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Hazel (2934 KP) rated Unseen: No. 7 in Books
Jan 12, 2018
I haven't read any previous novels with these characters so didn't know any background to them but it didn't seem to matter to me as Karin was adept at shedding light on history but not too much that the story became confusing and bogged down which can happen.
I found it to be an exciting story that, unfortunately, is very plausible in this day and age (wow, I sound like my mum!) and it kept me interested throughout. The descriptions of places, people, situations, injuries, etc were vivid and, I felt, accurate enough to enable me to develop detailed pictures in my mind as I was reading which made it all the more real.
Some of my thoughts on the main characters:
Lena - I didn't like her at first but once the character started to develop I found myself on her side and defending her like she was a real person.
Sara - annoying but likeable in a strange way. She came across to me as quite a hard and unforgiving person but I think I warmed to her in the end.
Will - my favourite loved him - a very complex character that I want to know more about. A tough exterior with a very soft centre and a good heart; brave and fearless and someone you would want on your side.
There was one negative that I found and it was that I thought the chapters were way too long - I hate stopping midway through a chapter but if you only have a short amount of time to get a few pages read, you have to with this book which I found quite frustrating.
Overall though, I enjoyed it so much I will be reading more and would definitely recommend to people who love a fast paced crime thriller.
I found it to be an exciting story that, unfortunately, is very plausible in this day and age (wow, I sound like my mum!) and it kept me interested throughout. The descriptions of places, people, situations, injuries, etc were vivid and, I felt, accurate enough to enable me to develop detailed pictures in my mind as I was reading which made it all the more real.
Some of my thoughts on the main characters:
Lena - I didn't like her at first but once the character started to develop I found myself on her side and defending her like she was a real person.
Sara - annoying but likeable in a strange way. She came across to me as quite a hard and unforgiving person but I think I warmed to her in the end.
Will - my favourite loved him - a very complex character that I want to know more about. A tough exterior with a very soft centre and a good heart; brave and fearless and someone you would want on your side.
There was one negative that I found and it was that I thought the chapters were way too long - I hate stopping midway through a chapter but if you only have a short amount of time to get a few pages read, you have to with this book which I found quite frustrating.
Overall though, I enjoyed it so much I will be reading more and would definitely recommend to people who love a fast paced crime thriller.
Kaz (232 KP) rated 'Master and Commander' in Books
May 15, 2019
An Interesting Maritime Adventure
This book was recommended to me by a friend who has read all of the books in the series and this, is the first. I thought because I had watched the film version of this novel, that I knew what the story was going to be about, but the book is very different from the adaptation.
At first, I found this extremely difficult to get into. After about 100 pages I actually put this book down, because I found the maritime vocabulary, impossible to follow. However, I decided to pick it back up again and actually, when the character Stephen Maturin, the ship's doctor, comes into the story, I found that, because he was a novice with ships, he was asking questions about the different mechanisms etc of the ship and that helped me to feel that I had some idea of what it was all about.
I also found some of the battle scene a little bit static and difficult to visualize.
Even though this was a challenging book, I really like the relationship between Stephen and Jack Aubrey, the ship's captain. The writing was very humorous at times and I also liked how some of this book featured places in the Mediterranean that I'm really familiar with.
Being the first in the series, I'm sure as the novels progress, I might find this easier to get into. I won't be rushing out to read any more at the moment, I think you need to be in the right mood to read them. However, I may read more of this series in the future.
My Rating ***
At first, I found this extremely difficult to get into. After about 100 pages I actually put this book down, because I found the maritime vocabulary, impossible to follow. However, I decided to pick it back up again and actually, when the character Stephen Maturin, the ship's doctor, comes into the story, I found that, because he was a novice with ships, he was asking questions about the different mechanisms etc of the ship and that helped me to feel that I had some idea of what it was all about.
I also found some of the battle scene a little bit static and difficult to visualize.
Even though this was a challenging book, I really like the relationship between Stephen and Jack Aubrey, the ship's captain. The writing was very humorous at times and I also liked how some of this book featured places in the Mediterranean that I'm really familiar with.
Being the first in the series, I'm sure as the novels progress, I might find this easier to get into. I won't be rushing out to read any more at the moment, I think you need to be in the right mood to read them. However, I may read more of this series in the future.
My Rating ***
JT (287 KP) rated Grave Encounters (2011) in Movies
Mar 3, 2020
Found footage is here to stay
Even though it has been done to death over the last few years there is still something unnerving about found footage horror. Now and again I like to go back and dip my toe in it if anything for the enjoyment of scaring myself shitless for a few minutes.
