The Worst Witch
8.4
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TravelersWife4Life (31 KP) rated Swift (The Flight and Flame Trilogy, #1) in Books
Feb 24, 2021
Have you ever read a book that made you feel lost in another world? Well, if not, Swift by R.J. Anderson will change that. It is the first book in the series and is a great introduction to the world of fairies for someone not used to it.
I really enjoyed the character development in this story Ivy grows so much as the story progresses, always learning and willing to look at things from a different perspective. Ivy was a very well-done character, and with the addition of the secondary characters Richard and Molly, it left me very invested in their outcomes and the continuation of the story! (and no, this one does not leave off with a cliff hanger, just the idea of adventures yet to come).
The storyline and plot were like getting immersed in a totally new land filled with Pixi dust, fairies, and spriggans. It kept my imagination working to dream of all the different characters and what they might look like; everything was described in vivid detail, so it helped me imagine things as R.J. Anderson envisioned them. I loved the almost coming of age theme to this book and I am really looking forward to where R. J. Anderson will take this adventure next as so much already happened in this book.
I give this book 5 out of 5 stars for the creative characters, the amazing storyline, and for the great themes that were presented.
*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Soul (2020) in Movies
Jan 1, 2021
When compared to older Pixar efforts, it's easy to see just how far this sort of thing has come. Soul manages to look photo realistic, despite the cartoony designs of the human characters. It has matured in other ways too - where these films used to be kid friendly adventures with a message lurking within, that's not quite the case anymore. The themes in Soul are very much for an older audience, and sure, there are talking cats and colourful visuals in The Great Before to keep younger viewers involved, but the narrative here focuses on how one can feel like their life is wasted sometimes, how it's easy to feel lost in such a big world, and the acceptance of death. With heavy subject matters at the forefront, the frequently heart-warming and funny screenplay results in an story that is expertly crafted to hit all the right emotional buttons, whilst still being fun, and full of awesome jazz.
Director Pete Docter is of course the man behind Up, Inside Out and Monsters Inc. so it's no surprise that his fourth Pixar feature is one that can stand tall next to those greats. A fantastic voice cast including Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Richard Ayoade, Anglea Bassett, Phylicia Rashad, and Rachel House among others, adds the remaining ingredients to ensure that Soul is another magnificent string in Pixar's bow, and is an essential watch.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated The Alchemist and an Amaretto (Guild Codex: Spellbound, #5) in Books
Jan 8, 2021
I do love these four people: Tori, Aaron, Kai and Ezra. They've grown into a tight-knit group over the previous books and I am really invested in their adventures - and their romances. Tori had previously dated Aaron but it didn't really last long and now she's realising her feelings for Ezra are a lot more than just friendship and she will do just about anything to save him from his inner demon. I'm very intrigued to see where that will end up going because he's always been the shy, sweet but deadly one.
As for the story of this one with the mutated shapeshifters. I kinda figured out who the bad guy was from pretty early on though I was a little surprised by just quite how deranged he ended up being.
It did surprise me by finishing at the 85% mark. I don't know what I was expecting since the story had wrapped up by that point. I think I was disappointed that I didn't have more to read of this group of friends. Since i got this from the KU library, I'm going to grab some more of the series soon.