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Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
2021 | Action, Adventure
Marvel does Mystical Martial Arts
Marvel (the film branch) is mainly known for its superhero movies.

We've had Origin stories (upon origin story upon origins story ...)

We've had 'fish out of water' comedies (see: Thor)

We've had outright sci-fi/sci-fantasy (see: Guardians of the Galaxy)

We've had political thrillers (see: Captain America: The Winter Soldier)

We've had team-up (see: The Avengers)

We've had crime capers (See: Ant-man)

Up until now, we've had no Martial Arts movies (sorry, Netflix's 'Iron Fist': you don't count as a movie).

We've also had no movies with a mainly Asian cast. Until now.

This also brings back the 10 Rings organisation (first name-dropped all the way back in 2008's 'Iron Man'), with the plot outline of the movie actually quite different than what I expected - lots of Martial Arts sequences (the fight on the bamboo scaffolding is a high-light), the usual Marvel musings on family, and one or two character inclusions that I wasn't expecting (but really should have been) ...
  
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Karla Dee (6 KP) rated Do you follow in Books

Jan 11, 2022  
Do you follow
Do you follow
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I truly enjoyed reading "Do You Follow" because I have a set of twins in my family. I am intrigued by the concept of Alexa and Beth who have both has psychiatric problems. I am a believer in twins having telepathic connections so this was a new twist. All readers will enjoy reading about the twins and their fascinating relationship.

There is a mental illness aspect of the story which can be taboo to talk about but I think it should become less taboo and more so spoke about so I liked that they addressed this aspect in the reading.

The characters were detailed and I glad to have found a connection with them. I enjoyed learning more about them, and their back-stories, as the novel progressed. Every time it's like getting to know a new mary kate and ashley, but there are always new surprises in a twin tale. Even though I guessed some of the plots and twists, there were still plenty of surprises.

Definitely recommend 9/10
  
All These Beautiful Strangers
All These Beautiful Strangers
Elizabeth Klehfoth | 2018 | Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Review can also be found on www.diaryofdifference.com

A beautiful story about families, love, betrayal, the difference between the rich and poor, and a girl that tries to discover what happened to her missing mother, while discovering herself.

Charlie Calloway has a life most people would kill for – a tight-knit family, a loyal set of friends, and top grades a privileged boarding school. But Charlie’s never been interested in what most people want. Like all Calloways, she’s been taught that she’s different, special – better. So when her school’s super-exclusive secret society extends a mysterious invitation, Charlie’s determination to get in is matched only by her conviction that she belongs there.

But their secrets go deeper than she knows.

Charlie finds herself thrust into the centre of a decades-old mystery – one that implicates her family in not one terrible crime, but two. Uncovering their past may destroy everything she knows – or give her the answer she’s always craved: Who or what was behind her mother’s disappearance ten years ago?

I haven’t heard about this book until I received it as a birthday gift from my sister. The cover is just – gorgeous! You can feel the raindrops on the cover, and the sides are painted black, and you can read out ”I KNOW”. They have been thinking of all the little details.

The story is a bit slow at the beginning. It took me a while to get into it, as they delay the plot for a while, but once you get past that little hill of boredom, it gets better and better. I could imagine myself climbing a mountain with my bike, struggling while climbing, just so I can enjoy the great fast downhill and wind in my face.

The story is told by many people’s perspective, and it changes after each chapter. The amazing thing was, the stories go back in the past as well, but the story keeps flowing in one direction, event by event, which I really enjoyed. If this was poorly made, the book would’ve been so confusing, but fortunately, it wasn’t.

Even though I didn’t expect, this turned out to be a great mystery-solving novel, with wonderful and unexpected plot-twists, and a cliffhanger until the end. Is the mother dead or alive?
Many of the topics covered are very relatable. The difference between children raised in rich families versus the children raised in not-s-rich families. Their thoughts and mindsets, their beliefs, and the people they hang out with. And when a girl like Charlie, who has a father from a rich family and a mother from a poor family, is on the cross-road, it is amazing to see this character develop and make choices for herself, that reflect on both her backgrounds.

A lovely read, fast-paced novel, with a beautiful cover and even more beautiful reading material, this is one of the stories that I would recommend for you to read on a rainy day, covered in a blanket, with a hot chocolate – despite the summer theme on the cover, this was a winter book for me.