Recently I came across Grave Encounters. For the first half, it’s a tense thriller the second it completely loses its way, nothing more than abject horror. The premise is too good to be true. While taping an episode of their ghost hunting reality show a group of paranormal investigators get a little more than they bargained for inside an abandoned mental hospital.
Watching an empty space in the dark via night vision camera may seem like flogging of a dead horse but as an audience, we still find ourselves hypnotised. The standard set up unravels brief character development, although we don’t really care too much as we know they aren’t going to be around for much longer.
As the group move from one room to the next with increased frustration that nothing is manifesting itself the shit really hits the fan when they discover they can’t actually get out. Cause for panic as each one is picked off leaving one loner to discover the horrors the hospital is hiding.
It’s not all bad. The acting is more solid than most and there are some good scares, many however are all too predictable. It’s safe to say that found footage genre is here to stay, all that needs to be done is to weed out the good from the downright awful.
Recently I came across Grave Encounters. For the first half, it’s a tense thriller the second it completely loses its way, nothing more than abject horror. The premise is too good to be true. While taping an episode of their ghost hunting reality show a group of paranormal investigators get a little more than they bargained for inside an abandoned mental hospital.
Watching an empty space in the dark via night vision camera may seem like flogging of a dead horse but as an audience, we still find ourselves hypnotised. The standard set up unravels brief character development, although we don’t really care too much as we know they aren’t going to be around for much longer.
As the group move from one room to the next with increased frustration that nothing is manifesting itself the shit really hits the fan when they discover they can’t actually get out. Cause for panic as each one is picked off leaving one loner to discover the horrors the hospital is hiding.
It’s not all bad. The acting is more solid than most and there are some good scares, many however are all too predictable. It’s safe to say that found footage genre is here to stay, all that needs to be done is to weed out the good from the downright awful.
Rachel P (2 KP) rated The Underground Railroad in Books
Jan 4, 2018
This book was an excellent history lesson. I seriously learned things I didn't previously know about our nation during slavery. I would highly recommend the book for that reason.
It was easy to read and hard to put down, but I also found it very impersonal. There were a lot of "action sentences" and not much reflection or introspection. The book is written in third person, which may be why I found myself reading about rape and mistreatment without flinching. I also considered maybe the author was trying to show the reader that most people born into slavery during that time had become so accustom to seeing other people mistreated that they showed very little reaction. Either way, it's not a novel that will cause you to reflect on it for weeks to come, which is ultimately what I expected.
It was easy to read and hard to put down, but I also found it very impersonal. There were a lot of "action sentences" and not much reflection or introspection. The book is written in third person, which may be why I found myself reading about rape and mistreatment without flinching. I also considered maybe the author was trying to show the reader that most people born into slavery during that time had become so accustom to seeing other people mistreated that they showed very little reaction. Either way, it's not a novel that will cause you to reflect on it for weeks to come, which is ultimately what I expected.
Micah Ulibarri (79 KP) rated Marvel's Jessica Jones - Season 2 in TV
Apr 10, 2018
My unpopular opinion for today is that I was not impressed by Jessica Jones Saeson 1. A lot of people's highlight is Kilgrave, but I found him one-note and boring. And the lead character, Jessica, doesn't really grow and neither do the characters around her.
Enter Season 2, characters that actually change throughout the story. And not just Jessica. Hogarth, Trish, Malcolm. They all experience real growth and I interesting ways.
I was blown away by the midseason twist. That was when I was totally sold.
I will admit that I was a little disappointed with the ending, of for no other reason than found it anticlimactic. That's the final point it didn't get. But as far as keeping me involved in the characters for 13 episodes, I think they nailed it. Can't wait for Season 3.
Enter Season 2, characters that actually change throughout the story. And not just Jessica. Hogarth, Trish, Malcolm. They all experience real growth and I interesting ways.
I was blown away by the midseason twist. That was when I was totally sold.
I will admit that I was a little disappointed with the ending, of for no other reason than found it anticlimactic. That's the final point it didn't get. But as far as keeping me involved in the characters for 13 episodes, I think they nailed it. Can't wait for Season 3.
Chloe (514 KP) rated Rampage (2018) in Movies
Mar 14, 2019
underated
I found this film very underrated. everything from the especial affects to the actor has a big box office hit written all over it and on top of that it has a great plot. and yet to my surprise this movie did not make it up there with the big movies of the year.
I found myself so disappointed that those around me had not watched the movie and I had no one to talk about it with this is honestly my biggest complaint and its not even about the movie more about the lack of advertisement of this movie.
