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Sarah (7800 KP) rated Before the Fall in Books
Jan 30, 2018 (Updated Jan 30, 2018)
An unexpectedly good read
There is a lot more to this book than it simply being the plane crash suspense thriller the description makes it out to be. Noah Hawley writes for tv, and reading Before the Fall you can really see this coming across - this would make a great tv show and much better than any other similar shows (Lost anyone?).
This is a simple premise - a plane crash with only 2 survivors - but it’s very well written and works brilliantly. It switches between the viewpoint of the survivors and the deceased prior to the crash, and this is a really good dynamic. The characters are all interesting and developed as well as they can be, all with their own flaws. There’s a lot more to this than just a basic thriller, and it delves into coincidence, the crash investigation and the media intrusion with such detail that all of this paired with the character stories really got me hooked.
My only criticism of this book would be the ending. Hundreds of pages build up to this massive ending but it winds up just being a bit of an anticlimax. It’s not a bad ending, not in the slightest, it just feels a little lacking and that it could’ve been so much more.
Despite that, this is still a fantastic and very well written book. Definitely the best I’ve read so far of Noah Hawley’s.
This is a simple premise - a plane crash with only 2 survivors - but it’s very well written and works brilliantly. It switches between the viewpoint of the survivors and the deceased prior to the crash, and this is a really good dynamic. The characters are all interesting and developed as well as they can be, all with their own flaws. There’s a lot more to this than just a basic thriller, and it delves into coincidence, the crash investigation and the media intrusion with such detail that all of this paired with the character stories really got me hooked.
My only criticism of this book would be the ending. Hundreds of pages build up to this massive ending but it winds up just being a bit of an anticlimax. It’s not a bad ending, not in the slightest, it just feels a little lacking and that it could’ve been so much more.
Despite that, this is still a fantastic and very well written book. Definitely the best I’ve read so far of Noah Hawley’s.
Alicia S (193 KP) rated The Boy and His Ribbon in Books
Jun 18, 2018
Growing up changes us and sometimes life, and our hearts, have other plans...
Admittedly, I'm a sucker for anything Pepper Winters writes and in the past, she had originally drawn me in with multiple dark romance/suspense series. A Boy and His Ribbon is unlike most of her well-known works, yet similar to Unseen Messages (one of my all-time favorites), as both stories are based on characters living wild. A scenario that speaks to my wanderlust soul and moves me like no other topic. The story follows Ren and Della, two children who escape abuse and a fate worse than even any animal should endure. Growing up alone, fending for themselves, this story takes us through years of this unlikely pair growing up uneducated, unsocialized and learning from each other. And with such fierce love, devotion and determination from children so young... We've all had to deal with the ups and downs of growing up. Imagine facing your teenage years that come with messy feelings and changes, without any guidance or expectations? This Coming of Age/Romance teeters between not quite right and completely understandable. Like every other Pepper Winters title in the past, I devoured this book. It tore my heart out, leaving me in suspense until book 2 in the Ribbon Series, The Girl and Her Ren is released in June.
One of the funniest books i've read in a long while
Contains spoilers, click to show
OH my I loved this story so much, I don't even know where to begin with this review.
Okay, Lets start with the fan fiction, as a person who sent hours on the computer reading Harry Potter fan fiction into the early hours of the morning and then to writing my own, I understand where Cath was coming form, that sometimes you forget that there is still books to come out or you wish they end the way they did as the fan fiction. I total got this, and i totally related to Cath.
Second Levi, You should always have a good book boyfriend and Levi, yeah he was perfect, could i have him? I'll look after him. he was funny and charming and he loved Cath, you could tell straight away and i just wanted to slap so she saw it too.
The story touched on other issues such as sisters trying to find their own groove, but how hard it can be to break patterns. there mother leaving them and now only wanting to be apart of their lives now they had grown up, their fathers illness.
This book was a great read, once i started i couldn't stop, and there the best kind of books. I will defiantly read more from Rainbow Rowell, now that I love her stuff.
Now to fan fiction :P
Happy Reading :)
Okay, Lets start with the fan fiction, as a person who sent hours on the computer reading Harry Potter fan fiction into the early hours of the morning and then to writing my own, I understand where Cath was coming form, that sometimes you forget that there is still books to come out or you wish they end the way they did as the fan fiction. I total got this, and i totally related to Cath.
Second Levi, You should always have a good book boyfriend and Levi, yeah he was perfect, could i have him? I'll look after him. he was funny and charming and he loved Cath, you could tell straight away and i just wanted to slap so she saw it too.
The story touched on other issues such as sisters trying to find their own groove, but how hard it can be to break patterns. there mother leaving them and now only wanting to be apart of their lives now they had grown up, their fathers illness.
