Ross (3284 KP) rated We Ride The Storm in Books
May 18, 2021
We see the story unfold through the eyes of three characters: a princess of the Kisian empire (who is the step-daughter of the empire, so a princess in name only); an intriguing assassin and a tribal warrior forced into nomadic life. The plot revolves around a building conflict between the empire and its subjects and neighbours, largely driven by the accidental actions of the aforementioned assassin.
The princess is a well-formed character who quickly moves from plotting with her brother to take their family's rightful place at the head of the empire to siding with the crippled cruel emperor, seeking her own place. Her story is straight out of a Disney film, refused her chance to use her martial skills and forced to marry into power as her only contribution to the family's strength.
The nomadic warrior should have been intriguing, given his initial scene where he is cutting the heads off his fallen comrades and enemies, driven by a religious zeal that a person's head must be removed and properly laid to rest to release their soul. However, he quickly became flat and irritating, his zealous nature making him whiny. His story is the most exciting, though, as his tribe is forced into serving the empire (I think) and put aside their traditionally passive nature in order to secure new lands for themselves.
The final PoV character, the assassin, is by far the most original - she has an extra voice in her head (the background still a mystery), a presence who can inhabit corpses, allowing for some interesting escapes and plans. Her role is slightly comedic, dashing from one job to another across the country, often conflicting jobs, in order to try and release herself from the voice in her head.
The story involves a great amount of plotting and double-crossing, some excellent action scenes and a complex, weaving plot. The only downside for me was remembering who was who, who the empire was, their enemies etc, as different names were sometimes given and I found it hard to remember. Also, some major plot points were initially exposed in fairly throw-away style and later passages made no sense without picking up on them (specifically the voice in the assassin's head, but also aspects of the possession and other events which were easy to miss).
A great read and with a sequel already out, a series I will stick with.
I received a free copy from the publishers and netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Alcatraz Prison Escape 3-D - The Gangstar Jail Break-out Sim-ulator
Games and Music
App
Escape out of PRISON! Game one of the Alcatraz prison break series. A mofia city gangster vegas...
Rurouni Kenshin (3-in-1 Edition): Vols. 4, 5 & 6
Book
Action, romance, and historical intrigue help make Nobuhiro Watsuki's Rurouni Kenshin, the tale of a...
The World Is Not Enough (1999)
6.7
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In Bilbao, Spain, James Bond, meets with a Swiss banker to recover a large sum of money. The banker,...
Tom Turner (388 KP) rated Emperor of Thorns in Books
Apr 30, 2021
Mark Lawrence is not an author to make things easy for you. Reading his books feel more like running a marathon, despite then not being overly lengthy. But as with a marathon, if you see it through you are greatly rewarded. I almost gave up on this series a number of times. But I am so glad I persevered.
I will admit I didn't like The Broken Empire as much as I enjoyed The Book Of The Ancestors, but I believe that is more down to the latter having a more tangible plot. (And assassin nuns, don't forget assissin nuns!) but I am still extremely glad to have read them. I'm sure Jorg Ancrath will haunt my dreams and nightmares for years to come!
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Throne of Glass in Books
Jan 11, 2021
The cover is great and grabs your attention but at the same time slightly deceiving (it was what put me off buying it for so long) as it makes the book look so fantasy-esque when in fact, it's about a young (blonde) girl who rediscovers her femininity while kicking other guys arses in Tests she has to go through to become the King's Assassin, while at the same time trying to unearth an evil force.
This was an adventure, with high and lows and awww's and ewww's and I was hooked from the very first page.
The romance aspect caught me up in it too, though I think I'm 100% in Chaol's court.
Looking forward to reading Crown of Midnight now to see what happens next!
Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition
6.9
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Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition brings the critically-acclaimed cult-classic shooter to PlayStation®...
The Elder Scrolls Online Morrowind Collector's Edition
7.0
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Video Game
The ultimate fan of The Elder Scrolls Online can grab the Collector’s Edition, which contains...
Awix (3310 KP) rated American Ultra (2015) in Movies
Sep 3, 2020 (Updated Sep 3, 2020)
The basic idea is sort of funny, but for this to work as a comedy it would need considerably better jokes, and while the action is competently staged (gory, though) it's not done with the style or scope to make the film distinctive. Not actually bad - reasonable performances and the script has a solid structure - but not accomplished or entertaining enough to really stand out. As it is, feels like an Edgar Wright pastiche, if there's such a thing, but very pedestrian.
Archer & Armstrong, Volume 1: The Michelangelo Code
6.0
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Book
It's history in the breaking! After years of meditation and training, 18-year-old Obadiah Archer...