I would recommend this film to anyone kids and adults; family's and singles. Although to be honest maybe I'm a little biased due to this film including Dwayne Johnson but then isn't everyone biased when it comes to him?
I found myself so disappointed that those around me had not watched the movie and I had no one to talk about it with this is honestly my biggest complaint and its not even about the movie more about the lack of advertisement of this movie.
I would recommend this film to anyone kids and adults; family's and singles. Although to be honest maybe I'm a little biased due to this film including Dwayne Johnson but then isn't everyone biased when it comes to him?
KittyMiku (138 KP) rated Fallen Academy: Year One: Volume 1 in Books
May 13, 2019
Great story (1 more)
Characters with different personalities
I picked this book up due to some friends who said it was good. I didn't think much about it until the story sucked me in. I really enjoyed the take the author had on the Heaven versus Hell aspect and how it affects humanity. This book had me wanting to finish it in one sitting. I enjoyed how Brielle and Lincoln seemed to be at each other's throat constantly. Brielle and Shea were my favorite character duos. I found it inspiring on how much Brielle was willing to risk, not just to ensure her freedom but to protect those she cared about. This book held suspense, romance, comedy and lots of action. I found it hard to put down and even more upsetting when my Kindle died. I definitely recommend it to everyone.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2400 KP) rated Blackberry Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen, #17) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
It's been four months since Hannah last found a dead body, and the only thing on her mind is getting her mother to settle on something for her wedding. That is until a sever summer storm forces Hannah to lose control of her car and hit a man, killing him. But no one recognizes him. Who is he? And what was he doing in Lake Eden?
There is little that changes in the lives of the characters, but I still enjoyed visiting them again since I found them their normal charming selves. The cliffhanger at the end definitely made me want the next book out soon. Can't believe I have to wait a year to find out what happens next.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2014/03/book-review-blackberry-pie-murder-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
There is little that changes in the lives of the characters, but I still enjoyed visiting them again since I found them their normal charming selves. The cliffhanger at the end definitely made me want the next book out soon. Can't believe I have to wait a year to find out what happens next.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2014/03/book-review-blackberry-pie-murder-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated The Dark and Hollow Places (The Forest of Hands and Teeth, #3) in Books
Jun 7, 2018
This book was good, but it wasn't as good as the first 2. There was just something lacking. Maybe I just couldn't relate to Annah 100% or maybe it was the fact that the plot wasn't as fast-paced as the first books.
I found Annah to be a tad bit annoying. She was too much of a do-gooder & I found it frustrating.
I liked the fact that Gabry, Catcher and Elias were featured in this book though. I just wish Mary would've been in it if only for a brief appearance.
Overall, this is a great book (as well as a great series). Even though the plot wasn't as fast paced as the first 2 books, it was still good. It does convey human emotion very well.
Fans of The Forest of Hands and Teeth series won't be disappointed.
I found Annah to be a tad bit annoying. She was too much of a do-gooder & I found it frustrating.
I liked the fact that Gabry, Catcher and Elias were featured in this book though. I just wish Mary would've been in it if only for a brief appearance.
Overall, this is a great book (as well as a great series). Even though the plot wasn't as fast paced as the first 2 books, it was still good. It does convey human emotion very well.
Fans of The Forest of Hands and Teeth series won't be disappointed.
Moodyhydra (3 KP) rated The Tattooist of Auschwitz in Books
Oct 2, 2018 (Updated Oct 2, 2018)
Amazing
This book was a beautifull and horrifying read all at once. A true story from the mouth of a survivor.
I found myself smiling at the stolen moments shared between new lovers and then crying at the horrors and injustice these poor people endured, and that the lucky (if we can all them that) survived. The horrors they had to see and things they had to do to survive and then live with after is something we will never understand. This story is not only one of horror and death, but also of bravery, resilliance and above all LOVE. To know that love can be found even in a place like this the darkest of places was inspiring. The way it was written was beautifull and respectfull to the memory of those it involved. Definitely a book everyone should read.
I found myself smiling at the stolen moments shared between new lovers and then crying at the horrors and injustice these poor people endured, and that the lucky (if we can all them that) survived. The horrors they had to see and things they had to do to survive and then live with after is something we will never understand. This story is not only one of horror and death, but also of bravery, resilliance and above all LOVE. To know that love can be found even in a place like this the darkest of places was inspiring. The way it was written was beautifull and respectfull to the memory of those it involved. Definitely a book everyone should read.