This book was a great read, once i started i couldn't stop, and there the best kind of books. I will defiantly read more from Rainbow Rowell, now that I love her stuff.
Now to fan fiction :P
Happy Reading :)
Kevin Wilson (179 KP) rated The Walking Dead - A TellTale Games Series: Season 1 in Video Games
Jul 13, 2018
Amazing character development (3 more)
Great story
Emotional and incredible acting
It's fun
Some frame rate issues (3 more)
No difficulty options
Illusion of choice
Can't skip boring scenes after multiple playthroughs
I love you Clem!!
First off I want to say it's an incredible game and that's a thanks to some great story, incredible acting and amazing character development. I think we all thinking about lee and Clem! Lol
This is your typical telltale game. Point and click with QTE which is fun but the framerate issues can make those frustrating and there is an illusion of choice that don't really matter in the end.
I do find the game a bit easy at times which would make it more fun, especially on a repeat playthrough. Take heavy rain as an example. Higher difficulty they give more and quicker symbols to press during QTE.
Like I said the characters and acting are incredible. You will cry, I don't doubt that. They show so much growth through the series and if your going to get stuck in then you better prepare because it's coming into its fourth and final season so you got a long road ahead.
There is way too much zombies out there in video games, movies and TV but I do love this game and I have played multiple playthroughs but after a while it can get annoying when you can't skip the boring scenes.
This is your typical telltale game. Point and click with QTE which is fun but the framerate issues can make those frustrating and there is an illusion of choice that don't really matter in the end.
I do find the game a bit easy at times which would make it more fun, especially on a repeat playthrough. Take heavy rain as an example. Higher difficulty they give more and quicker symbols to press during QTE.
Like I said the characters and acting are incredible. You will cry, I don't doubt that. They show so much growth through the series and if your going to get stuck in then you better prepare because it's coming into its fourth and final season so you got a long road ahead.
There is way too much zombies out there in video games, movies and TV but I do love this game and I have played multiple playthroughs but after a while it can get annoying when you can't skip the boring scenes.
Lee (2222 KP) rated Hotel Artemis (2018) in Movies
Jul 21, 2018
This review is probably a little unfair in that I actually managed to fall asleep for the last 20 minutes of it! It was a very hot cinema, very comfortable seating and the end of a very long week for me, so not my fault. Who am I kidding, I'm just an old aged lightweight!
Anyway, the year is 2028, we're in Los Angeles and there is currently rioting on the streets. In among all of this, Jodie Foster is running Hotel Artemis, an emergency hospital and recuperation area where criminals who have paid for membership can go to get patched up. Dave Bautista is her assistant, he's basically Drax the hospital porter.
A small number of criminals are already recuperating in the hotel and are soon joined by a couple of guys fresh off a job and in need of medical attention. Unknowingly though, one of the guys has stolen something he shouldn't have done, a pen vault containing some very previous gems...
What I saw of the movie was a bit of a slow burn. It's all very John Wick, but without the action, and nowhere near as good. However, you just know that the action is coming and everything is building up to it. Unfortunately though, that's where I checked out for a while, and I can't tell you how annoyed I was when I woke up again, 2 minutes from the end!
Anyway, the year is 2028, we're in Los Angeles and there is currently rioting on the streets. In among all of this, Jodie Foster is running Hotel Artemis, an emergency hospital and recuperation area where criminals who have paid for membership can go to get patched up. Dave Bautista is her assistant, he's basically Drax the hospital porter.
A small number of criminals are already recuperating in the hotel and are soon joined by a couple of guys fresh off a job and in need of medical attention. Unknowingly though, one of the guys has stolen something he shouldn't have done, a pen vault containing some very previous gems...
What I saw of the movie was a bit of a slow burn. It's all very John Wick, but without the action, and nowhere near as good. However, you just know that the action is coming and everything is building up to it. Unfortunately though, that's where I checked out for a while, and I can't tell you how annoyed I was when I woke up again, 2 minutes from the end!
Deborah (162 KP) rated The Reckless Bride (Black Cobra Quartet #4) in Books
Dec 21, 2018
This is the fourth and final book in Laurens' Black Cobra Quartet - it was one where I was desperate to find out how it was all going to end and at the same time didn't want it to be over.
There have been some errors in the books that could have been picked up - most obviously in this the herione is refered to as Lucy in the blurb and so as I started reading I did wonder who this Loretta person was! Also in the last book I think Linsdale should have been Linslade - only because I live near there! Be that as it may, I'm not the sort to let a few little things like that spoil my enjoyment of a cracking good story!
