dwell too often on his life or characters he had a past with. I think when you get so deep into a series as to have 8 books, the new ones you come out with do need to be as close to a standalone as possible.
As for the 500+ page issue, I do think there could have been some bits cut out to make it a little shorter. There was quite a bit of repetition of what had happened just previously, like at the beginning of a new TV episode where is does a short re-cap. I also found some of the conversation tedious and skimmed them. There was a lot of
<b><i><blockquote>And so then what happened? I asked. He didnt move.
Tell me what happened, I pushed to get an answer, but he kept his head down and didnt say anything.
Are you going to tell me what happened? I wanted to force an answer out of him but I didnt want to rush him. This time he moved slightly to look at me, but still he didnt say anything.</blockquote></b></i>
which, as you can imagine, gets a bit annoying when you come across several conversations like this. Other than these few little issues with the writing, I thought the rest of it was very good and that Weaver is a talented writer!
When it comes to the story, my feelings are really conflicted (Im probably going to put some spoiler tags in my GR review if you want to read something that goes into a little more detail because this is probably going to be vague). What initially drew me to this book was the idea that a man is missing himself he has no memory of where he comes from or of who he is so he hires a PI to find him. What we get from that is a twisty, journey into the history of this mans life and how that led him to be washed up on UK shores.
Admittedly, this is one hell of a ride. Its fast paced and exciting, but its also quite convoluted and towards the end where the big reveals are coming thick and fast, it gets a little ridiculous.
I liked this one but I couldnt quite believe it, and so couldnt get myself into it as much as I would have liked to. It starts off very chilling and intriguing but it gradually gets into lets make this as crazy as we can.
<i>Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Michael Joseph for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.</i>
My first impression of this book, before I even picked it up was this: oh no. Firstly, Netgalley is pretty useless at telling you when a book is part way through a series, so I didnt initially realise this was the <b>EIGHTH</b> book in a series, secondly this is over 500 pages. I often find mystery thrillers over 400 pages are dragged out and could really be around 300 pages long with some good editing. But I was pleasantly surprised.
This is my first taste of the David Raker series, as mentioned above, but it was so easy going into this one with no background information about him as a character. The book got straight on with the storyline of The Lost Man and didnt dwell too often on his life or characters he had a past with. I think when you get so deep into a series as to have 8 books, the new ones you come out with do need to be as close to a standalone as possible.
As for the 500+ page issue, I do think there could have been some bits cut out to make it a little shorter. There was quite a bit of repetition of what had happened just previously, like at the beginning of a new TV episode where is does a short re-cap. I also found some of the conversation tedious and skimmed them. There was a lot of
<b><i><blockquote>And so then what happened? I asked. He didnt move.
Tell me what happened, I pushed to get an answer, but he kept his head down and didnt say anything.
Are you going to tell me what happened? I wanted to force an answer out of him but I didnt want to rush him. This time he moved slightly to look at me, but still he didnt say anything.</blockquote></b></i>
which, as you can imagine, gets a bit annoying when you come across several conversations like this. Other than these few little issues with the writing, I thought the rest of it was very good and that Weaver is a talented writer!
When it comes to the story, my feelings are really conflicted (Im probably going to put some spoiler tags in my GR review if you want to read something that goes into a little more detail because this is probably going to be vague). What initially drew me to this book was the idea that a man is missing himself he has no memory of where he comes from or of who he is so he hires a PI to find him. What we get from that is a twisty, journey into the history of this mans life and how that led him to be washed up on UK shores.
Admittedly, this is one hell of a ride. Its fast paced and exciting, but its also quite convoluted and towards the end where the big reveals are coming thick and fast, it gets a little ridiculous.
I liked this one but I couldnt quite believe it, and so couldnt get myself into it as much as I would have liked to. It starts off very chilling and intriguing but it gradually gets into lets make this as crazy as we can.
<i>Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Michael Joseph for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.</i>
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Venom (2018) in Movies
Oct 13, 2018
Hardy, Williams elevate mediocre material
I had lowered my expectations when entering the new Sony film VENOM for I had heard that this non-MCU Marvel film wasn't really a Marvel - or a Spiderman - film, even though it features one of the more famous characters from the Spiderman Universe, which is, of course, a Marvel property.
Confused, yet?
Well, don't be. Because this knowledge is not needed, nor (quite frankly) is it wanted as the filmmakers of Venom made a film that centers on the titular anti-hero with no real regard to his place in the Marvel Universe.
And this works well...enough. True, the plot, dialogue, situations, special effects and gadgets of this film are middle-of-the-road at best, but with the two folks at the center of this film, I started to forgive this film it's many flaws and enjoyed two Oscar-caliber Actors having a good ol' time in a Supehero movie.
Venom, of course, tells the story of...Eddie Brock..who becomes - through a merging of his body with an Alien symbiotic creature (don't worry about it, just roll with it) - becomes the titular VENOM. A being that wants to eat live creatures (most notably human heads) while the good part of Eddie tries to keep him in check and help him fight bad guys.
In lesser performance hands, this character could become silly and stupid, but in the more than capable performance by the great Tom Hardy (Bane in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES), Eddie Brock/Venom is an intriguing figure to watch on-screen. His simultaneous ability to look unnerved and hunger for live flesh while looking for a nice cool bath caused me to smirk on more than one occasion and I ended up rooting for him throughout the film.
Matching him is the great Michelle Williams (she of the 4 Oscar nominations, most recently in MANCHESTER BY THE SEA) as Eddie Brock's ex-Fiance Anne Weying. Like Hardy, Williams is elevating mediocre material to something better than the mediocrity it was destined to be. The chemistry between Williams and Hardy is evident in their bi-play with each other and I couldn't help but think "get these two into an Oscar-caliber film together and watch the sparks - and the awards - fly."
