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Ross (3284 KP) rated Good Omens in TV
Jul 4, 2019
Broadly fine
I am a long-time fan of Terry Pratchett, and a more recent fan of Neil Gaiman, and yet it was only the release of the TV series that prompted me to finally read their joint effort. I thought the book was pretty good, lots of nice silly little jokes spread about, and a good plot keeping up momentum throughout.
I felt the TV series let the book down a little bit. While the overall story and the dialogue, in the main, is true to the book, I felt a lot of it fell flat. A lot of the humour (which comes in the form of charming asides, generally in the narrative of the book) missed the mark and just did not land properly. I did like the expanded section on Azirafale and Crowley's efforts through time, though I think they laboured it too long on the angel's unwillingness and didn't quite show how much they had worked together.
Tennant played Bill Nighy playing a demon, Sheen played David Mitchell playing an angel and they were broadly fine but didn't really sit perfectly for my liking. The rest of the cast were pretty strong (with the exception of Jack Whitehall who I utterly detest and don't think he can act for toffee).
The special effects were on the poor side, but that is only compared to the major big-budget TV shows like GoT and The Walking Dead. The physical effects were excellent.
In all, I am glad they restricted the series to a small number of episodes and did not try and drag it out too long. The ending was not given the build-up it deserved, there really wasn't enough peril before the two single acts that stopped the end of the war (Pulsifer and Adam).
I was very happy to see the relationship between Azirafale and Crowley develop beyond friendship
I felt the TV series let the book down a little bit. While the overall story and the dialogue, in the main, is true to the book, I felt a lot of it fell flat. A lot of the humour (which comes in the form of charming asides, generally in the narrative of the book) missed the mark and just did not land properly. I did like the expanded section on Azirafale and Crowley's efforts through time, though I think they laboured it too long on the angel's unwillingness and didn't quite show how much they had worked together.
Tennant played Bill Nighy playing a demon, Sheen played David Mitchell playing an angel and they were broadly fine but didn't really sit perfectly for my liking. The rest of the cast were pretty strong (with the exception of Jack Whitehall who I utterly detest and don't think he can act for toffee).
The special effects were on the poor side, but that is only compared to the major big-budget TV shows like GoT and The Walking Dead. The physical effects were excellent.
In all, I am glad they restricted the series to a small number of episodes and did not try and drag it out too long. The ending was not given the build-up it deserved, there really wasn't enough peril before the two single acts that stopped the end of the war (Pulsifer and Adam).
I was very happy to see the relationship between Azirafale and Crowley develop beyond friendship
Merissa (12934 KP) rated To Look the Devil in the Eye (Broken Halos #5) in Books
Nov 7, 2019
To Look the Devil in the Eye is the penultimate book in the Broken Halos series, and MUST be read as part of the series, or it just won't make sense. This one starts where The Devil in Disguise left off.
Hel knows she needs to, but doesn't want to, help free her dad, Satanael. Eric always has her back and will do whatever he can to support her. Satanael needs to get to know his daughter, and quickly finds out she isn't prepared to just do as she is told, or accept what she knows is untrue.
As with the whole series so far, there is an awful load of sass and attitude, which I adore! I loved reading Maya Daniels' books as each of them has a strong female lead who doesn't take any c**p. Beezlebub is still my favourite demon (sorry Eric, but you're already taken!) but Colt has grown up in this one, and sticks up for Helena when no one else does. The Trowe, Narsi, also grows beyond belief in this book, but you really have to read it to understand.
Now, bearing in mind we only have one book left, you KNOW it's going to go out with a bang, on a humungous cliffhanger (because what else would Maya Daniels do?!). And I wasn't disappointed! Fair warning though, you will probably have to re-read the ending a couple of times, just to make sure you don't miss anything. That's it. I'm done for. Ms Daniels has me reading blurry words as my eyes are leaking. She has officially killed me with the ending to this book.
Do I recommend this book? Only by about 1000%. Just make sure you start at the beginning so you don't miss a single moment of attitude!
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Hel knows she needs to, but doesn't want to, help free her dad, Satanael. Eric always has her back and will do whatever he can to support her. Satanael needs to get to know his daughter, and quickly finds out she isn't prepared to just do as she is told, or accept what she knows is untrue.