The scope of this quartet has been much wider that your usual book of this genre as the four couriers have travelled back from India to England, and to some extent we have followed them in their travels. In trying to fend off cultists and other attackers, we've also had rather more of a swashbuckling adventure than is perhaps the norm - but I loved every minute of it!
There is a twist in the tale of this Black Cobra. It's so clever and so simple I could have kicked myself for not seeing it coming!
If you're new to Laurens you really need to start with the Cynsters and The Bastion club books before this - but I guarantee you won't regret it!
There have been some errors in the books that could have been picked up - most obviously in this the herione is refered to as Lucy in the blurb and so as I started reading I did wonder who this Loretta person was! Also in the last book I think Linsdale should have been Linslade - only because I live near there! Be that as it may, I'm not the sort to let a few little things like that spoil my enjoyment of a cracking good story!
The scope of this quartet has been much wider that your usual book of this genre as the four couriers have travelled back from India to England, and to some extent we have followed them in their travels. In trying to fend off cultists and other attackers, we've also had rather more of a swashbuckling adventure than is perhaps the norm - but I loved every minute of it!
There is a twist in the tale of this Black Cobra. It's so clever and so simple I could have kicked myself for not seeing it coming!
If you're new to Laurens you really need to start with the Cynsters and The Bastion club books before this - but I guarantee you won't regret it!
Otway93 (580 KP) rated Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019) in Movies
Dec 19, 2019
Acting (4 more)
CGI
Script
Predictable
Characters
A rushed ending to something special.
Well, this film has felt like a long time coming, but the disappointment took far less time.
Poor acting and poor CGI work make this film bad enough, but with a predictable plot and an awful script, it makes it in my opinion the worst Star Wars film ever made (so far), and made me wish I'd stayed at home and watched Attack of the Clones.
Daisy Ridley's acting was pretty poor in the more dramatic moments, and the CGI, particularly bad during large explosions, detracted from the feeling a Star Wars film usually brings. I'm talking Sharknado level CGI at some points, but at least that was supposed to be bad...
The characters, some of them turning out to be a completely pointless addition to the trilogy, learn absolutely nothing about themselves, with a couple of exceptions of course, but all of them with poorly written characteristics.
The ending is of course predictable, as it was always going to be realistically, but as for that, I'll let you guys judge for yourself!
The only redeeming feature is a nice little twist or two, but I'm obviously not going to tell you that!
Of course, some things are better the second time around, so maybe I'll watch again when the DVD is released and update my review...or not update it if that be the case.
Poor acting and poor CGI work make this film bad enough, but with a predictable plot and an awful script, it makes it in my opinion the worst Star Wars film ever made (so far), and made me wish I'd stayed at home and watched Attack of the Clones.
Daisy Ridley's acting was pretty poor in the more dramatic moments, and the CGI, particularly bad during large explosions, detracted from the feeling a Star Wars film usually brings. I'm talking Sharknado level CGI at some points, but at least that was supposed to be bad...
The characters, some of them turning out to be a completely pointless addition to the trilogy, learn absolutely nothing about themselves, with a couple of exceptions of course, but all of them with poorly written characteristics.
The ending is of course predictable, as it was always going to be realistically, but as for that, I'll let you guys judge for yourself!
The only redeeming feature is a nice little twist or two, but I'm obviously not going to tell you that!
Of course, some things are better the second time around, so maybe I'll watch again when the DVD is released and update my review...or not update it if that be the case.
Dan Lacey (7 KP) rated The Stranger in TV
Feb 26, 2020
Acting (2 more)
Storyline
Bingeworthy
A genuine masterpiece.
I want to start with the trailer to this Netflix original. Whilst flicking through the vast abyss that is the Netflix catalogue I stumbled upon this and allowed the trailer to play in full. It painted a picture of a bit of a mystery caper and I found it quite captivating.
Now I wont lie to you, my wife and I watched all 8 episodes over 2 nights not through choice but through what we deemed at the time (1am to be exact) a necessity. Every episode ended on a perfect cliffhanger.
Now I'm going to keep this spoiler free but I do want to talk about the story in general. I like to think of myself as someone who can normally guess early on 'who dunnit' why they 'dunnit' and any general twists and turns along the way, but the whole series I sat second guessing myself coming up with general theories that would feel at home with someone wearing a tin foil hat. And the moment I thought I'd worked it all out was the moment it was revealed to me some 5 seconds later.
This is the series you will recommend to your family, your friends and maybe even.... a stranger ( yep I just said that).
I emplore you to take a few hours grab the popcorn and give this a watch I promise you will not regret it.
