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David McK (3713 KP) rated Ratcatcher (Matthew Hawkwood, #1) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
I picked this book up for something like 99p in a Clearance sale in my local WH Smiths, and I have to say: it actually proved to be a better read than many other books that I've paid full price for.
Set during the late Regency period, this is the era of the Napoleonic Wars, Affairs of Honour (i.e. forbidden duels), Highwaymen and the Bow Street Runners. Starting with the robbery of a coach, this builds up into a plot surrounding a (historically correct) invention that agents of France hope to use against Great Britain to swing the balance of power in their favour. Matthew Hawkwood - the hero of the tale - is a former army officer from the Rifle Corps, who now works as one of the Bow Street Runners (few in number, and who have since been called London's first professional police force), who is initially charged with investigating this robbery. While I did find elements of the plot to be obvious - one reveal, in particular, I saw coming from about a mile away - there is still plenty to enjoy in the novel.
Based on this one, I may be convinced pick up a few more of the sequels ...
Set during the late Regency period, this is the era of the Napoleonic Wars, Affairs of Honour (i.e. forbidden duels), Highwaymen and the Bow Street Runners. Starting with the robbery of a coach, this builds up into a plot surrounding a (historically correct) invention that agents of France hope to use against Great Britain to swing the balance of power in their favour. Matthew Hawkwood - the hero of the tale - is a former army officer from the Rifle Corps, who now works as one of the Bow Street Runners (few in number, and who have since been called London's first professional police force), who is initially charged with investigating this robbery. While I did find elements of the plot to be obvious - one reveal, in particular, I saw coming from about a mile away - there is still plenty to enjoy in the novel.
Based on this one, I may be convinced pick up a few more of the sequels ...
Andy K (10823 KP) rated The Devil's Backbone (2001) in Movies
Jul 19, 2019
Who knew Pan's Labyrinth had a companion film?
Early film from Guillermo del Toro is similar to Pan's Labyrinth in a lot of ways. In watching an interview after viewing the film, del Toro actually says this is a companion film since they have a lot of the same themes and cinematic elements most notably a child being introduced to a foreign hostile environment and the element of the supernatural influencing the actions of other characters.
I can see how others might complain about the slow pacing of certain scenes or the noticeable subplots that don't all have conclusions, but I guess those didn't bother me as I was engaged in the story. The kids eventually learn of the existence of the "ghost" in the basement and try and figure out its motives and reason for existence.
I enjoyed the look of the film immensely and thought all the acting was solid. The film had a haunting soundtrack which supplemented the spooky scenes very well.
I could even see some scenes which could've been out of The Shape of Water as del Toro's films all seem to have the director's signature look which isn't a complaint; only an observation.
I enjoyed it a lot.
I can see how others might complain about the slow pacing of certain scenes or the noticeable subplots that don't all have conclusions, but I guess those didn't bother me as I was engaged in the story. The kids eventually learn of the existence of the "ghost" in the basement and try and figure out its motives and reason for existence.
I enjoyed the look of the film immensely and thought all the acting was solid. The film had a haunting soundtrack which supplemented the spooky scenes very well.
I could even see some scenes which could've been out of The Shape of Water as del Toro's films all seem to have the director's signature look which isn't a complaint; only an observation.
I enjoyed it a lot.
Merissa (13778 KP) rated One Wish Away in Books
Dec 17, 2018
I received this book from YA Bound Books Tours and NetGalley as part of the blog tour in return for a fair and honest review.
This book has a unique (as far as I know) concept in that scientists have figured out the way to harness the energy from stars into actually making wishes come true. The name for this project is the Cricket Project ie Jiminy Cricket from Pinocchio.
It is a slow burner that builds up and tries to incorporate a lot of different elements into it - high school, romance, sci-fi, government plots, time alteration to name just some. Because of this, it can be quite jumpy as it flits from one aspect to another. There were also some aspects of it that just seemed completely unbelievable - and that's if you turn a blind eye to the actual star part of it. For example, a 16-year-old that thinks it is perfectly acceptable to go sneaking into a government building by stealing her dad's pass-card. And then nothing happens once she is caught except that she is offered a job!
An interesting concept with a twist but just not right for me. I liked it but I won't be going any further with the series.
This book has a unique (as far as I know) concept in that scientists have figured out the way to harness the energy from stars into actually making wishes come true. The name for this project is the Cricket Project ie Jiminy Cricket from Pinocchio.
It is a slow burner that builds up and tries to incorporate a lot of different elements into it - high school, romance, sci-fi, government plots, time alteration to name just some. Because of this, it can be quite jumpy as it flits from one aspect to another. There were also some aspects of it that just seemed completely unbelievable - and that's if you turn a blind eye to the actual star part of it. For example, a 16-year-old that thinks it is perfectly acceptable to go sneaking into a government building by stealing her dad's pass-card. And then nothing happens once she is caught except that she is offered a job!
