Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Defiance (Rise of the Iliri #3) in Books
Mar 3, 2020
Salryc Luxx has come a long way in just four years, from slave to conscript, to elite Black Blade assassin, rising rapidly as her extraordinary abilities are revealed. Promoted to lieutenant after capturing a valuable shipment of metals and laying waste to the invading force, she and Cyno, her partner (in war and love), have been entrusted with a dangerous mission: to assassinate the King of Anglia and the five nobles in line for the throne, leaving the path to ascension clear for their own leader.
That’s one side of the story. The other is that she and Cyno have been assigned this suicide mission as Parliament’s first pass at removing the iliri taint from the military. Either way, without the strength of allies, the Conglomerate of Free Citizens cannot turn back the invaders, whose goal is to wipe out the whole iliri species, so Sal and Cyno are the only hope of ending the continental war devastating their species. Traveling for months, they are so far away from their home base that they’re beyond the mental link that connects the pack. They remain committed to their mission—and to each other, but… unhappily disturbed. They can only hope their separation from the pack bring them closer together. But the danger is, in the absence of the pack, their bond will wither.
A kind deed, helping what they take to be a wounded animal, leads to the discovery of their true nature, to strengthening and re-energizing their pack, and to a surprising alliance that offers hope for the future. The wounded animal, they learn, is a graour wolf, a species of ferocious warriors with language and traits nearly identical to iliri. When two of them ask to join her pack, Sal recruits them as Black Blades and the iliri are no longer the only dog in the fight for iliri freedom.
But Anglia is nothing like the Conglomerate of Free Citizens. Anglians discriminate based on gender, not species. Iliri are thought to be just a myth--until Sal shows her face. To convince the king and his council that yes, a woman really can be a soldier, she's going to have to make her own rules. The enemy is moving. She doesn't have time to deal with outdated court manners.
As the defiance of an entire species rises up in her, she really has no choice—she’ll just have to change the world.
Women readers will thrill to the reverse harem idea that pushes the boundaries of epic fantasy in this second world series that may remind some of Avatar without the scary beasts; or even Game Of Thrones, but happier, with more color—and a dazzling female protagonist. Fans of Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern will find Sal’s planet Ogun a thrilling destination for their next fantasy fix
They just keep getting better! Sal and Cyno are out on their own and they are kicking up a storm! We get to meet the Graour who the Iliri are descended from! We get a chance to see a whole new world building. I love the new characters and you are with them every step of the way on the battlefield it's also such a good feeling when the black blades are all back together and loving their new pack mates. It was only a matter of time before Cyno became her number 1 I'm glad Blaec took it well. Looking forward to book 4!
Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated Vanished in Books
Mar 18, 2020
Andrea lives with her little dog, Muff, out in the country. She tries to live a structured life but since she works from home she finds herself giving in to cravings more often. Luckily Muff is extremely high energy for a little dog and requires Andrea to take her for long walks. One day Andrea makes plans with the neighbor guy for a date after Muff’s walk. The neighbor waits for her but she doesn't show up, for years.
During their walk Andrea and Muff finds themselves pulled into a dense yellow mist and when it dissipates things have changed. The area they are in looks familiar yet it is not the home they are used to, but instead, it looks more like pictures from a history book. Andrea draws a lot of attention to herself from the way she talks and dresses and soon finds herself with Father Jones. Through the Father, Andrea learns of Robert who also seems to have come from the future. Andrea manages to secure work along with room and board for herself and Robert at the home of William Farthing, a Lord. Sadly Andrea knows of the fate that is going to befall William and wars with herself about intervening. She also must come up with a decision if she wishes to return to her old life in the 21st century or try to keep her new one int the 17th.
I enjoyed how both positive and negative aspects of the 17th century are addressed. The dirty and poor living conditions are clearly depicted, as are the differences in food compared to what we are used to today. The lifestyle of those in the 17th century is very different from modern times but slower and calmer as well. There was inconsistency with the names of the characters in a few places. At times it was as if the reader is expected to recognize the name of a character that is only mentioned once. I can only guess that this is in error. The back of the book also says that it takes place in 2015 but in the actual story it is (to start out with) 2019. Without going into a lot of details as to why the wedding is also in the wrong year.
There is nothing in this book the I noticed that would make it inappropriate in any way. The topic and writing style might make it quite a bit boring for even middle school-aged readers. Those who like historical fiction and romance will probably enjoy this book. I rate this book 2 out of 4. Besides the inconsistencies and other issues, I mentioned earlier the book also had multiple typos and grammar errors. While I myself am not good in that area of writing the errors in this book were glaringly obvious even to me. The book needs to be closely edited and this seriously lowered the score.
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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Knight of Cups (2016) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
‘Knight Of Cups’ is a romantic drama written and directed by Terrence Malick and stars an ensemble cast including Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Antonio Banderas, Natalie Portman, Brian Dennehy, Armin Muller-Stahl, Isabel Lucas, Freida Pinto, Wes Bentley, Imogen Poots, Teresa Palmer, and Peter Matthiessen.
“Once there was a young prince whose father, the king of the East, sent him down into Egypt to find a pearl. But when the prince arrived, the people poured him a cup. Drinking it, he forgot he was the son of a king, forgot about the pearl and fell into a deep sleep.”
Rick (Bale) is a successful writer born into a powerful family in L.A. The son of Joseph (Dennehy) and brother to Barry (Bently). After the lose of a second brother as well as his mother, Rick becomes disillusioned and loses himself in the excesses found in the ‘City Of Angles’ and nearby Las Vegas. Along this aimless journey he encounters 6 different women Nancy (Blanchett) a doctor, Elizabeth (Portman) a married woman, Helen (Pinto), Isabel (Lucas), Karen (Palmer), and Della (Poots) looking to form some sort of bond or connection. Perhaps even to discover love only to encounter more lose. He wanders from cities, to beaches, then from mountains to deserts. Searching for something meaningful, some purpose all the while trying to hold what remains of his family and his own sanity together and along the way encounters a cast of colorful characters who have their own ideas about life and their own views on how he should live his.
This film was pretty much Malick’s attempt at making an art film with a large budget and a star studded cast. That’s just the thing. He succeeded and it was just too much. From a technical standpoint, it was wonderfully directed with its landscapes and ‘not-the-norm’ angles and close-ups but it simultaneously took away from the people and the story. It was almost as though they were trying to combine a film on the Discovery Channel with a drama. The film was two minutes shy of 2 hours long. Had the director been able to shave 20 minutes from it, then I could see it given a limited run in major theaters. I have to give kudos to the actors and actresses who were on top of their game which made the film worth sitting through once. The film is rated R for scenes of violence, nudity, and language. If you’re enduring one of those days where you just need to disappear and NOT communicate with anyone for a while, go see this movie. It’s runtime and complexity will help take your mind off your troubles. I’d highly recommend though that you save the film for viewing at home. I’ll give this film 3 out of 5 stars.
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