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The Perfection (2019)
The Perfection (2019)
2019 | Drama, Horror, Thriller
Better than expected
I feel like this film has been on my To Watch list since forever, and it's only taken a lockdown for me to finally get around to watching it. And it turned out much better than I expected.

This is a rather unusual film, it starts off feeling rather sinister and arty and then seems to rush through a variety of genres including romance, horror and suspenseful thriller. I'm a little undecided at how good an idea this was, but I was decently entertained for the most part. The plot starts off well, and whilst it may have been a tad predictable it was still enjoyable until the final few scenes. Sadly I feel like the final scenes and how the story got wrapped up went a little too bizarre and ridiculous. The very final scene almost had me in hysterics at how downright stupid it was. There was also a story telling mechanism used in this a couple of times that I think was trying to be retro but instead seemed a little silly and outdated, and entirely unnecessary.

Despite the negatives, this surprisingly kept my attention and wasn't as bad as I'd thought. There was a decent amount of gore that made me cringe in delighted horror and the short run time helps to make it a lot more enjoyable.
  
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Dean (6927 KP) Apr 30, 2020

Yes definitely an oddball of a film.

Pepper the Salt Potato
Pepper the Salt Potato
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Pepper the Salt Potato was a lovely, illustrated book that was fun to look through, plus, the feel of the paper and overall look of the book was beautiful. The pages had cool eye-catching colors, transporting scenes, and easy to read words. I enjoyed reading about Peppers trip to the State Fair in New York and all the places he and his friends went on the way. I also enjoyed the authors history note in the front and the recipe on the back which added an interactive aspect I like seeing in children’s books. The overarching message of the book is good as well “I am who I am”, is a great reminder to just be yourself.

The only thing that would have made the story better was that the storyline itself seemed to be missing scenes. From one page to the next, there was not always a clear flow or thought process to lead the reader. However, it was still enjoyable, and I think Lenora Riegel and the publisher Siphre Books did a great job with the overall look and feel of the book. I give it 4 out of 5 stars and look forward to reading more books from Lenora Riegel.

*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
  
When the Tripods Came (The Tripods #4)
When the Tripods Came (The Tripods #4)
John Christopher | 1988 | Dystopia, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Fourth books in trilogies are inherently inelegant and awkward beasts; Christopher's final Tripods novel is unsurprisingly no exception. 1980s Earth is visited by alien invaders, who (initially at least) are easily repelled. But it turns out that your mum was right when she said that too much TV was bad for your health...

A bit dated, but that's the least of the book's issues. A prequel to the main series was really not required, and the main catalyst for writing it seems to have been the Tripods TV show which was broadcast three or four years earlier. (The TV show the Masters use to take over the world bears a suspicious resemblance to the TV adaptation of the first two books.) It's not really meta, more sort of peeved: peeved at critics of the show's shortcomings, but also peeved at the makers of the show for not doing a better job. As well as being dated, the relationship subplots of the book feel a bit proforma, but the depiction of the world slowly sliding out of human control and the end of modern civilisation is vividly presented in the usual compelling fashion. Whether it should all feel a bit more downbeat and bleak is probably a question of personal taste; Christopher's prose retains its good manners as well as its readability.
  
Twilight Heist (Outlaws #2)
Twilight Heist (Outlaws #2)
Katherine McIntyre | 2023 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance, Thriller
10
10.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Independent Reviewer for Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!

 

Tuck is in a group of thieves called The Outlaws. Leo is a lone wolf who doesn't let people in. He is friends with one of the Outlaws, Dan, but even he doesn't know about his past and Leo is not about to divulge the information to anybody any time soon! Tuck's past comes calling when somebody from his past calls on him for help. Is there more than meets the eye to this job?


This is book number 2 in the Heist series by Katherine. In my opinion, it could be read as a stand-alone. I enjoyed finding out about the characters and didn't feel I had missed out on anything by not reading the first book. However, I will be looking to download the first book and any more that may come in the series as I have thoroughly enjoyed what I've read.


I've read a few series by Katherine now and I feel that no matter what she's writing it pulls you in and takes you with it she is a very talented author and I look forward to reading more of her work.

 

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

 

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
  
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Merissa (12971 KP) rated Driven (Reflections, #9) in Books

Apr 6, 2023 (Updated Apr 10, 2023)  
Driven (Reflections, #9)
Driven (Reflections, #9)
Dean Murray | 2014 | Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult (YA)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The books by Dean Murray and Eldon Murphy (same person) finally collide in Driven and it works perfectly! With having the two previous stories detailing Geoffrey's life, you get a real feel for what he is trying to do and how he's acting. From the books detailing Jasmin's participation in Alec's pack, you can completely understand how the frustration and exhaustion would be affecting Jasmin. This book answers questions that were raised by the books prior to this one but you are still left with new questions that need answers.