As with the whole series so far, there is an awful load of sass and attitude, which I adore! I loved reading Maya Daniels' books as each of them has a strong female lead who doesn't take any c**p. Beezlebub is still my favourite demon (sorry Eric, but you're already taken!) but Colt has grown up in this one, and sticks up for Helena when no one else does. The Trowe, Narsi, also grows beyond belief in this book, but you really have to read it to understand.
Now, bearing in mind we only have one book left, you KNOW it's going to go out with a bang, on a humungous cliffhanger (because what else would Maya Daniels do?!). And I wasn't disappointed! Fair warning though, you will probably have to re-read the ending a couple of times, just to make sure you don't miss anything. That's it. I'm done for. Ms Daniels has me reading blurry words as my eyes are leaking. She has officially killed me with the ending to this book.
Do I recommend this book? Only by about 1000%. Just make sure you start at the beginning so you don't miss a single moment of attitude!
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The Daylight War (The Demon Cycle #3) in Books
Nov 12, 2019
The Daylight War is the 3rd installment in the Demonwar Cycle by Peter V. Brett. It concerns a world (strongly hinted to be a future version of ours) that is plagued every night by demons that rise from the ground to kill the human population.
In the previous book (The Desert Spear) the rise of Jardir and his attempt to unite the humans by force was described, as was the continuing story of Arlen Bales, Leesha Paper and Roger Inn, the other major players in the story.
This book follows on immediately from the previous book. At the next new moon the demon princes are going to arrive in an attempt to destroy both Jardir and Arlen (both believed by many to be the fabled Deliverer) and both must prepare for the coming.
Most of the story follows Arlen and the people of Cutter's Hollow in their preparations for the next new moon. It also follows the return of Leesha and Roger to Cutter's Hollow following their journey to Everam's Bounty to stay with Jardir, and the many different threads that arise from that encounter and their return home.
As with the previous books the focus is on the characters involved, their interactions and personalities. Even more of the supporting cast is explored, with the main inhabitants of Cutter's Hollow and Jardir's inner circle becoming familiar to the reader. Conflicts and secrets between the characters abound with old feuds settled.
Again the writing is sublime with the descriptions and personalities of the characters a particular highlight. The scenes fighting demons are well written and Brett seems to have worked hard to produce something different in each one so they are never dull or predictable. The ending is brilliant and there are plenty of threads to pick up in the next installment.
Definitely recommended, but have patience it is a very long book.
In the previous book (The Desert Spear) the rise of Jardir and his attempt to unite the humans by force was described, as was the continuing story of Arlen Bales, Leesha Paper and Roger Inn, the other major players in the story.
This book follows on immediately from the previous book. At the next new moon the demon princes are going to arrive in an attempt to destroy both Jardir and Arlen (both believed by many to be the fabled Deliverer) and both must prepare for the coming.
Most of the story follows Arlen and the people of Cutter's Hollow in their preparations for the next new moon. It also follows the return of Leesha and Roger to Cutter's Hollow following their journey to Everam's Bounty to stay with Jardir, and the many different threads that arise from that encounter and their return home.
As with the previous books the focus is on the characters involved, their interactions and personalities. Even more of the supporting cast is explored, with the main inhabitants of Cutter's Hollow and Jardir's inner circle becoming familiar to the reader. Conflicts and secrets between the characters abound with old feuds settled.
Again the writing is sublime with the descriptions and personalities of the characters a particular highlight. The scenes fighting demons are well written and Brett seems to have worked hard to produce something different in each one so they are never dull or predictable. The ending is brilliant and there are plenty of threads to pick up in the next installment.
Definitely recommended, but have patience it is a very long book.
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Shadow of the Fox (Shadow of the Fox, #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>
Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa brings Japanese mythology and folklore to life, taking readers on an exciting journey through feudal Japan, Kagawa weaves together three characters from different backgrounds all while introducing readers to a wide variety of demons the characters come across. The novel follows these characters as a new age approaches and the Kami Dragon is summoned, granting a wish to the one who holds the pieces of the Dragon Scroll.
Shadow of the Fox is primarily told in the two perspectives of Yumeko and Tatsumi, with the occasional addition of a third. Yumeko is a half-kitsune, half-human raised at the Silent Winds temple to hide her true kitsune nature, though she is forced to flee after everyone is slaughtered by a demon who wants to retrieve a part of the scroll. Readers interested in seeing kitsune magic coming to life on the page may find themselves disappointed as Yumeko shows little of her magic and hides her true nature from her companions.
