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Kaysee Hood (83 KP) rated Magnus Chase and the Hammer of Thor in Books

Nov 20, 2017 (Updated Nov 21, 2017)  
Magnus Chase and the Hammer of Thor
Magnus Chase and the Hammer of Thor
Rick Riordan | 2016 | Children
10
8.8 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Still Sassy (1 more)
Gender-Fluid Alex
Abusive Elf Dad (3 more)
Loki
Ragnarok
Betrayal
So, I'll be honest and say I read this book back when it came out (Oct. 2016) and do not quite remember how I felt in terms of words about the second Magnus Chase book, but I can say I did enjoy this book as much as the first one.

We're able to gain a bit more insight to the main characters and be introduced to a non-binary character, which is interesting with the events going on right now with people figuring out who they are. Alex is well written without appearing as an icon to change views, simply to open the minds and introduce the reader to them.


Hearthstone's past comes into play rather largely when they have to go to his childhood home to obtain an important item for their quest. It kind of brings light to why the Elf is the way he is. The gang uncovers he plays a rather great role I will not spoil because you need to read the book.


To sum up what I do recall, the goal is to prevent Loki from escaping his bonds. A wetstone and sword must be found to do this. Sam is also being forced into an arrange marriage by Loki to a giant (very rude if you ask me considering she is already in one she is VERY happy with).


Read the second book if you liked the first one.
  
The Mechanical
The Mechanical
Ian Tregillis | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Mechanical surprised me. The first few chapters were hard to get into. It was so different than anything I’ve read. I’m not a fan of historical fiction (even if it is supernatural or steampunk) but I gave this book a chance based on a recommendation from a friend. I’m so glad I did.

The Mechanical is a wild ride through the lives of three characters; a catholic priest pretending to be protestant and smuggling information to New France, a female spy known in the legends as The Tallyrand, and Jax, the mechanical in question. The characters stories intertwine together to create a rich well-developed adventure of excitement, love, treachery, betrayal, and euphoric freedom. The book looks you in the eye and challenges the idea of free will, religion, and the tendency for us to believe everything the government wants us to believe.

In the beginning, I found the narrator hard to listen to, maybe because of his pacing, and steady non-fluctuating voice. But as I got more and more into the story, learned more about this world and what was going on, fell in love and hatred with the characters, I appreciated the way he read more. It worked for the characters and for the story.

I am super excited for the rest of this series and highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a well thought out story. Ages 17 + for some violence and sexual scenes.
  
I’ve been anxiously awaiting the sequel to my new favorite five-star series for about a year now, and it was well worth the wait. The Darkest Edge of Dawn lived up to my expectations and continued the story left in The Better Part of Darkness.

Charlie is still probably my favorite literary heroine. She’s sarcastic and just a little obnoxious, she’s a tough as nails, kick @$$ kind of girl. She loves her daughter—I especially liked the part with her and her daughter at the end! That was sweet—and she would do anything for the people she loves. That of course includes her Siren partner, Hank, who she is definitely in love with (like me) but won't admit it (unlike me). crazy girl.

I like the writing style of Gay's series: the sarcasm mixed with the seriousness of the situations keeps the story easy to read and not too stressful, though it is intense at times.

With action, mystery, love, and betrayal, The Darkest Edge of Dawn is a great sequel, and I will continue to be a faithful reader of Charlie Madigan's adventures.

Content/recommendation: Just as the last book, I wouldn't recommend this one to anyone who can't stomach some violence, is easily offended by language and some sex or sensuality. Ages 18+

Click here to enter a contest at goodreads for a copy of The Darkest Edge of Dawn.
  
TB
The Beach House
Jane Green | 2008 | Fiction & Poetry
6
7.5 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Nantucket is a magical place, so many people say. Where good things happen to good people. When Nan discovers that her finances aren't that great, she decides to rent rooms in her large home on Nantucket for the summer to help earn some money. The people who decide to rent from her are all in some sort of deep turmoil in their life and spending the summer in Nantucket and with Nan, will help them to sort all of that out.

First we have Daniel and Bea. Married for close to 7 years with two young girls. Something is not right in their marriage, and Bea can't seem to figure it out. Maybe a summer rental will do them good to bring the family together.

