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Discovery (The Gifted #1)
Discovery (The Gifted #1)
Char Webster | 2016 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
What starts off as a 'normal' story about a young woman and her foster kids, quickly becomes something completely different - with mysterious men popping up at unexpected times, new abilities being found, old abilities becoming stronger, and threats, to name but some.

With a new Discovery in every chapter, this book is very well written, with no editing or grammatical errors that I found. The chemistry between Nick and Kate jumps out from the page at you, but it is still unclear as to whether or not they will end up together. I loved the supporting cast of friends that turned up towards the end of the book.

This is an intriguing story, with no clear definition of 'good' and 'evil'. Are the good guys really good? Are the bad really as bad as they are made out to be? I don't yet know for sure, but one thing I do know is that I can't wait to read Exploration, the second book in this series.

* Verified Purchase on Amazon *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
May 29, 2016
  
SS
Spirit Snatcher ( Dark Legacy 3)
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
49 of 220
Kindle
Spirit Snatcher ( Dark legacy 3)
By Margo Ryerkerk
⭐️⭐️

Sierra is coming to terms with the discovery of her family's dark secrets and mastering the elements when London's Guardians begin to vanish one by one.

Certain the Culpatus is behind the abductions, she needs to uncover where they're taking the Guardians before it is too late. However, she can't do this alone and must team up with the last person she wants to deal with - Gavin.

Gavin has broken her heart, and yet, she still longs for him, even though she's dating Cooper.

The mission to rescue the Guardians will test Sierra, Gavin, and Cooper like nothing has ever before and take them deep into the lair of the Culpatus.

Will they manage to free their people, or will they end up prisoners themselves?

I don’t know why but this one I really really struggled with. I’m not sure where I became a little bored and it’s a shame as the other 2 books i enjoyed. This one I couldn’t get on with.
  
Alita: Battle Angel (2019)
Alita: Battle Angel (2019)
2019 | Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Don’t let the “big anime eyes” or unusual title fool you into thinking this will be a lame film. Yes, this movie is based off a manga you’ve probably never heard of. Yes, it is easy to dismiss this film as something that will bomb like last year’s Mortal Engines. But if you place your faith in director Robert Rodriguez and writer/producer James Cameron, you will be treated to a surprisingly solid narrative and fast paced visual spectacle that is worth the price of admission to view in the theater.

The biggest praise I can give to Alita: Battle Angel is that the visually stunning world they create on screen feels “lived in” and real. I found it easy to accept and understand the rules of that world they built and explained throughout film. And while we are not given a full history of their world, we are given enough explanation to understand how or why something existed in their world. This gives us the opportunity to focus on the story of “self-discovery” that Alita ultimately is.

Rosa Salazar motion capture performance of Alita is excellent. Not only in movement but in emotionally delivery. You get the real sense of discovery with this amazing world that Alita is being exposed to. Additionally, as she begins to become more self-aware of who she is, you can understand the emotion and she struggles with love, trust and obligation. Furthermore, from a technical standpoint, by the end of the movie, I was not thinking of Alita being something that is motion captured and instead just accepted her as part of this onscreen world they delivered. This is really something that becomes make or break with this film for some people and it’s easy to dismiss it based on the trailers. However in context of the film, it works and does a good job drawing you in.

In addition to Alita, we are given strong performances from the ensemble cast of characters in the film. Christoph Waltz play’s Alita surrogate father Dr. Dyson Ido, Keean Johnson as the street smart and resourceful Hugo, Mahershala Ali as the gangster type gate keeper Vector, Jennifer Connelly as the morally ambiguous goal focused scientist and Ed Skrein as the cocky bounty hunter. Each of these characters play their roles well and help usher in the different levels of the society they live in. Perhaps the once complaint I have of this film is that the pacing of this film is so fast that we miss an opportunity to obtain a bit more backstory from some of these characters. It is not a big loss, but it makes you wonder if this film would have been better served as a 10 episode Netflix series or something of that nature.

In the end, I found myself enjoying this film more than I expected I would. Is it a perfect film? No. Nor does it invoke emotionally deep existential thought that the manga it is based on provides. But it does tell a sold story of self-discovery in a visually stunning and fully realized world. It is fun, fast paced and something that should be seen in the theaters. And if possible, do yourself a favor and watch it in 3D. This film has some of the best 3D effects since Avatar. The 3D doesn’t feel like an afterthought or gimmicky, but instead works to enhance the on screen world.