Search
Search results
Crossover (The Chosen One Trilogy #1)
10.0
Rate It
Book
Twenty-three-year-old Hayden Carlson never led an exciting life, but that was how she preferred it....
Fantasy Romance
Merissa (14024 KP) rated Rare Form (Descended of Dragons #1) in Books
Apr 19, 2023
This is the debut novel of Jen Crane and she has started with a belter! There are some brilliant one-liners in here, and she has given a new meaning between a younger girl and an older man!
So many characters in here to draw you in! Stella herself is cracking! She deals with life-changing events with attitude and aplomb, whilst committing herself fully. Gresham is simply gorgeous and I can't get enough of him. Timbra is sweet but with a sassy edge. Ewan - what can I say about him? He intrigues me and I can't wait to see where this story will take him.
Well-written, smoothly paced, and laced with humour, this is a book to savour! Definitely recommended by me and I can't wait for book 2!!
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Oct 6, 2015
So many characters in here to draw you in! Stella herself is cracking! She deals with life-changing events with attitude and aplomb, whilst committing herself fully. Gresham is simply gorgeous and I can't get enough of him. Timbra is sweet but with a sassy edge. Ewan - what can I say about him? He intrigues me and I can't wait to see where this story will take him.
Well-written, smoothly paced, and laced with humour, this is a book to savour! Definitely recommended by me and I can't wait for book 2!!
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Oct 6, 2015
The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy, #1)
4.0
Rate It
Book
Discover this spellbinding debut from S.A. Chakraborty. ‘An extravagant feast of a book –...
The latest 9at the time of writing) of Marvel's post-blip TV shows, and the last to be aired in 2021, finally giving one of the OG Avengers who was oft-overlooked in the mainline movies a bit of his own agency and character development.
Released in late November and running through to December, there is a definite Christmassy feel to this one, which the series leans heavily into: indeed, getting home in time to spend Christmas with his family is one of the drivers of the plot.
This also sees the return of certain characters from the mainline movies tied to the former Black Widow, as well as - finally! - introducing character who made their live-action debut in the Netflix Marvel TV show of Daredevil (shows whose canonicity is now dubious).
Oh, and there's no end or mid credits scenes in this at all until the very last episode.
Which has, perhaps, the best such scene Marvel has ever produced.
Released in late November and running through to December, there is a definite Christmassy feel to this one, which the series leans heavily into: indeed, getting home in time to spend Christmas with his family is one of the drivers of the plot.
This also sees the return of certain characters from the mainline movies tied to the former Black Widow, as well as - finally! - introducing character who made their live-action debut in the Netflix Marvel TV show of Daredevil (shows whose canonicity is now dubious).
Oh, and there's no end or mid credits scenes in this at all until the very last episode.
Which has, perhaps, the best such scene Marvel has ever produced.
Hazel (2934 KP) rated Her Perfect Twin in Books
Jan 23, 2022
Well, I think I can safely say that I absolutely loved this book. Yes it might be a little implausible but I thoroughly enjoyed it nonetheless and it's a great, deliciously dark and twisty debut.
This is one of those books that has you wondering what the heck is going to happen next and then you keep reading it into the night to find out only for another twist to come along or bombshell dropped - I found it hard to put down.
I'm not even going to try and sum up the plot but will say it includes Covid, domestic violence, controlling and coercive behaviour, gaslighting, sex and violence so if this isn't your thing, you might not want to pick this one up.
With great characters, excellent pacing with plenty of tension and twists, this is a book I have no problem recommending and my thanks must go to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
This is one of those books that has you wondering what the heck is going to happen next and then you keep reading it into the night to find out only for another twist to come along or bombshell dropped - I found it hard to put down.
I'm not even going to try and sum up the plot but will say it includes Covid, domestic violence, controlling and coercive behaviour, gaslighting, sex and violence so if this isn't your thing, you might not want to pick this one up.
With great characters, excellent pacing with plenty of tension and twists, this is a book I have no problem recommending and my thanks must go to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Echo Man in Books
Apr 28, 2022
What can I say? I absolutely loved this and it is one of my favourite reads of 2022 so far. I was hooked from the very first page to the last and completely and utterly devoured it!
