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Siege and Storm
Siege and Storm
Leigh Bardugo | 2013 | Young Adult (YA)
This continuation of the story started in Shadow and Bone has Alina running from the Darkling, the Apparat, and at times even trying to run from her own power and the person she is becoming. I thought the author did a good job keeping the dynamics between the characters from getting stale while still keeping them believable. Whenever there is a romance (especially, it seems, in YA), there has to be some type of conflict to keep it interesting if it is going to span a series. Here there is conflict both within Alina’s inner circle and from without, which keeps it interesting and keeps the story flying along at a fast pace. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series!
  
After a merger at her law firm, Odelia finds herself with a new boss who seems to have it in for her. While trying to get her job from rival paralegal Mark Baker, Odelia gets saddled with her new boss' niece. But searching for the little girl's parents start turning up dead bodies, and Odelia suddenly finds herself in way over her head. I love this series (hence the reason I got my name in this book), and this was another great mix of humor, strong characters, and fast moving plot. If you don't read this series, fix that today.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/07/book-review-hide-and-snoop-by-sue-ann.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
A Kiss of Shadows (Merry Gentry, #1)
A Kiss of Shadows (Merry Gentry, #1)
Laurell K. Hamilton | 2000 | Fiction & Poetry
8
9.1 (10 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book was very fast paced, with a good grounding in the weird and wonderful Farie world (0 more)
I was bit disappointed that there was not a lot of investigating and this is sold as a book about a private investigator (0 more)
Great Introduction
I think Laurell K Hamilton is a marmite author you either love her or books or you dont. I am a hughe Anita Blake fan and was worried and this world would not live up to my expectations and it did. There are a number of uncomfortable scenes so if you a squeamish Maybe give it a miss. Overall I fell in love with characters and their world and can’t wait to start the next in the series
  
MC
Mafia Captive
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Okay, so this is one of those guilty pleasure books that will keep you entertained and a little embarrassed that you are entertained.

Things I liked about the book: The psychology behind the main characters, the use of conditioning, and how fast of a read it was.

Things I didn't like about the book: Sexual Assault, Stockholm Syndrome, and the stupidity of the characters.

The book has a different kind of plot and it is very dark compared to other novels that I have read. The main character is kidnapped, held hostage, forced into sexual experiences. This book frustrated me in the fact that BDSM does NOT equal abuse, or rape. Safe, Sane, and Consensual are the three things that don't really make an appearance.
  
NO
Night of the Living Dummy (Goosebumps, #7)
R.L. Stine | 2003 | Fiction & Poetry
8
6.8 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
That was fast... I remember being terrified of this book when I read it as a kid lol reading it as an adult sure changes perspective on a book.

I read it like I was watching a Goosebumps show - same vibe and everything I could picture it all playing out in my head, it was very different reading it like that. It was still creepy in a way, it was very fun nostalgia wise to read it. It was super quick and fun. Not at all scary like it was when I was a child reading it for the firs time and hiding it from view so I wouldn't have to look at the dummy face every time I looked at my book shelf.
  
The Accountant (2016)
The Accountant (2016)
2016 | Drama
9
7.5 (36 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Excellent subtle portrayal by Ben Affleck, autism played well (0 more)
Spoiler alert! Clunky plot twist, that's actually pretty obvious (0 more)
Autistic assassin, also an accountant
Contains spoilers, click to show
Excellent portrayal of autism, watch it a few times to pick up on it. A very good action adventure, fast paced, full of good scenes. A few clunky plot twists, but pretty obvious. Ben Affleck plays it well, either very well written or he researched autism, probably both. John Lithgow is great as usual. But as said clunky to bring the brothers together, as if the same contractor would coincidentally hire the same two estranged brothers, but it is obvious from early on. Yes an excellent action autistic assassination adventure, gets top marks for assonance. I highly recommend it.
  
The Fate of the Furious (2017)
The Fate of the Furious (2017)
2017 | Action
Far fetched
The Fast and the Furious has always been one of my favorite series... but to be honest they should have stopped after number 5 or even 6....

The story has become so washed out. It used to be about basic street racing with some crime mixed in. It was a tale of family, and loyalty.

This series has become so far fetched it's crazy. The realism is what people liked in the beginning, and they have all but obliterated that. There is so much unrealistic crashing, and maneuvers that is becomes unbelievable. They went from small time, to big time in a huge way. From being about family, to being about betrayal.

It could just be me, but it's just not a movie for me.
  
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Dork_knight74 (881 KP) rated The Monster of Mangatiti (2015) in Movies

Aug 9, 2018 (Updated Aug 9, 2018)  
The Monster of Mangatiti (2015)
The Monster of Mangatiti (2015)
2015 | Crime, Documentary, Drama
7
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
This story in Netflix is a true story account of a woman who was duped into going to a man's farm to work as a tutor for his son but was actually kept there as a slave and abused mentally, physically and sexually. The acting in this was pretty good and the film work was decent. The story was not fast paced but told A LOT in a short time. This was one womans account of what happened to her but the man had done it to many others. It was well told and would be of interest to those who like true crime documentary style movies. Nothing too graphic but the content probably isn't for kids. Worth a watch.
  
The Killer Inside Me (2010)
The Killer Inside Me (2010)
2010 | Drama, Mystery, Western
4
6.4 (5 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
I didn't think much of this film. I didn't like the graphic violence although I could watch it, unlike my husband who fast-forwarded through it as it made him so uncomfortable. Whilst I felt compassion for the two ladies in the film because of the violence dealt to them, I didn't actually care about their characters because we weren't told anything about them, they just popped up on screen to be shagged or beaten. Obviously the main character, Lou Ford, had a disturbing upbringing but the flashbacks didn't really explain to me how many years later he out of the blue decided to start killing people?
The ending was ridiculous, did no one smell or notice the accelerants he had smothered the house with?
  
The Open House (2018)
The Open House (2018)
2018 | Horror, Thriller
4
5.3 (7 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Dull and boring
I'm struggling to figure out exactly what they were trying to achieve with this film. Location-wise it is absolutely beautiful, in such a picturesque setting. And the acting for the most part isn't too bad. The main issue with this is the plot, it just completely dull and boring and isn't even wrapped up well at the end. There's a lot of weird odd things going on but none of these are particularly well done. Some parts of this were vaguely creepy, but others happened too fast or were dwelled on for far too long. And let's face it, people facing off against killers and creeps lurking inside their own houses has been done to death. This is nothing new or special.