Unfortunately, Riz Ahmed as bad guy Carlton Drake is not able to rise above the material and when he is playing opposite Hardy and/or Williams, he pales in comparison and I began to realize just how weak the script by the trio of Jeff Pinkner, Scott Rosenberg and Kelly Marcel is. Clearly, two of them were brought in to re-write the original (I have no idea who did what) but none of them were able to elevate the proceedings.
Nor could Director Ruben Fleischer (ZOMBIELAND) elevate things. His Direction is pedestrian at best. There is nothing really interesting going on and when the going got tough he just started to rely on the quick cut/edits that is so "en vogue" these days - and it grew tiresome.
But when I started to grow weary of the events on the screen, Hardy and Williams would show up and I began to forgive things again, even thinking during the credits scene (where they introduce the Villain for VENOM 2), I want to see Hardy and Williams play against (name deleted so as not to spoil) as the new Villain - that might be cool!
So, I'm "in" for Venom. It was "good enough" and I will come back for the next installment - and based on the Box Office of the opening weekend, there WILL BE a next installment.
Letter Grade: B
7 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Confused, yet?
Well, don't be. Because this knowledge is not needed, nor (quite frankly) is it wanted as the filmmakers of Venom made a film that centers on the titular anti-hero with no real regard to his place in the Marvel Universe.
And this works well...enough. True, the plot, dialogue, situations, special effects and gadgets of this film are middle-of-the-road at best, but with the two folks at the center of this film, I started to forgive this film it's many flaws and enjoyed two Oscar-caliber Actors having a good ol' time in a Supehero movie.
Venom, of course, tells the story of...Eddie Brock..who becomes - through a merging of his body with an Alien symbiotic creature (don't worry about it, just roll with it) - becomes the titular VENOM. A being that wants to eat live creatures (most notably human heads) while the good part of Eddie tries to keep him in check and help him fight bad guys.
In lesser performance hands, this character could become silly and stupid, but in the more than capable performance by the great Tom Hardy (Bane in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES), Eddie Brock/Venom is an intriguing figure to watch on-screen. His simultaneous ability to look unnerved and hunger for live flesh while looking for a nice cool bath caused me to smirk on more than one occasion and I ended up rooting for him throughout the film.
Matching him is the great Michelle Williams (she of the 4 Oscar nominations, most recently in MANCHESTER BY THE SEA) as Eddie Brock's ex-Fiance Anne Weying. Like Hardy, Williams is elevating mediocre material to something better than the mediocrity it was destined to be. The chemistry between Williams and Hardy is evident in their bi-play with each other and I couldn't help but think "get these two into an Oscar-caliber film together and watch the sparks - and the awards - fly."
Unfortunately, Riz Ahmed as bad guy Carlton Drake is not able to rise above the material and when he is playing opposite Hardy and/or Williams, he pales in comparison and I began to realize just how weak the script by the trio of Jeff Pinkner, Scott Rosenberg and Kelly Marcel is. Clearly, two of them were brought in to re-write the original (I have no idea who did what) but none of them were able to elevate the proceedings.
Nor could Director Ruben Fleischer (ZOMBIELAND) elevate things. His Direction is pedestrian at best. There is nothing really interesting going on and when the going got tough he just started to rely on the quick cut/edits that is so "en vogue" these days - and it grew tiresome.
But when I started to grow weary of the events on the screen, Hardy and Williams would show up and I began to forgive things again, even thinking during the credits scene (where they introduce the Villain for VENOM 2), I want to see Hardy and Williams play against (name deleted so as not to spoil) as the new Villain - that might be cool!
So, I'm "in" for Venom. It was "good enough" and I will come back for the next installment - and based on the Box Office of the opening weekend, there WILL BE a next installment.
Letter Grade: B
7 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Debbiereadsbook (1444 KP) rated Keeping a Warrior (Loving a Warrior #2) in Books
Jun 18, 2019
stunning foloow up!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is book 2 in the Loving a Warrior series, but you don’t NEED to have read book one, Loving a Warrior, for this to make sense. But personally, I would recommend you do. Cos I loved that book, and Matt and Shane play a huge part here.
Devon is trailing a path through a man’s world, a path she will not be veered from. But meeting Rhys, and how she connects with him on a very primal level, scares her a bit. When Devon’s full history comes clear, and Rhys’ too, their relationship takes the next step. Temporary, but NOT casual, right?
I loved this book, but equally I struggled with it. I shall attempt to voice why!
At times, I wanted to slap Rhys, I really did! He KNEW he was stringing his ex along, deep down he knew it, but he did nothing to stop it. He answered her calls, her messages, her crying down the phone, and pulled the string along a bit more. He KNEW he had to let her go. But then Devon comes into his life again. They met some 4 years before during an op. And here they are, working together again. And he doesn’t shut Lani down IMMEDIATELY! And I wanted to slap him some more.
He DOES care for Devon, right from the start though, and that makes him really question what he had been doing.
Devon’s trauma doesn’t come clear immediately, it kinda creeps out along the way. And it’s shocking, the level of betrayal she suffered, and it appears MANY women in the armed forces suffer. And I think this is what I found most difficult to deal with. How high up the food chain the covering up goes.
Oh, no, this bit, THIS is what I struggled with the most! Matt and Shane play a HUGE part here. Granted, they spend most of the book either fighting or ignoring each other, trying to find what they really feel for each other but failing miserably. Matt, apparently, said something to Shane. WHAT was said was never explained, and I’ve been trying to recall if this happened in their book, but short of going back to reread (I don’t, nor do I have the time!) I will never know, and I wanted to!
I loved the way Hanssen melds Loving a Warrior into Keeping a Warrior, not just because of Shane and Matt’s part here, but because of that other thing, the thing that I did NOT see coming! Had I read the two books back to back, I might have picked it up way WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY right back at the beginning of the book, but I didn’t, and I was blown away by that little revelation!