With excellent characters, an engrossing story line and a plot with twists that at least one of which I didn't see coming, this is a great read however, be warned, there is a lot of violence and gore from the beginning but, to be honest, that's to be expected given it's about serial killers although it may be a bit much for some.
This is a great debut and I will certainly be looking out for more by this author in the future and I have no hesitation recommending to lovers of this genre.
My thanks go to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
With excellent characters, an engrossing story line and a plot with twists that at least one of which I didn't see coming, this is a great read however, be warned, there is a lot of violence and gore from the beginning but, to be honest, that's to be expected given it's about serial killers although it may be a bit much for some.
This is a great debut and I will certainly be looking out for more by this author in the future and I have no hesitation recommending to lovers of this genre.
My thanks go to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
Exile (The Last Roman #1)
8.0
Rate It
Book
Gaul, 37 AD Seasoned imperial officer Marcus Sempronius Gracchus leads the 9th Roman Legion into...
The Knowhere child
Book
‘Her name is Sammy Went. This photo was taken on her second birthday. Three days later she was...
Rebirth of a Sage
Book
A TRANSFORMATIONAL MEMOIR OF LOVE AND LIGHT. In Lani Gonzales' intimate self-help debut, Rebirth...
Spirituality Self Help Memoir
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Saint Maud (2020) in Movies
Oct 6, 2020
Morfydd Clark - astonishingly good as Maud (1 more)
Expert pacing from debut director Rose Glass
"My Little Saviour": Astonishing Saint Maud delivers psycho-religious chills
Saint Maud is the debut feature from writer/director Rose Glass, and it packs a punch. The film was first seen at last year's London Film Festival, but was due for broader nationwide release soon. What a crushing disappointment it must be for Ms Glass that so few people will likely get to see it in the current climate... at least, not for a while. Since it is an effective little chiller.
Maud (Morfydd Clark) is a palliative nurse looking after ex-choreographer Amanda (Jennifer Ehle). Maud is extremely religious and feels God move in her... regularly. Acting on His guidance, Maud sets out to save the soul of her ailing bohemian charge. But is Amanda beyond reach, and how will the zealot-like Maud react to that rejection?
Morfydd Clark appears so young in this film that you would think this was her debut film. But she's actually 30 years old and has quite an impressive filmography already. Although this is her movie-lead debut, she's had a substantial part alongside Kate Beckinsale in the excellent "Love and Friendship" and smaller parts in "Crawl", "The Personal History of David Copperfield" and the fun "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies". She's likely to get more worldwide exposure soon as a young Galadriel in Amazon's new version of "Lord of the Rings".
As Maud she is simply superb - expressing such a range of joy, hurt and despair that you must think a BAFTA Rising Star nomination should be on the cards.
Clark is ably supported in the leading role by the splendid Jennifer Ehle, still so memorable to me as Elizabeth Bennett from the BBC's "Pride and Prejudice".
Scarborough is also a star of "Saint Maud". The Yorkshire seaside town is another star of the movie. Clearly filmed before lockdown, the rainy and windswept resort looks bleak and unwelcoming. And that's before Covid! Many of those struggling bars and amusement centres, as in other resorts all around the UK, are now on their last legs.
Adam Janota Bzowski supplies the impressively claustrophobic music, which deserves recognition. A scene with Maud, flicking a lighter rhythmically in time with the sonorous beat, is a masterpiece in musical choreography and editing (by Mark Towns).
At the heart of this horror-thriller is whether, following a Dawkins-style argument, fervent religious followers are less insightfully correct and more mentally unstable and misguided. When is the voice of God just the voice in your head? And how would you tell the difference anyway? Piecing together the plot and motivations of Maud was intellectually challenging and rewarding.
I always get a little tense and nervous when I see the word "horror" on a movie bill. I am NOT a great horror fan! But for me, as a 'horror movie', "Saint Maud" is of the 'horror-lite' variety. Highly watchable, it builds more in the way of creeping dread than cheap shocks. There were only a couple of jump-scares (but for me, the one in the finale was a doozy!).
