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King of Thorns
King of Thorns
Mark Lawrence | 2017 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
9.4 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
It won't be a surprise that in this book we find Jorg installed as king in his own right. It is also his wedding day. Rather inconventiently his castle is also about to be attacked by a huge army and he just doesn't have the troops to stop them.

The main story thread takes place over the day of the wedding and the battle to save his castle and kingdom. Any worries that Jorg has become soft in the years since the first book are swifly put aside as it's clear that with a proper army he can simply cause mayhem on a larger scale.

Like the first book there is also a 'flashback' story, again taking place four years previously, a year after he declared himself king. In this his journey takes him to other parts of the broken empire, showing more variety than the first book. There is also more use of arcane powers - for good and evil - and other adversaries join the story.

I thought the first book was excellent, if a little light on plot. This follow up is another notch up on the scale. The battle scenes are tenser, the plans even more desperate. The plot is now in full swing and moves nicely between the two story threads, events from four years previously having direct impact on the present.

We also find out more about The Builders and the world that Jorg inhabits, all of it totally fascinating, and once again Jorg is not above using the 'ancient' technology to further his ends.

The characterisation is better in this book, simply because more time is taken to flesh them out, but not at the expense of the speed of the story. Lawrence really is a natural story teller.

The plot twists and turns, and the reader is left guessing at each turn of the battle at what Jorg is going to do next and how he is going to win through the insurmountable odds stacked against him.

This really is an amazing book. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
  
I am complete trash for novels involving princesses that hide under the guise of anonymity so they can protect their kingdom (bonus points for not wanting to rule), and The City of Veils by S. Usher Evans is no exception to this. While Brynna is working on bringing down a prominent businessman known for scamming civilians, she is taken in by the captain of the king’s guard and finds out both her father and brother have been murdered in less than a month. The murders leave behind a mystery and also force her to step in as the rightful queen of Forcadel. However, staying away from the castle for years to escape an arranged marriage comes with a cost: not only is she not aware of the court politics that have been happening in the castle, but she’s not sure who she could trust. Despite having no particular desire to rule, she definitely doesn’t want to be the next dead royal.

Despite being advised against it, Brynna finds herself negotiating with Felix, the captain of the king’s guard, to continue working as a vigilante at night while working on her royal duties during the day. This begins an amusing back and forth between the two throughout the novel as they butt heads constantly and try to negotiate with each other. I loved seeing their relationship develop, along with Brynna’s relationship with the other characters, including Katarine, the other guards, and others who will likely be playing a major role in later books.

The first novel in Evans’ newest series, Princess Vigilante, was a fun ride from beginning to end. The overall pacing of the story was perfect, although there are parts I felt were slow or a little rushed. The story was engaging and entertaining, and I was constantly kept on my toes as Brynna tries to navigate her life as a masked vigilante and a queen while trying to stay wary of potential dangers.

<a href="http://theartsstl.com/s-usher-evans-the-city-of-veils-suns-golden-ray-publishing/">This review is originally posted on The Arts STL</a>
  
Dr. Terror&#039;s House of Horrors (1965)
Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965)
1965 | Classics, Horror, Sci-Fi
8
7.8 (4 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Genre-defining British anthology horror film. Five men have their fortunes told on a train; guess what, it doesn't look good for any of them. For instance: Christopher Lee is pursued by a severed hand, Roy Castle unwisely plagiarises voodoo music, Fluff Freeman has to contend with a malevolent vine. Frame story has (in theory) a twist ending; but it's the same one they use in nearly all of these films.

The quality of these anthology horror films is always a bit variable, because the different stories themselves inevitably are; this is a pretty good one because even when the stories are ridiculous and arguably incoherent, they are still told with a sense of humour and don't hang around too long. Extraordinary cast, obviously; the rubber hand chasing Christopher Lee would go on to appear in more films than Fluff Freeman, probably because it was a better actor. When this film is good, it's very good; even when it's not so good, it's still a lot of fun. Much imitated, not least by Amicus themselves, but seldom equalled.
  
EL
Every Last Drop: A Vampire Anthology
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A collection of short stories involving vampires. Who doesn’t love vampires. These are the legitimate kind though so no sparkles. I enjoyed the twist in history. To give a reason for blood lust.
Natural Born Predators was awesome. The Beauty and The Beast with a vampire twist. Belle is no damsel in distress. She is a hard core vampire hunter. She is lethal and hot. Frey is a god with the power to control the weather around his castle. He imprisoned Bell's father for trespassing. What he wasn’t expecting was this beauty to come and calm his world. He knows he can’t change who Bell is but can he accept the thought of her always putting her life at risk.
All the stories were really good. It would be awesome to read full length novels of Fate and Fortune and Natural Born Predators. To get more details on the love stories and how the lives of the people effected turned out. To see that not all stories have a HEA.