Daph has just found out that her husband has been seeing another woman. This betrayal is nearly impossible for her to take. With her teenage daughter giving her a headache about "throwing dad out" she believes a summer away will help to clear her head.

Michael is Nan's son and is a jeweler in New York City. When events in his life take a turn for the worse, he escapes to his home town to find the solace he needs to take the next step in his life.

All these lives are intertwined and help each other to come out of tough situations at The Beach House. A beautiful story of family, love and rebuilding that anyone is sure to connect to.
  
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RəX Regent (349 KP) rated Tarzan Finds a Son! (1939) in Movies

Feb 19, 2019 (Updated Feb 19, 2019)  
Tarzan Finds a Son! (1939)
Tarzan Finds a Son! (1939)
1939 | Action
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
I think that this must be the most heart warming of the lot, so far at least. Tarzan and Jane discover a boy who is the lone survivor of a plane crash. They adopt him as there own and five years pass as Tarzan and his son, which he has named “Boy” have become inseparable.

But his family, the heirs to the Greystoke estate come searching for him and Tarzan will not give him up. Though Jane, whilst heart broken, is prepared too, though unaware that the Boy is just a pawn to gain an Their inheritance.

The relationship between Tarzan and his son are played out beautifully, as is the betrayal of Jane as she must take the boy against Tarzan’s will.

Though Jane’s character is starting feel frumpy and and bit two dimensional by this point in the series, the trio still manage to play this out really well and this one does deliver more of an emotional punch than I was expecting.

This is no small part due to Jane’s death scene, which is resolved by one the most outrageous Ex-machina moments which I have ever seen, but still, after test audiences did not want Jane to die, she miraculously, well, doesn’t!

But this was clearly where the plot was heading throughout and even though the pay off is smothered in fantasy, it still packed a punch. But on a lighter note, the humour also feels better and less forced in this one.
  
The Great Gatsby (2013)
The Great Gatsby (2013)
2013 | Drama, Romance
Soundtrack (2 more)
Attention to detail in line with novel
Attention to wardrobe
A visual treat and solid adaption of F Scott Fitzgerald classic
As an avid fan of F Scott Fitzgerald I was really impressed with the screen adaption Luhrman gave it. Initially I was worried that he would go over board with the glitz of the roaring 20's. However, I felt there was a balance throughout the film and how the use of archived dresses from designer houses and the very same tailoring company F Scott used provided the suits gave a genuine depth to film. Not at all full of flapper gimmicks. I loved the camera work and the layering of text over scenes throughout was great. Some people disliked Mulligan as Daisy feeling she was too timid and squeaky, but I think this bettered the pain and anger the viewer feels about her betrayal to Gatsby with her and Tom's reckless abandon of others. I just adored the film and soundtrack. Lana Del Rey created such a mesmerizing track for the film which again epitomised the dream of being forever loved once age settles in. It all just wove together beautifully. The further addition of modern music within the film I feel helped to mirror the changing world The Great Gatsby was set within as Wall Street boomed and Prohibition ended. A tireless classic to hopefully spur you into discovering more of F Scott Fitzgerald litaerary offerings.
  
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Merissa (12061 KP) rated The Beginning in Books

Dec 17, 2018  
TB
The Beginning
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
For a prequel novella, this book packs in a lot of information in a relatively short amount of time. Cecily is a 'royal' Witch but she is royally fed up with her life. She wants to live like a human but is being hassled to be the one who gives birth the one long awaited, the one who will save the witches. Unfortunately, this means that she has suffered through nine miscarriages. I don't mean one or nine relationships though. She is there as a brood mare, along with the other royal witches, until the Tenth is born.

She meets up with her friend, only to find out that the meeting was just a ruse to try and get her to continue. Hurt by the betrayal, she leaves and finds her way to a bar where the music tempts her inside.

Like I said, there is a lot of information in here that will delight and tempt you, and definitely leave you wanting to know more - about Cecily, about James, about the situation they find themselves in, about their world in general.

With no spelling or grammatical errors that I found, this was an enjoyable and quick read, perfectly leading on to the next book in the series - A Late Summer Bloom. Definitely recommended.

* I received this book from the author in return for a fair and honest review. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!