Both Devon and Rhys have a say, in the third person. I did not see any spelling or editing to spoil my reading, and I read this book in one sitting, not an easy or short read, but I could NOT put it down!
Who is next? I dunno. Are there more in this series? I hope so! Oh please tell me there will be! It would be great if Matt, Shane, Devon and Rhys all take part too!
Ms Hansen has 9 books (according to Goodreads) and now I’ve read 3. 3 very different, but still amazing books. I want to read the rest of them. I want to start at the beginning and work my way through. I want to follow the path of this author, cos she is on my hit list now!!
5 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
This is book 2 in the Loving a Warrior series, but you don’t NEED to have read book one, Loving a Warrior, for this to make sense. But personally, I would recommend you do. Cos I loved that book, and Matt and Shane play a huge part here.
Devon is trailing a path through a man’s world, a path she will not be veered from. But meeting Rhys, and how she connects with him on a very primal level, scares her a bit. When Devon’s full history comes clear, and Rhys’ too, their relationship takes the next step. Temporary, but NOT casual, right?
I loved this book, but equally I struggled with it. I shall attempt to voice why!
At times, I wanted to slap Rhys, I really did! He KNEW he was stringing his ex along, deep down he knew it, but he did nothing to stop it. He answered her calls, her messages, her crying down the phone, and pulled the string along a bit more. He KNEW he had to let her go. But then Devon comes into his life again. They met some 4 years before during an op. And here they are, working together again. And he doesn’t shut Lani down IMMEDIATELY! And I wanted to slap him some more.
He DOES care for Devon, right from the start though, and that makes him really question what he had been doing.
Devon’s trauma doesn’t come clear immediately, it kinda creeps out along the way. And it’s shocking, the level of betrayal she suffered, and it appears MANY women in the armed forces suffer. And I think this is what I found most difficult to deal with. How high up the food chain the covering up goes.
Oh, no, this bit, THIS is what I struggled with the most! Matt and Shane play a HUGE part here. Granted, they spend most of the book either fighting or ignoring each other, trying to find what they really feel for each other but failing miserably. Matt, apparently, said something to Shane. WHAT was said was never explained, and I’ve been trying to recall if this happened in their book, but short of going back to reread (I don’t, nor do I have the time!) I will never know, and I wanted to!
I loved the way Hanssen melds Loving a Warrior into Keeping a Warrior, not just because of Shane and Matt’s part here, but because of that other thing, the thing that I did NOT see coming! Had I read the two books back to back, I might have picked it up way WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY right back at the beginning of the book, but I didn’t, and I was blown away by that little revelation!
Both Devon and Rhys have a say, in the third person. I did not see any spelling or editing to spoil my reading, and I read this book in one sitting, not an easy or short read, but I could NOT put it down!
Who is next? I dunno. Are there more in this series? I hope so! Oh please tell me there will be! It would be great if Matt, Shane, Devon and Rhys all take part too!
Ms Hansen has 9 books (according to Goodreads) and now I’ve read 3. 3 very different, but still amazing books. I want to read the rest of them. I want to start at the beginning and work my way through. I want to follow the path of this author, cos she is on my hit list now!!
5 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
The daughter (and stepdaughter) of actors, Sally Field earned her first acting role at seventeen and was quickly on television in shows such as "Gidget" and "The Flying Nun." Those roles showcased Sally's youth and smiling personality. But, behind the scenes, Sally had a tumultuous childhood: her parents divorced when she was young, and her relationships with them and her stepfather were not easy. She found happiness, in many ways, as an actress, but also struggled to find roles that challenged her. In this, her first memoir, she tells the story of her childhood and her early years as an actress.
I listened to the majority of this (and then switched over to the book, I'm weird), and I'm not going to lie: this wasn't always a fun listen for me. This book is sort of depressing and stressful a lot of the time. I will be honest that I didn't know a lot about Sally Field going in--I knew of Gidget, her roles with Burt Reynolds, "Forrest Gump," and honestly, most recently, "Brothers & Sisters." I knew one of her sons was gay, and she supported him.
I did not know her mother was an actress. I did not know that a lot of really bad things happened to her. Seriously, this memoir contains a lot of Sally Field telling us all the awful memories of her childhood, and, later, her early acting days. I'm not saying that's bad--it's truly brave and powerful stuff. But, man, as you're in the car driving 2+ hours to work? It's draining. I felt horrible for her, I felt proud that she'd overcome it, and I felt a little exhausted by it all. I also was appalled by how much she had to deal with (alone) and the state of the acting community for women during that time period.
It did, however, seem to make the beginning of the book go by rather slowly. Or maybe that's just the audio format--this was only the second audiobook I've ever listened to and, coincidentally, the second audiobook I found slow. When Field got to the time period where she became a mom, it picked up for me, perhaps because I could relate better to her. I felt an odd kinship--I was headed off, leaving behind my kids for a work project, and many times, so was she. (Alas, I was doing a rather boring job and she was a famous actress, but hey, you try to find parallels where you can, right?)
No matter what, I applaud her for being unafraid to tell the truth about her life, including admitting her own faults. She supplements her memories with her journal entries, newspaper articles, letters, and more. The result is a very detailed and personal account of her life--up until about "Norma Rae." After that, it glosses over most of her career following that film, which is a little sad for anyone who enjoyed all her subsequent films. This memoir is clearly focused more on Field's personal growth versus a celebrity tell-all. And I get that, I do, but you can't help but wish for a few more juicy details.
In the end, this wasn't an easy read/listen, but it was a good one. I learned a great deal about Field's life, and I admire her so much more as a person now. She had to go through a great deal to get the acting career and overall life she desired. If you enjoy memoirs and autobiographies, you will probably like this one, especially if you like them detailed, versus just focused on celebrity fluff and laughs (though Field is very witty). 4 stars.