One of those companions includes Tatsumi, a samurai from the Shadow Clan ordered to bring the Dragon Scroll regardless of the cost. Raised as a weapon, Tatsumi is taught from a young age to hide all of his emotions and thoughts from those around him as doing so would pose a danger. Not able to accomplish his mission right away, he finds himself in an unlikely alliance with Yumeko and begins to question his upbringing.
The first novel in a stunning new series, Shadow of the Fox is a magical adventure with an ominous feel throughout and will have readers wanting the sequel to the story.
<a href="https://60secondsmag.com/review-shadow-of-the-fox/">This review was originally posted on 60 Seconds Online Magazine</a>.
Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa brings Japanese mythology and folklore to life, taking readers on an exciting journey through feudal Japan, Kagawa weaves together three characters from different backgrounds all while introducing readers to a wide variety of demons the characters come across. The novel follows these characters as a new age approaches and the Kami Dragon is summoned, granting a wish to the one who holds the pieces of the Dragon Scroll.
Shadow of the Fox is primarily told in the two perspectives of Yumeko and Tatsumi, with the occasional addition of a third. Yumeko is a half-kitsune, half-human raised at the Silent Winds temple to hide her true kitsune nature, though she is forced to flee after everyone is slaughtered by a demon who wants to retrieve a part of the scroll. Readers interested in seeing kitsune magic coming to life on the page may find themselves disappointed as Yumeko shows little of her magic and hides her true nature from her companions.
One of those companions includes Tatsumi, a samurai from the Shadow Clan ordered to bring the Dragon Scroll regardless of the cost. Raised as a weapon, Tatsumi is taught from a young age to hide all of his emotions and thoughts from those around him as doing so would pose a danger. Not able to accomplish his mission right away, he finds himself in an unlikely alliance with Yumeko and begins to question his upbringing.
The first novel in a stunning new series, Shadow of the Fox is a magical adventure with an ominous feel throughout and will have readers wanting the sequel to the story.
<a href="https://60secondsmag.com/review-shadow-of-the-fox/">This review was originally posted on 60 Seconds Online Magazine</a>.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Dream Warrior (Dark Warrior Alliance #1) in Books
May 15, 2020
80 of 200
Kindle
Dream warrior ( Dark warrior alliance book1)
By Brenda Trim and Tami Julka
Along the edges of darkness, a war of attrition rages between the demon plane and the Tehrex Realm. Dark Warriors alone stand between humans and the evil that seeks to destroy them. Zander Tarakesh, the sexy as sin vampire king, leads the battle.
Zander is battle-hardened and accustomed to command, yet wrestles to regain control when his Fated Mate is propelled into his world, bombarding him with unfamiliar emotions. His life depends on him uniting with Elsie, the slip of a mortal, who unknowingly protects a vital piece of his soul. Eradicating the demons will be an easier task than combating her sense of guilt and betrayal to gain her acceptance, loyalty, and, ultimately, her love. And, he must do this before she plunges a stake in his heart. One thing is certain: The flames of passion ignite a fire in their shared souls....
Elsie Hayes' life is shattered after the vicious murder of her husband. Intent on revenge, she spends her evenings killing creatures others only see in nightmares. A supernatural event teleports Elsie into a world filled with violence, magic, and unexpected lust and love when she is thrust from widow to Fated Mate of the enigmatic vampire king. Can she lower the protective shield around her heart, giving herself to a vampire whose power is the very reason her life was changed forever?
I found it an easy enjoyable read! If you have read BDB and sherrilyn Kenton books you will love this! It has a structure similar and it works for most! I went between 3 and 4 stars as I enjoy JR Ward but felt I could enjoy this book a lot more than the BDB series! I loved the characters and the supernaturals that are in the book and looking forward to reading about more of them! Hot men , strong females, supernaturals , romance sex and action what more could you want?
Kindle
Dream warrior ( Dark warrior alliance book1)
By Brenda Trim and Tami Julka
Along the edges of darkness, a war of attrition rages between the demon plane and the Tehrex Realm. Dark Warriors alone stand between humans and the evil that seeks to destroy them. Zander Tarakesh, the sexy as sin vampire king, leads the battle.