A BBC interview with Rose Glass I just saw says she relates Maud's relationship with God as like many people's relationship with social media. Always looking for support, guidance and affirmation. Interesting.
This is also an obviously female-led picture. All the men are complete tools. no, really, literally they are. It makes me feel ashamed to be among their number.
Overall, "Saint Maud" is a minor classic. I didn't go in with great expectations of this one, but I was pleasantly surprised. As a small British movie, it packs a punch significantly above its weight. When I came out I was at about a 7* rating. But this is one that really stayed with me, and I've subconsciously thought about little else all day. So for that reason I am going to escalate my rating to something more appropriate.
You might struggle now to see it on the big screen, but if you can do so, it comes with a recommendation from me. I think this one could REALLY be a "Marmite film".... so if you see it, let me know what you thought with a comment on One Mann's Movies here https://rb.gy/9k93ck . (Thanks).
Maud (Morfydd Clark) is a palliative nurse looking after ex-choreographer Amanda (Jennifer Ehle). Maud is extremely religious and feels God move in her... regularly. Acting on His guidance, Maud sets out to save the soul of her ailing bohemian charge. But is Amanda beyond reach, and how will the zealot-like Maud react to that rejection?
Morfydd Clark appears so young in this film that you would think this was her debut film. But she's actually 30 years old and has quite an impressive filmography already. Although this is her movie-lead debut, she's had a substantial part alongside Kate Beckinsale in the excellent "Love and Friendship" and smaller parts in "Crawl", "The Personal History of David Copperfield" and the fun "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies". She's likely to get more worldwide exposure soon as a young Galadriel in Amazon's new version of "Lord of the Rings".
As Maud she is simply superb - expressing such a range of joy, hurt and despair that you must think a BAFTA Rising Star nomination should be on the cards.
Clark is ably supported in the leading role by the splendid Jennifer Ehle, still so memorable to me as Elizabeth Bennett from the BBC's "Pride and Prejudice".
Scarborough is also a star of "Saint Maud". The Yorkshire seaside town is another star of the movie. Clearly filmed before lockdown, the rainy and windswept resort looks bleak and unwelcoming. And that's before Covid! Many of those struggling bars and amusement centres, as in other resorts all around the UK, are now on their last legs.
Adam Janota Bzowski supplies the impressively claustrophobic music, which deserves recognition. A scene with Maud, flicking a lighter rhythmically in time with the sonorous beat, is a masterpiece in musical choreography and editing (by Mark Towns).
At the heart of this horror-thriller is whether, following a Dawkins-style argument, fervent religious followers are less insightfully correct and more mentally unstable and misguided. When is the voice of God just the voice in your head? And how would you tell the difference anyway? Piecing together the plot and motivations of Maud was intellectually challenging and rewarding.
I always get a little tense and nervous when I see the word "horror" on a movie bill. I am NOT a great horror fan! But for me, as a 'horror movie', "Saint Maud" is of the 'horror-lite' variety. Highly watchable, it builds more in the way of creeping dread than cheap shocks. There were only a couple of jump-scares (but for me, the one in the finale was a doozy!).
A BBC interview with Rose Glass I just saw says she relates Maud's relationship with God as like many people's relationship with social media. Always looking for support, guidance and affirmation. Interesting.
This is also an obviously female-led picture. All the men are complete tools. no, really, literally they are. It makes me feel ashamed to be among their number.
Overall, "Saint Maud" is a minor classic. I didn't go in with great expectations of this one, but I was pleasantly surprised. As a small British movie, it packs a punch significantly above its weight. When I came out I was at about a 7* rating. But this is one that really stayed with me, and I've subconsciously thought about little else all day. So for that reason I am going to escalate my rating to something more appropriate.
You might struggle now to see it on the big screen, but if you can do so, it comes with a recommendation from me. I think this one could REALLY be a "Marmite film".... so if you see it, let me know what you thought with a comment on One Mann's Movies here https://rb.gy/9k93ck . (Thanks).