I listened to the majority of this (and then switched over to the book, I'm weird), and I'm not going to lie: this wasn't always a fun listen for me. This book is sort of depressing and stressful a lot of the time. I will be honest that I didn't know a lot about Sally Field going in--I knew of Gidget, her roles with Burt Reynolds, "Forrest Gump," and honestly, most recently, "Brothers & Sisters." I knew one of her sons was gay, and she supported him.
I did not know her mother was an actress. I did not know that a lot of really bad things happened to her. Seriously, this memoir contains a lot of Sally Field telling us all the awful memories of her childhood, and, later, her early acting days. I'm not saying that's bad--it's truly brave and powerful stuff. But, man, as you're in the car driving 2+ hours to work? It's draining. I felt horrible for her, I felt proud that she'd overcome it, and I felt a little exhausted by it all. I also was appalled by how much she had to deal with (alone) and the state of the acting community for women during that time period.
It did, however, seem to make the beginning of the book go by rather slowly. Or maybe that's just the audio format--this was only the second audiobook I've ever listened to and, coincidentally, the second audiobook I found slow. When Field got to the time period where she became a mom, it picked up for me, perhaps because I could relate better to her. I felt an odd kinship--I was headed off, leaving behind my kids for a work project, and many times, so was she. (Alas, I was doing a rather boring job and she was a famous actress, but hey, you try to find parallels where you can, right?)
No matter what, I applaud her for being unafraid to tell the truth about her life, including admitting her own faults. She supplements her memories with her journal entries, newspaper articles, letters, and more. The result is a very detailed and personal account of her life--up until about "Norma Rae." After that, it glosses over most of her career following that film, which is a little sad for anyone who enjoyed all her subsequent films. This memoir is clearly focused more on Field's personal growth versus a celebrity tell-all. And I get that, I do, but you can't help but wish for a few more juicy details.
In the end, this wasn't an easy read/listen, but it was a good one. I learned a great deal about Field's life, and I admire her so much more as a person now. She had to go through a great deal to get the acting career and overall life she desired. If you enjoy memoirs and autobiographies, you will probably like this one, especially if you like them detailed, versus just focused on celebrity fluff and laughs (though Field is very witty). 4 stars.
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated An Anonymous Girl in Books
Jan 25, 2019
An Anonymous Girl
Review can also be found on www.diaryofdifference.com
If someone offered you $500 to answer a few personal questions and stay anonymous, would you do it?
The makeup artist, Jessica Farris goes into a client’s house to do her job. Just the usual. And then she hears her teenage client mentioning the survey that gives you huge amounts of money for a few anonymous questions. When the teenager says she won’t be able to attend, and she is too lazy to let them know, Jessica decided to use this chance and go instead.
But what happens when after a few simple questions a woman starts telling her deepest secrets? And the money will increase, but so will the difficulty of the tasks she needs to do.
”It’s easy to judge other people’s choices.”
I was hyped about this book before I even started to read it. I read the synopsis, and it intrigued me from the very first moment. Of all the mysteries and thrillers, I have enjoyed the psychological the most. Something about how a twisted mind works triggers my pleasure senses. It’s creepy, but I wish you all get that feeling for a genre.
Right after the first chapter of the book I was satisfied, and happy. This book was all I needed right then, and it just kept getting better and better.
We get to meet Jessica and see how she thinks, follow her as she answers question after question, revealing secret after a secret. With each question, and each task, and each secret being revealed, the book kept becoming darker and darker, better and better.
It reminded me of the Harry Potter series, with the content getting darker after time. If you remember the first Harry Potter book, it is Children’s fiction, but the significantly darker compared to the first. Same happens with the movies as well.
I loved the questions that were asked on the survey – they are really meant to make you think through and try and give your answers.
Could you tell a lie without feeling guilt?
Have you ever deeply hurt someone you care about?
The relationship between the people in this book is twisted. It’s all about playing games. It’s all about the cat and mouse chase. As much as I loved it, it also annoyed me at times, as I wanted it to stop.
The twists, cliff hangers and unexpected moments were brilliant. Pure skill, I tell you that. I haven’t been so surprised, excited, thrilled at the same time by any book I’ve recently read.
And with such twisted moments, and thrills throughout the book, and chapters ending leaving you breathless, you would expect the most thrilling ending.
I did. I expected it.
And I was very disappointed. It ended… rather bland. Like a Sunday Roast without gravy.
”We all have reasons for our actions. Even if we hide the reason from those who think they know us best. Even if the reasons are so deeply buried we can’t recognise them ourselves.”
I have a hard time judging this book now, as it was all hype and thrill, until it stopped dead. Maybe the authors wanted to ensure that we experiences exactly this feeling – I am not sure. Maybe for such a twisted book, calmness is all it needs to end with. I’ll leave this judgement up to you, as you experience the book and its ending on your own.
At this time, I feel like giving it 4 stars, as the ending was the only things that bothered me. This book is still a gem, and deserves to be read by people that enjoy psychological thrillers.
Thank you to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for giving me a free copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review
If someone offered you $500 to answer a few personal questions and stay anonymous, would you do it?
The makeup artist, Jessica Farris goes into a client’s house to do her job. Just the usual. And then she hears her teenage client mentioning the survey that gives you huge amounts of money for a few anonymous questions. When the teenager says she won’t be able to attend, and she is too lazy to let them know, Jessica decided to use this chance and go instead.
But what happens when after a few simple questions a woman starts telling her deepest secrets? And the money will increase, but so will the difficulty of the tasks she needs to do.
”It’s easy to judge other people’s choices.”