Zander is battle-hardened and accustomed to command, yet wrestles to regain control when his Fated Mate is propelled into his world, bombarding him with unfamiliar emotions. His life depends on him uniting with Elsie, the slip of a mortal, who unknowingly protects a vital piece of his soul. Eradicating the demons will be an easier task than combating her sense of guilt and betrayal to gain her acceptance, loyalty, and, ultimately, her love. And, he must do this before she plunges a stake in his heart. One thing is certain: The flames of passion ignite a fire in their shared souls....
Elsie Hayes' life is shattered after the vicious murder of her husband. Intent on revenge, she spends her evenings killing creatures others only see in nightmares. A supernatural event teleports Elsie into a world filled with violence, magic, and unexpected lust and love when she is thrust from widow to Fated Mate of the enigmatic vampire king. Can she lower the protective shield around her heart, giving herself to a vampire whose power is the very reason her life was changed forever?
I found it an easy enjoyable read! If you have read BDB and sherrilyn Kenton books you will love this! It has a structure similar and it works for most! I went between 3 and 4 stars as I enjoy JR Ward but felt I could enjoy this book a lot more than the BDB series! I loved the characters and the supernaturals that are in the book and looking forward to reading about more of them! Hot men , strong females, supernaturals , romance sex and action what more could you want?
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Suicide Squad (2016) in Movies
Sep 29, 2020
Entirely crackbrained and nonsensical - I'm not even sure there's a single theme in either this nor the extended cut - but way better than 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 for the chief purposes that it doesn't look like pure ass and doesn't really try to act like it's anything more than religiously entertaining dirtpunk grit-fetish trash. It's just about as thinly-written as the former, but if you're going to make one-note characters and a bullshit plot I'd rather them sport this sort of wildly memorable, freakish cringe rather than the flat, market-tested cringe of most modern day Marvel. There's more meme-worthy, hilariously dumbass quotes in here than you can shake a stick at and the designwork on display is simply delicious imo - the lush, matted mess of CGI is actually quite stunning and the production is exquisite: the sickly makeup + vibrant costuming against the sets where you often see opulent golds and corporate lucre juxtaposed with a dank coat of dirt and graffiti - it's total eye candy. The image of Harley Quinn and Joker laughing in the chemical bath while Kehlani's "Gangster" blasts in the background and the colors from their clothes melt away is nothing less than a knockout piece of moving imagery. Smith is the weak link, not only horribly miscast but it also seems like he isn't even trying - otherwise everyone else does a bangup job from Jared Leto's "Pimp Daddy" chilling street tweaker Joker to Viola Davis' business-casual demon Waller to Cara Delevingne's gonzo, always sauntering, Meryl Streep-sounding Enchantress. Very dynamically idiotic in that random fun shit is just allowed to happen because it's clear this isn't at all concerned with making any sort of sense to begin with. All this and with a soundtrack that can only be described as epic, I truly believe this is a fascinating curio that got way too bad of a rap. As dumb as everyone says but also better than the last five MCU entries.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Scarred Warrior (Dark Warrior Alliance book 7) in Books
Oct 20, 2021
173 of 250
Kindle
Scarred Warrior ( Dark Warrior Alliance book 7)
By Brenda Trim and Tami Julka
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
Being a Dark Warrior and protecting others has been the only focus in Gerrick Haele's life for centuries, until he receives the shock of his life when one of the females he rescues from the archdemon's clutches ignites an arousal that hints at her being his Fated Mate. Problem is, Gerrick's Fated Mate was murdered four hundred years earlier and you are only ever given one mate in a lifetime. Questions of Dark magic and deception carry him down a path involving time travel, serums and fights to the death. Can he set aside his doubt and be the male Shae needs him to be, or will his past come back to haunt him and history repeat itself? Shae Mitchell has spent the last seven months being tormented, raped and tortured by vile archdemons and just wants her suffering to end. She is on the verge of giving up completely when Gerrick sweeps in to rescue her. Her relief at being liberated is short-lived when she realizes the demons have sunk their claws far deeper than the scars on her neck. As she fights to rid her mind of the archdemon's influence, she discovers that the explosive heat she shares with the sexy Dark Warrior threatens to consume her whole.
These get better and better each book! This was Gerricks and Shaes story which was just so well put together. We had the trapped females finally free from cages as well as a fated pair come together. Some catch ups with familiar faces and some exciting news for the king and queen. I have to say this every book I just love Mack more and more. One demon down and one to go before they unleash all hell. Really enjoyed this one.