An interesting concept with a twist but just not right for me. I liked it but I won't be going any further with the series.
Rebecca Billcliff (2409 KP) rated Big bang theory season 11 in TV
Dec 3, 2019 (Updated Dec 4, 2019)
Why Don't I Like This?
I want so much to like this, it's perfect for me: supreamly nerdy. There are so many references to sci-fi things, science, and all things geek, but sadly, it is not enough to draw me in.
The characters are (to me) very one dimensional, predictable, and just plain annoying.
Add that to the later seasons, where, like all programs that has passed it's expectation date, it just starts to go down hill.
America has a bad tradition of drawing out it's TV for far to long. At an average of 20 episodes a season, and usually 6+ seasons, programs go stale, get repetitive, loose the elements that made them good, or just forget to follow through with plots and character arcs. Lost. The Simpsons. Family Guy. 24. NCIS. How I Met Your Mother. Vitualy any program suffers at least a little in the later seasons, hopefully it recovers for the final, but not always. And while many will disagree, I just felt it was lacklustre to the end.
I know lots of people love it, and I by no means hate it, it's just not for me, despite trying and wanting to like it.
Like bananas.
The characters are (to me) very one dimensional, predictable, and just plain annoying.
Add that to the later seasons, where, like all programs that has passed it's expectation date, it just starts to go down hill.
America has a bad tradition of drawing out it's TV for far to long. At an average of 20 episodes a season, and usually 6+ seasons, programs go stale, get repetitive, loose the elements that made them good, or just forget to follow through with plots and character arcs. Lost. The Simpsons. Family Guy. 24. NCIS. How I Met Your Mother. Vitualy any program suffers at least a little in the later seasons, hopefully it recovers for the final, but not always. And while many will disagree, I just felt it was lacklustre to the end.
I know lots of people love it, and I by no means hate it, it's just not for me, despite trying and wanting to like it.
Like bananas.
Mothergamer (1616 KP) rated Nancy Drew in TV
Feb 5, 2020
I read the Nancy Drew books when I was a kid and loved them, so I was pretty interested in checking out the show. I am really enjoying it so far. The characters are interesting each with their own strengths and skills that they bring to the group. Nancy herself is very smart, but I like that she's also not perfect. She makes mistakes and her friends aren't afraid to call her out on it and eventually she does own up to it and tries to make it right. It makes her feel like a fully developed character. The main mystery is great with a few extra side mysteries thrown in. I am enjoying the spooky ghost story elements to it too and there have been a couple episodes where the show scared me with it. Sometimes the pacing feels a little slow with the writing and it can feel very drawn out at times, but it doesn't detract too much from how good the show is. The cast is really good and they bring the characters to life. I'm enjoying it and always looking forward to the next episode to see where the story goes.
Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated A Touch of Death in Books
Mar 1, 2020
New twist to the classic dystopians
Trigger Warning: Graphic gore, death, suicidal thoughts, torture.
When Rebecca approached me about reading A Touch of Death, I have to admit I was a little apprehensive. Dystopian is one of those genres that has been so overly saturated that nothing seems to be fresh. Luckily, my apprehension was unwarranted.
A Touch of Death is one of those books that will grab you the second you start reading it. This dystopian sci-fi novel grabbed me almost instantly. The plot was exciting and gave us a nice twist to the classic dystopian books. I liked all of the elements present, and they seemed to work pretty well together.
The main characters Kitty & Nate, were fascinating. I liked seeing how they interacted, and I loved the bit of bickering too. It did take me some time to warm up to both characters. I never seemed to connect to either of them, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the book. The relationships in the book were interesting to watch evolve, and I liked seeing how both Kitty & Nate changed throughout the book.
All in all, I enjoyed the book. I would have liked to connect more with the characters, but this was a solid 4 star read for me!
When Rebecca approached me about reading A Touch of Death, I have to admit I was a little apprehensive. Dystopian is one of those genres that has been so overly saturated that nothing seems to be fresh. Luckily, my apprehension was unwarranted.
A Touch of Death is one of those books that will grab you the second you start reading it. This dystopian sci-fi novel grabbed me almost instantly. The plot was exciting and gave us a nice twist to the classic dystopian books. I liked all of the elements present, and they seemed to work pretty well together.
The main characters Kitty & Nate, were fascinating. I liked seeing how they interacted, and I loved the bit of bickering too. It did take me some time to warm up to both characters. I never seemed to connect to either of them, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the book. The relationships in the book were interesting to watch evolve, and I liked seeing how both Kitty & Nate changed throughout the book.
All in all, I enjoyed the book. I would have liked to connect more with the characters, but this was a solid 4 star read for me!
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