I was hyped about this book before I even started to read it. I read the synopsis, and it intrigued me from the very first moment. Of all the mysteries and thrillers, I have enjoyed the psychological the most. Something about how a twisted mind works triggers my pleasure senses. It’s creepy, but I wish you all get that feeling for a genre.
Right after the first chapter of the book I was satisfied, and happy. This book was all I needed right then, and it just kept getting better and better.
We get to meet Jessica and see how she thinks, follow her as she answers question after question, revealing secret after a secret. With each question, and each task, and each secret being revealed, the book kept becoming darker and darker, better and better.
It reminded me of the Harry Potter series, with the content getting darker after time. If you remember the first Harry Potter book, it is Children’s fiction, but the significantly darker compared to the first. Same happens with the movies as well.
I loved the questions that were asked on the survey – they are really meant to make you think through and try and give your answers.
Could you tell a lie without feeling guilt?
Have you ever deeply hurt someone you care about?
The relationship between the people in this book is twisted. It’s all about playing games. It’s all about the cat and mouse chase. As much as I loved it, it also annoyed me at times, as I wanted it to stop.
The twists, cliff hangers and unexpected moments were brilliant. Pure skill, I tell you that. I haven’t been so surprised, excited, thrilled at the same time by any book I’ve recently read.
And with such twisted moments, and thrills throughout the book, and chapters ending leaving you breathless, you would expect the most thrilling ending.
I did. I expected it.
And I was very disappointed. It ended… rather bland. Like a Sunday Roast without gravy.
”We all have reasons for our actions. Even if we hide the reason from those who think they know us best. Even if the reasons are so deeply buried we can’t recognise them ourselves.”
I have a hard time judging this book now, as it was all hype and thrill, until it stopped dead. Maybe the authors wanted to ensure that we experiences exactly this feeling – I am not sure. Maybe for such a twisted book, calmness is all it needs to end with. I’ll leave this judgement up to you, as you experience the book and its ending on your own.
At this time, I feel like giving it 4 stars, as the ending was the only things that bothered me. This book is still a gem, and deserves to be read by people that enjoy psychological thrillers.
Thank you to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for giving me a free copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review
Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated Voice of the Elders in Books
Jan 9, 2020
Honest Review for Free Copy of Book
Contains spoilers, click to show
The Voice of the Elders by Greg Ripley is a very well written book that anyone who has a strong connection with earth and nature would be drawn to right away. This is well received as the book puts a lot of focus on the harder topics of what we face with global warming and as a race if we do not start thinking about sustainability as a complete way of life. It also brings to light the idea that even if sustainability is the best for the planet as whole companies such as big oil and nuclear power may not be all that interested because it takes profit away from them, showing just how harmful human greed can be.
The book also mentions many aspects from different religions and cultures, along with their moral views. Christian theology is even mentioned in the same paragraph as the threefold version of the Golden Rule which many would attribute to the Pagans or more specifically the religion of Wicca. However, a lot of talk in the book revolves around Chinese Daoism and somewhat in-depth at that. This lost me at a few different places but not for long as the ideas were also explained fairly well. I believe the average reader should be able to at least the get gist of what is being said during the conversations.
The basic idea of the book is that the Earth is in major trouble. As humans, our greed and lack of concern for our environment is killing our planet as it is already too late to reverse these effects unless we do something big really quick. A meeting is being held at the United Nations to address these concerns and that is where the reader first meets the main character Rohini. It is also where the Elders are first introduced into the story. Without giving too much away to the interested reader I feel like I can safely say that the Elders tell the World Leaders about what can be done to save the Earth and propose a plan where the Earth will send ambassadors to the world of the Elders.
Rohini is chosen to be one of these ambassadors and is brought before the world on TV when all of those selected to be ambassadors are introduced. This is when trouble starts, those against the Elders and the sustainability programs launch their first direct attack and kill most of the ambassadors and the President forcing Rohini, her trainer Jane, and Jane’s friend Guangming into hiding as suspects while waiting for their names to be cleared.
Overall the book is very well written and I failed to find any major editorial flaws in it. Still, I rate this book to be 2 out of 4 stars. This is because while I loved seeing Rohini grow spiritually and increase her personal connection with the Earth I found the book lacking. The last five-chapter or so felt rushed like Greg Ripley got bored or wasn’t sure how to pull everything together. I guess more of what I am trying to say is with how amazingly detailed the rest of the book was the end felt haphazardly thrown together. Now if this were the first in a series I would change my rating to a 3 providing that a few things got explained better such as who exactly the “Others” are (not going to say anything more about them without risking a spoiler) and what happens with the Earth and the Elders.
The book also mentions many aspects from different religions and cultures, along with their moral views. Christian theology is even mentioned in the same paragraph as the threefold version of the Golden Rule which many would attribute to the Pagans or more specifically the religion of Wicca. However, a lot of talk in the book revolves around Chinese Daoism and somewhat in-depth at that. This lost me at a few different places but not for long as the ideas were also explained fairly well. I believe the average reader should be able to at least the get gist of what is being said during the conversations.
The basic idea of the book is that the Earth is in major trouble. As humans, our greed and lack of concern for our environment is killing our planet as it is already too late to reverse these effects unless we do something big really quick. A meeting is being held at the United Nations to address these concerns and that is where the reader first meets the main character Rohini. It is also where the Elders are first introduced into the story. Without giving too much away to the interested reader I feel like I can safely say that the Elders tell the World Leaders about what can be done to save the Earth and propose a plan where the Earth will send ambassadors to the world of the Elders.
Rohini is chosen to be one of these ambassadors and is brought before the world on TV when all of those selected to be ambassadors are introduced. This is when trouble starts, those against the Elders and the sustainability programs launch their first direct attack and kill most of the ambassadors and the President forcing Rohini, her trainer Jane, and Jane’s friend Guangming into hiding as suspects while waiting for their names to be cleared.