Kindle
Scarred Warrior ( Dark Warrior Alliance book 7)
By Brenda Trim and Tami Julka
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
Being a Dark Warrior and protecting others has been the only focus in Gerrick Haele's life for centuries, until he receives the shock of his life when one of the females he rescues from the archdemon's clutches ignites an arousal that hints at her being his Fated Mate. Problem is, Gerrick's Fated Mate was murdered four hundred years earlier and you are only ever given one mate in a lifetime. Questions of Dark magic and deception carry him down a path involving time travel, serums and fights to the death. Can he set aside his doubt and be the male Shae needs him to be, or will his past come back to haunt him and history repeat itself? Shae Mitchell has spent the last seven months being tormented, raped and tortured by vile archdemons and just wants her suffering to end. She is on the verge of giving up completely when Gerrick sweeps in to rescue her. Her relief at being liberated is short-lived when she realizes the demons have sunk their claws far deeper than the scars on her neck. As she fights to rid her mind of the archdemon's influence, she discovers that the explosive heat she shares with the sexy Dark Warrior threatens to consume her whole.
These get better and better each book! This was Gerricks and Shaes story which was just so well put together. We had the trapped females finally free from cages as well as a fated pair come together. Some catch ups with familiar faces and some exciting news for the king and queen. I have to say this every book I just love Mack more and more. One demon down and one to go before they unleash all hell. Really enjoyed this one.
Merissa (12934 KP) rated Refuge (Relentless, #2) in Books
Jun 8, 2023
O.M.G.!!! It's been a while since I read Relentless and now I've got a major urge to read it again, just so I can immerse myself in Sara's story right from the word go.
This is one of those books that I bought immediately after I finished Relentless, but just never got the chance to read before life got in the way. Let me just say, that since I've finished this, life isn't going to get a chance to get in the way as I am starting Rogue straight away!!
In Refuge, Sara is living in a 'military-style compound' where she was dumped by Nikolas. Let's just leave it at he is not her favourite person right now. She is struggling in training as she fears losing control of her Mori demon. She hasn't really made new friends, instead stays in phone contact with Roland, Peter, and of course, Uncle Nate.
There is too much to give you a rundown of this book, and seriously, why on earth would I do that? That's what the synopsis is for!! Suffice it to say, Sara has a big learning curve in front of her. With her magic, she is learning new 'tricks', as well as receiving her very own early warning vampire radar.
So many bits made me smile, so many bits made me frustrated for Sara, but most of all, I can't wait to see where it will go next. With one heckuva cliffhanger that really Nikolas should have seen coming a mile off knowing Sara (remember, I'm writing this before reading Rogue so I have no idea if he realises or not!)
If you want a paranormal romance that is full of Mori demons, the fae, griffins, Alex the wyvern (love him!), hellhounds, vampires, shifters, absolutely gripping, full of action and adventure, romance, and 'real-life' reactions, then look no further. I really can't recommend this highly enough!!!
* Verified Purchase on Amazon *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jun 7, 2016
This is one of those books that I bought immediately after I finished Relentless, but just never got the chance to read before life got in the way. Let me just say, that since I've finished this, life isn't going to get a chance to get in the way as I am starting Rogue straight away!!
In Refuge, Sara is living in a 'military-style compound' where she was dumped by Nikolas. Let's just leave it at he is not her favourite person right now. She is struggling in training as she fears losing control of her Mori demon. She hasn't really made new friends, instead stays in phone contact with Roland, Peter, and of course, Uncle Nate.
There is too much to give you a rundown of this book, and seriously, why on earth would I do that? That's what the synopsis is for!! Suffice it to say, Sara has a big learning curve in front of her. With her magic, she is learning new 'tricks', as well as receiving her very own early warning vampire radar.
So many bits made me smile, so many bits made me frustrated for Sara, but most of all, I can't wait to see where it will go next. With one heckuva cliffhanger that really Nikolas should have seen coming a mile off knowing Sara (remember, I'm writing this before reading Rogue so I have no idea if he realises or not!)
If you want a paranormal romance that is full of Mori demons, the fae, griffins, Alex the wyvern (love him!), hellhounds, vampires, shifters, absolutely gripping, full of action and adventure, romance, and 'real-life' reactions, then look no further. I really can't recommend this highly enough!!!
* Verified Purchase on Amazon *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jun 7, 2016
Madbatdan82 (341 KP) Jul 11, 2019
Ross (3284 KP) Jul 12, 2019