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Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Xander and the Lost Island of Monsters (Momotaro, #1) in Books

Jan 23, 2020

<b><i>I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>
I think I've grown out of reading middle grade books now. I find that a little sad - the first book in Dilloways Momotaro series isn't even a bad book, aside from the fact I kept expecting a Percy Jackson vibe (which, in a way, it kind of does).

Xander and the Lost Island of Monsters - if we're going down the Percy Jackson vibe (I'm pretty sure the synopsis makes the comparison.) - is basically Japanese folklore set in modern day, with plenty of Japanese mythological creatures making an appearance. Unfortunately, Xander definitely resembles a Japanese version of Percy Jackson - blue eyes, black hair, twelve years old, and the only difference? Xander has a bit of silver streak in his hair (oh wait) and he's mixed (Asian and Irish).

It's no wonder I expected a lot of humor out of Dilloway's book (comparisons = high expectations). The first Momotaro book does have the occasional funny moment, but it just isn't as funny as I hoped it would be. (That might just be the fact I'm nineteen.)

Xander and the Lost Island of Monsters is set in a comic book like format with illustrations featured throughout the book, and it will definitely appeal more to younger audiences than the older ones. (And hopefully, it'll be more funny to them than to me.)

<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/arc-review-xander-and-lost-island-of-monsters-by-margaret-dilloway/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>

Kudos

LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) in Movies

Apr 12, 2020

Our introduction to Captain America withing the MCU gets a bad wrap.
I see it labeled fairly regularly as weak entry into the ever expanding saga and I just don't think that's the case.

It's got a solid narrative for a start as we watch Steve Rogers go from frail Regular Joe to bonafide hero who truly believes in fighting for the good of humanity over the course of two hours.
The WWII setting provides a touch of historical reality, collided with the fantasy of the Tesseract, our first glimpse of the now infamous Infinity Stones, and in this narrative, providing Red Skull with cosmically charged weapons the gain the edge in the war with Allied Forces.

The First Avenger has a fantastic cast. Chris Evans is pretty much perfect in the titular role and has played the character solidly for the last 10 years.
Hugo Weaving as Red Skull is an undeniable highlight. He plays the villain with evil glee, and looks so comic book accurate that it hurts. It's a real shame that he has never returned to the role.
The supporting cast is strong as well. Hayley Atwell, Toby Jones, Tommy Lee Jones, Sebastian Stan, Dominic Cooper, and Stanley Tucci are all great, and relish in a tight screenplay.

I do think that the film feels over long at times, although the story being told is undeniably important in the run up to The Avengers.
The effects are mostly decent and still hold up, with an exception here and there, primarily before Steve Rogers goes all buff, but these are small gripes with an otherwise solid origin film.