Overall the book is very well written and I failed to find any major editorial flaws in it. Still, I rate this book to be 2 out of 4 stars. This is because while I loved seeing Rohini grow spiritually and increase her personal connection with the Earth I found the book lacking. The last five-chapter or so felt rushed like Greg Ripley got bored or wasn’t sure how to pull everything together. I guess more of what I am trying to say is with how amazingly detailed the rest of the book was the end felt haphazardly thrown together. Now if this were the first in a series I would change my rating to a 3 providing that a few things got explained better such as who exactly the “Others” are (not going to say anything more about them without risking a spoiler) and what happens with the Earth and the Elders.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Miles Ahead (2016) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
If you’ve ever found yourself in a coffee shop, bookstore, or perhaps even a jazz club in the 21st century you can’t NOT have heard either the name ‘Miles Davis’, his music, or perhaps both. If you’ve been living under a rock your whole life and by some miracle you have a smartphone, computer, or a radio find a jazz station and it’s almost a sure thing you’ll here his music within minutes. The man is no myth although the man and his music are so legendary there is almost a mythical presence to him. He is one of the greats. No question. No argument.
‘Miles Ahead’ is a biopic about the legendary jazz musician directed by and staring Don Cheadle who also co-wrote the film with Steven Baigelman, Christopher Wilkinson, and Steven J. Rivele.
Emayatzy Corinealdi, Ewan McGregor, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Keith Stanfield. Rather than focus on the entire life of the great jazz musician which could encompass several films and take up an entire archive, the film focuses mainly on a period in Davis’s life where he is living in relative seclusion in his home in New York City after having retreated from the public spotlight five years previously. Miles endeavors to begin recording and playing music once again after combating addictions to alcohol and cocaine which he indulged in to deal with his wife leaving him and the heavy stress brought upon him by a loss of inspiration to compose music. At about this same time ‘Rolling Stone’ reporter Dave Braden (McGregor), a borderline paparazzi of the time but not quite, calls upon Davis begging him to let him write about Davis’s great comeback. After several futile attempts on the part of Braden, Davis reluctantly agrees after Braden introduces him to a new dealer willing to supply him with high-grade cocaine. What follows is something thats almost out of a Hunter S. Thompson book as the two attempt to recover a demo tape of Davis’s most recent recordings from a low level gangster/manager/agent who stole the from Davis’s home. Amongst the drugs and the booze and the gun fights and car chases there are brief flashbacks into Miles’s past where he relives times good and bad with his wife Frances (Corinealdi). How they met, how they lived, and how she inspired some of his greatest works through her graceful dancing and their mutual love for classical music like Eric Satie, Chopin, and Stravinsky and how he eventually lost her due to his addictions and indulgences.
For such a brief glimpse into the life of one of music’s greatest, the movie was quite well done. It was clearly a labor of love for Mr. Cheadle who had his hands in nearly every aspect of the movie and went so far as to learn to play the trumpet so he could actually play the music himself in the movie. The actor, who is amongst the best and most underrated of our time, reportedly spent six years making this film. The background music is mostly comprised of tracks from arguably one of Davis’s best albums ‘Sketches Of Spain’ and selections of his work is played by Cheadle himself. It’s sometimes difficult to tell whether the movie is more about the music or the man himself. Does it honestly matter though? In many ways, they’re one in the same are they not? The movie is rated R for scenes with violence, adult language, and intimate scenes. I’d give it 4 out of 5 stars. The only negative thing I have to say about is that I wish there had been more about the life of the man. His beginnings. Like when he was accepted into the Juilliard School of Music in New York only to drop out. His days spent jamming with Charlie Parker. Again, that would encompass far more time than one would consider ‘feasible’ for a movie.
‘Miles Ahead’ is a biopic about the legendary jazz musician directed by and staring Don Cheadle who also co-wrote the film with Steven Baigelman, Christopher Wilkinson, and Steven J. Rivele.
Emayatzy Corinealdi, Ewan McGregor, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Keith Stanfield. Rather than focus on the entire life of the great jazz musician which could encompass several films and take up an entire archive, the film focuses mainly on a period in Davis’s life where he is living in relative seclusion in his home in New York City after having retreated from the public spotlight five years previously. Miles endeavors to begin recording and playing music once again after combating addictions to alcohol and cocaine which he indulged in to deal with his wife leaving him and the heavy stress brought upon him by a loss of inspiration to compose music. At about this same time ‘Rolling Stone’ reporter Dave Braden (McGregor), a borderline paparazzi of the time but not quite, calls upon Davis begging him to let him write about Davis’s great comeback. After several futile attempts on the part of Braden, Davis reluctantly agrees after Braden introduces him to a new dealer willing to supply him with high-grade cocaine. What follows is something thats almost out of a Hunter S. Thompson book as the two attempt to recover a demo tape of Davis’s most recent recordings from a low level gangster/manager/agent who stole the from Davis’s home. Amongst the drugs and the booze and the gun fights and car chases there are brief flashbacks into Miles’s past where he relives times good and bad with his wife Frances (Corinealdi). How they met, how they lived, and how she inspired some of his greatest works through her graceful dancing and their mutual love for classical music like Eric Satie, Chopin, and Stravinsky and how he eventually lost her due to his addictions and indulgences.