Now I wont lie to you, my wife and I watched all 8 episodes over 2 nights not through choice but through what we deemed at the time (1am to be exact) a necessity. Every episode ended on a perfect cliffhanger.
Now I'm going to keep this spoiler free but I do want to talk about the story in general. I like to think of myself as someone who can normally guess early on 'who dunnit' why they 'dunnit' and any general twists and turns along the way, but the whole series I sat second guessing myself coming up with general theories that would feel at home with someone wearing a tin foil hat. And the moment I thought I'd worked it all out was the moment it was revealed to me some 5 seconds later.
This is the series you will recommend to your family, your friends and maybe even.... a stranger ( yep I just said that).
I emplore you to take a few hours grab the popcorn and give this a watch I promise you will not regret it.
Debbiereadsbook (1437 KP) rated Never Date a Doctor: A Life Lessons Novel in Books
Mar 2, 2020
I didn't like Sasha!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
*insert sigh*
*insert another sigh*
I wanted to love, to even LIKE this book but I struggled, to be honest.
Mostly, because of two things.
Only Sasha has a say, and she grated on me, she really did. I can't say WHY, and I'm more annoyed that I cannot voice WHY she got my back up and got on my nerves, but she did. And because Caleb isn't given a voice, I very nearly dumped it, because she drove me nuts at points!
AND
First person/present tense. Even if caleb had been given a voice, with the book written this way, I would have enjoyed it a bit more, I think.
You could see the "situation" developing at the hospital, with the other nurse, coming at ay like a train wreck, and you can't stop, but it is nice for everything to be laid out for you once in a while. There were SOME surprises though, so i enjoyed that.
I'm sorry, a short review, but I really am struggling to make sense.
I finished it, though, and I promised myself that I would give a book 3 stars if I finished it, even if I didn't really like so.
Will I read other books in the series? Probably not, no. By this author? I'll give Ms Smith another try, certainly.
3 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
*insert sigh*
*insert another sigh*
I wanted to love, to even LIKE this book but I struggled, to be honest.
Mostly, because of two things.
Only Sasha has a say, and she grated on me, she really did. I can't say WHY, and I'm more annoyed that I cannot voice WHY she got my back up and got on my nerves, but she did. And because Caleb isn't given a voice, I very nearly dumped it, because she drove me nuts at points!
AND
First person/present tense. Even if caleb had been given a voice, with the book written this way, I would have enjoyed it a bit more, I think.
You could see the "situation" developing at the hospital, with the other nurse, coming at ay like a train wreck, and you can't stop, but it is nice for everything to be laid out for you once in a while. There were SOME surprises though, so i enjoyed that.
I'm sorry, a short review, but I really am struggling to make sense.
I finished it, though, and I promised myself that I would give a book 3 stars if I finished it, even if I didn't really like so.
Will I read other books in the series? Probably not, no. By this author? I'll give Ms Smith another try, certainly.
3 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2346 KP) rated Sleeping with the Fishes in Books
Mar 15, 2020
Ava is the oldest daughter of Mother, and as such has been groomed to take over the leadership of Sirenia, their merfolk territory under the sea, someday. Most view Ava as aloof and bossy, but Ava will be the first to tell you she is really afraid – afraid her past will come out and afraid she will fail when the time comes. The time comes sooner than she expected when Mother is kidnapped and Ava must take over leadership immediately. Then comes word that sharks are encroaching on mermaid territory. Can Ava deal with this crisis?
This is the third novella about three mermaid sisters, and it is another fantastic tale. Ava finally gets her chance to step into the spotlight, and she fully comes alive for us. As the story unfolds, we get to see her grapple with what she has been handed and rise to the occasion. Yes, this is another fantastic coming of age story with a strong mystery to keep you turning pages. These novellas are best read in order, but there is enough background to follow Ava’s story. It’s been wonderful getting to spend some time under the sea with all three of these sisters.
NOTE: NOTE: This story, along with the stories of Ava’s sisters, are included in the Mermaid Mysteries anthology. Buy them individually or as a set, but there is no need to buy both.
This is the third novella about three mermaid sisters, and it is another fantastic tale. Ava finally gets her chance to step into the spotlight, and she fully comes alive for us. As the story unfolds, we get to see her grapple with what she has been handed and rise to the occasion. Yes, this is another fantastic coming of age story with a strong mystery to keep you turning pages. These novellas are best read in order, but there is enough background to follow Ava’s story. It’s been wonderful getting to spend some time under the sea with all three of these sisters.
NOTE: NOTE: This story, along with the stories of Ava’s sisters, are included in the Mermaid Mysteries anthology. Buy them individually or as a set, but there is no need to buy both.