This series is one of the most entertaining ones that I have read and the attention to detail is astounding. These books flow, are easy to read and you are never bored. There is so much action but it is perfectly balanced. You don't feel like you are thrown from one scenario to another.

I loved this book and have been waiting for it very (im)patiently but it was definitely worth the wait. Highly recommended to all Dean Murray/Eldon Murphy fans and fans of the YA, Fantasy or Paranormal genres.
 
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
 
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
August 13, 2016
  
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Merissa (12971 KP) rated The Little Morgen (Fairytales of the Myth #2) in Books

Jan 27, 2021 (Updated Aug 7, 2023)  
The Little Morgen (Fairytales of the Myth #2)
The Little Morgen (Fairytales of the Myth #2)
Miranda Grant | 2021 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
6
7.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
THE LITTLE MORGEN is the second novella in the Fairytales of the Myth series, and in case you've not realised, this time it is the Little Mermaid that gets the dark retelling.

This one I didn't enjoy quite as much, and let me tell you why. There is just too much that goes on for the number of pages you get! This made the story feel a bit disjointed to me, the pace is slightly too quick. There were so many characters and I didn't really get a feel for any of them, including Thalliya and Ragnar. There was no time to build a connection between them, or for a relationship to develop. I also found the epilogue slightly confusing as I've only just read Burn Baby Burn and the names given for Bjerner's parents jolted me.

What I did enjoy was the amount of world-building Miranda Grant puts into every story. The details were amazing. One of my favourite parts was when Ragnar bit into an orange!

So, not one of my favourites, but still a great story if you like dark and twisted retellings.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jan 27, 2021
  
The Forever Purge (2021)
The Forever Purge (2021)
2021 | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
6
6.0 (12 Ratings)
Movie Rating
At this point, we all know what we're getting when a new Purge film shuffles it's way into the harsh light of day. Lots of shooting, CGI blood spatters, characters looking super serious as their protective shutters roll over the windows and doors of their houses, and some vague message about society and the state of America. All of this is present and correct for the latest installment of this ever popular franchise, and to be quite honest, it's entertaining as hell. It may be predictable, it may be on the nose with what it's trying to say, but it pulls off some genuinely tense action scenes (there's one extended long shot in particular, later on in the runtime, that looks incredible), shakes up the formula by showing us what a Purge night may look like from the viewpoint of immigrants, and delivers a film that not only portrays America descending into absolute chaos, but does a good job at making it feel legit.
The Forever Purge is hardly breaking new ground, but still manages to feel somewhat fresh in a horror series that is 5 films deep. It's also a decent recovery after the last film seriously stumbled. All in all, a popcorn movie that will surely be a bucket of bloody fun if you leave your brain at the door.
  
Coco (2017)
Coco (2017)
2017 | Adventure, Animation
Good Disney Tunes (2 more)
Some good laughs
Dante is amazing
Not a bad little flick....
So, here we go... my fisrt non-horror... wait... no. My second non-horror movie review. And I'm not ashamed to admit that I really liked this movie.
I usually gauge Disney movies by how amny times I say WTF during them and amke that famous [parental "UghmmmMyyyyyGawd".... But today, i'm doing a different pattern.
I don't know if getting older has softened my pallet a bit, but this movie actually made me cry. I'm not a bad person, mind you, i have been known to be a bit of a jerk from time to time. But this movie made me feel for the main character, Miguel. Without spoiling it for some of you... His lineage story is worthy of shedding a few tears over.
So, today I give this movie 8 tears out of a possible ten... and I'm not ashamed to admit that i was tearing up...and down my cheeks... at certain moments prior to the credits. So, come on gentlemen... Be a man... shed a tear for a sad story of a boy who just wants to play guitar and sing like his Great great Papa
  
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
2017 | Action, Sci-Fi
Not the Star Wars film I was looking for.
While I am a pretty big Star Wars fan (hell I have a lightsaber tattoo) I also don't mind them playing around with the universe and changing this as long as it makes for a good movie with a good story, so no I'm not some purist that was going to hate this no matter what I was hype and ready for this just like I was for The Force Awakens and man is it killing me to write that I just didn't enjoy this installment to the series.

The main reason I didn't enjoy it that much was that the entire film just felt like a transition to the next saga while The Force Awaken built up so much The Last Jedi just didn't keep up with the momentum and just fell really short for me, halfway through the movie I kind of just wanted it to be over already.


The real downfall in the end though was the characters this time around I really feel like they just wasted Finn and Poe so much throughout the movie with a half thought out side plot that didn't really do or go anywhere for me.