For such a brief glimpse into the life of one of music’s greatest, the movie was quite well done. It was clearly a labor of love for Mr. Cheadle who had his hands in nearly every aspect of the movie and went so far as to learn to play the trumpet so he could actually play the music himself in the movie. The actor, who is amongst the best and most underrated of our time, reportedly spent six years making this film. The background music is mostly comprised of tracks from arguably one of Davis’s best albums ‘Sketches Of Spain’ and selections of his work is played by Cheadle himself. It’s sometimes difficult to tell whether the movie is more about the music or the man himself. Does it honestly matter though? In many ways, they’re one in the same are they not? The movie is rated R for scenes with violence, adult language, and intimate scenes. I’d give it 4 out of 5 stars. The only negative thing I have to say about is that I wish there had been more about the life of the man. His beginnings. Like when he was accepted into the Juilliard School of Music in New York only to drop out. His days spent jamming with Charlie Parker. Again, that would encompass far more time than one would consider ‘feasible’ for a movie.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Magic Mike XXL (2015) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
When we last saw Mike Lane (Channing Tatum) he was trading in his g-string and the adulation of grown women with lots of dollar bills to spare, for a custom furniture business of his own and a serious relationship with a girl named Brooke. He said goodbye to his band of magical, muscular men (and by magical, we mean in the art of making clothes disappear) and headed off into a better future.
Or so he thought.
Three years later, we find Mike has found a little success, his company has grown by one employee. The empty apartment with no sign of a roommate suggests his future no longer includes Brooke. A phone call from Tarzan (Kevin Nash) has Mike donning a suit to attend a “wake”. Cue the reunion with his old gang that is far from somber, and more of a ruse to see him. Apparently, his orphaned crew is set on one last hurrah before they follow in Mike’s footsteps and go after their own entrepreneurial dreams.
Does Mike want in on the swan song of stripteases at Myrtle Beach’s stripper convention? Of course not. He has a business to run, employees to pay, he postures. But considering this movie is a sequel entitled “Magic Mike XXL” you know he changes his mind. And, boy, how he changes his mind! With a little help from power tools and Genuwine’s “Pony”, natch.
Magic Mike XXL is a road trip of discovery for Mike, Tarzan, Tito (Adam Rodriguez), Ken (Matt Bomer), Tobias (Gabriel Iglesias) and Big Dick Richie (Joe Mangeniello). There were a few times I wondered where exactly this story was going, but as ensemble features go, the insightful peeks into the guys’ individual stories distracted from the meandering plot. Okay, why I was looking for a plot in a movie clearly made to titillate fans of sculpted male phsyiques, I don’t know. Sorry. Not sorry.
The road to Myrtle Beach is littered with conquests, old and new, and epiphanies fueled by pharmaceuticals inspire the Kings of Tampa to learn a few new tricks along the way. XXL actually achieves that rare feat of being better than the original. I know, that may not exactly be high praise, but it delivers more of what fans enjoyed in the original – the male entertainment.
XXL has the same awkward, but slightly improved banter between Mike and the females he encounters, but it also has new routines, a sexier emcee in Jada Pinkett-Smith (with all due respect to Matthew McConaughey) and it doesn’t require Kevin Nash to dance like a lost mannequin. There are some eyebrow-raising casting choices for a couple of new strippers. You may find yourself asking “Hey, is that who I think it is jumping all over that woman?” And “Okay…so he doesn’t actually strip. He just sings?” But don’t worry, that singer inspires Matt Bomer to do both. Very well. How did I not know Matt Bomer could sing?
The finale is one the screener audience, the majority of which were female, of course, did not want to end. I admit I could’ve stayed in my seat for more Channing Tatum and professional dancer, Stephen “tWitch” Boss, who could make his own Magic Malik movie. As my girlfriends and I left the theater, one commented that her face hurt from smiling the whole time. At the risk of sounding extremely shallow, we all agreed that the only way the movie could have been better is if it was shown on the IMAX screen in 3D. Maybe in Dbox seats.
Probably not a movie women will want to take their significant others to, but their girlfriends for a ladies night out? Hell to the yeah.
For story, acting and plot? Ummm 2 out of 5
For sheer, eye-candy entertainment? 4 stars.
Or so he thought.
Three years later, we find Mike has found a little success, his company has grown by one employee. The empty apartment with no sign of a roommate suggests his future no longer includes Brooke. A phone call from Tarzan (Kevin Nash) has Mike donning a suit to attend a “wake”. Cue the reunion with his old gang that is far from somber, and more of a ruse to see him. Apparently, his orphaned crew is set on one last hurrah before they follow in Mike’s footsteps and go after their own entrepreneurial dreams.
Does Mike want in on the swan song of stripteases at Myrtle Beach’s stripper convention? Of course not. He has a business to run, employees to pay, he postures. But considering this movie is a sequel entitled “Magic Mike XXL” you know he changes his mind. And, boy, how he changes his mind! With a little help from power tools and Genuwine’s “Pony”, natch.
Magic Mike XXL is a road trip of discovery for Mike, Tarzan, Tito (Adam Rodriguez), Ken (Matt Bomer), Tobias (Gabriel Iglesias) and Big Dick Richie (Joe Mangeniello). There were a few times I wondered where exactly this story was going, but as ensemble features go, the insightful peeks into the guys’ individual stories distracted from the meandering plot. Okay, why I was looking for a plot in a movie clearly made to titillate fans of sculpted male phsyiques, I don’t know. Sorry. Not sorry.
The road to Myrtle Beach is littered with conquests, old and new, and epiphanies fueled by pharmaceuticals inspire the Kings of Tampa to learn a few new tricks along the way. XXL actually achieves that rare feat of being better than the original. I know, that may not exactly be high praise, but it delivers more of what fans enjoyed in the original – the male entertainment.
XXL has the same awkward, but slightly improved banter between Mike and the females he encounters, but it also has new routines, a sexier emcee in Jada Pinkett-Smith (with all due respect to Matthew McConaughey) and it doesn’t require Kevin Nash to dance like a lost mannequin. There are some eyebrow-raising casting choices for a couple of new strippers. You may find yourself asking “Hey, is that who I think it is jumping all over that woman?” And “Okay…so he doesn’t actually strip. He just sings?” But don’t worry, that singer inspires Matt Bomer to do both. Very well. How did I not know Matt Bomer could sing?
The finale is one the screener audience, the majority of which were female, of course, did not want to end. I admit I could’ve stayed in my seat for more Channing Tatum and professional dancer, Stephen “tWitch” Boss, who could make his own Magic Malik movie. As my girlfriends and I left the theater, one commented that her face hurt from smiling the whole time. At the risk of sounding extremely shallow, we all agreed that the only way the movie could have been better is if it was shown on the IMAX screen in 3D. Maybe in Dbox seats.
Probably not a movie women will want to take their significant others to, but their girlfriends for a ladies night out? Hell to the yeah.
For story, acting and plot? Ummm 2 out of 5
For sheer, eye-candy entertainment? 4 stars.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated the PC version of Marvel's Avengers in Video Games
Sep 7, 2020
Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics have combined to create one of the most enjoyable Super Hero games ever and one of the more enjoyable gaming experiences of 2020. In Marvel’s Avengers; players are introduced to Kamala Khan; a huge Avengers fan who is invited to be a Fan Fiction finalist and VIP at the massive A Day convention in San Francisco.
What starts as a celebration for the famed heroes soon turns tragic and the game picks up five years late in a world where the Avengers and Heroes are no more. A corporation known as AIM has acquired Stark Industries and maintains their version of law and order through specialized forces as robotic Synths. It is revealed that a reactor powered by a new source was to blame for the A Day disaster and it has created Inhumans as a result.
Kamala finds herself able to stretch her body and upon learning that things on A Day were not as the world has been set to believe sets off with AIM hot on her heels to unlock the clues and save the Avengers.
Along the way players will play as several of the iconic characters and will encounter group missions where players may be matched online or assigned A.I. companions.
Each characters has their own unique skills and timed special abilities which recharge after use and can be a game-changer as enemies become more numerous and difficult.
Each character also has their own combat moves and abilities ranging from ranged attacks to close quarters combat. While The Hulk can throw objects; he is better suited to get in close and mix things up. Iron Man while capable of delivering punches is better used flying and hovering and blasting everything he encounters.
Part of the joy of the game aside from the engaging story is learning new ways to defeat enemies including some team based body slams and other enjoyable moves.
Players are based on a Helicarrier and there are plenty of things to explore and naturally numerous cosmetics, upgrades, and such which players can obtain via looting or at many of the vendors they encounter.
Missions are assigned via a War Table and players have the option to select campaign specific missions or to mix in some side missions as well. Upon completion of the main game; players will have the opportunity to play more side and extra missions and can use a Quick Match open to play with other players as well.
There were a few glitches along the way on my PC build but while a bit annoying a first they became less frequent as the game went along. Some people may have issues with the look of the characters as Tony Stark for example looked to me more like a young Ben Affleck than Robert Downey Jr. but with so many interpretations of the characters over the years this is a minor issue as I was enveloped by the gameplay quickly.
Missions are enjoyable and the timed jump sequences are not unreasonable and players looking for a challenge will be able to adjust the game difficulty to a setting that best suits their style of play.
I first played the game at an invite only meeting during PAX West 2019 and after getting some gameplay time; the developers outlined to us some of the long-term plans for the game from new characters and cosmetics and so on. The game sets up further adventures well and I found myself enjoying the game and characters from starts to finish. The game does a great job establishing Kamala and building her character while giving players plenty of time as the classic Avengers and has more than a few nice surprises along the way.
4 stars out of 5
What starts as a celebration for the famed heroes soon turns tragic and the game picks up five years late in a world where the Avengers and Heroes are no more. A corporation known as AIM has acquired Stark Industries and maintains their version of law and order through specialized forces as robotic Synths. It is revealed that a reactor powered by a new source was to blame for the A Day disaster and it has created Inhumans as a result.
Kamala finds herself able to stretch her body and upon learning that things on A Day were not as the world has been set to believe sets off with AIM hot on her heels to unlock the clues and save the Avengers.
Along the way players will play as several of the iconic characters and will encounter group missions where players may be matched online or assigned A.I. companions.
Each characters has their own unique skills and timed special abilities which recharge after use and can be a game-changer as enemies become more numerous and difficult.
Each character also has their own combat moves and abilities ranging from ranged attacks to close quarters combat. While The Hulk can throw objects; he is better suited to get in close and mix things up. Iron Man while capable of delivering punches is better used flying and hovering and blasting everything he encounters.
Part of the joy of the game aside from the engaging story is learning new ways to defeat enemies including some team based body slams and other enjoyable moves.
Players are based on a Helicarrier and there are plenty of things to explore and naturally numerous cosmetics, upgrades, and such which players can obtain via looting or at many of the vendors they encounter.
Missions are assigned via a War Table and players have the option to select campaign specific missions or to mix in some side missions as well. Upon completion of the main game; players will have the opportunity to play more side and extra missions and can use a Quick Match open to play with other players as well.
There were a few glitches along the way on my PC build but while a bit annoying a first they became less frequent as the game went along. Some people may have issues with the look of the characters as Tony Stark for example looked to me more like a young Ben Affleck than Robert Downey Jr. but with so many interpretations of the characters over the years this is a minor issue as I was enveloped by the gameplay quickly.
Missions are enjoyable and the timed jump sequences are not unreasonable and players looking for a challenge will be able to adjust the game difficulty to a setting that best suits their style of play.
I first played the game at an invite only meeting during PAX West 2019 and after getting some gameplay time; the developers outlined to us some of the long-term plans for the game from new characters and cosmetics and so on. The game sets up further adventures well and I found myself enjoying the game and characters from starts to finish. The game does a great job establishing Kamala and building her character while giving players plenty of time as the classic Avengers and has more than a few nice surprises along the way.
4 stars out of 5