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The Selection
The Selection
Kiera Cass | 2012 | Children
8
7.9 (48 Ratings)
Book Rating
Set many years into the future The US has undergone drastic change. Under the rule of a monarchy once again. Prince Maxon, only child and heir to the throne, is ready to find his future queen. In a lottery type draw, one young lady (between the ages of 16 and 20) from each province is selected as candidates for the throne, and for Maxon's heart. Among them is America Singer. A Five in the caste system (There are eight total). Although her becoming a part of the selection was an accident, of sorts...Will she be able to forget her past and embrace her future? There are 35 girls, and only 1 prince. Who will emerge as Queen?

It has been a long while since I have been so engrossed in a book that I couldn't put it down to go to sleep. I finally had to, as my eyes wouldn't stay open any longer, with only two chapters remaining! I kept having dreams about the book! I finished it as soon as I woke up this morning and am now anxiously awaiting to check out The Elite from the library. Since this is a book about a prince finding a wife, you can expect to have romance with a mild dystopian flair. Although I personally think the emotions are slightly intense for a YA book, it is still clean and decent. Prince Maxon is an honorable man. Parents, please use your own discretion. Kiera Cass has done a fabulous job imagining a new world of castes, monarchy, fashion, rebellion and love. (It's like The Bachelor, but way better!) Please be advised that these books do not stand alone. And once you finish The Selection you are going to want to start The Elite immediately (so do what I didn't do and place a hold on BOTH)! This book ends well, but definitely leaves you wanting more. I have also heard that The Selection is being made into a movie. Although all I could find out was that it is in pre-production. I am thoroughly enjoying this series, but I know that it won't be to everyone's taste. Keep in mind that it is a Young Adult novel and is written for that level. Happy reading! And may the odds be ever in your favor....wait....
  
40x40

Film and stuff (30 KP) rated Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) in Movies

May 15, 2019 (Updated May 15, 2019)  
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
2015 | Action, Sci-Fi
Set up for the future films (0 more)
Feels disjointed and has clear studio intervention issues. (0 more)
A great second Avengers outing
Starring: Robert Downey JR, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Rennee, James Spader, Samuel L Jackson and Paul Bettany.

Directed by: Joss Whedon.

Plot - Tony Stark creates an AI that turns psychopathic and is determined to destroy the world. The Avengers must stop the AI known as Ultron.

With spectacular visuals and an amusing villain this is on the surface of things, exactly what you would want a sequel to the excellent Avengers Assemble to be. The way in which the Avengers are reintroduced is quit simply one of the coolest things I've seen for a while.
The issue is that it treads over a great deal of previous material and doesn't feel as original and fresh as the previous.
Surprisingly something that is handled brilliantly is the volume of characters that are in this. Something that many have tried and failed. Huge kudos for this Mr Whedon.
With a great deal more humour, a romance that feels slightly forced and amazing action sequences I would rate this marginally below Avengers Assemble. That being said, I enjoyed it immensely and would definitely recommend seeing it.
  
Book Tour: Whispers by SeaSide - Review Whispers by Seaside is a good book. Though for me it I think it was more romance than liked but it was not bad. It was written well. I enjoyed it involved the family but it seems like this was more Matt’s story then Mira.It had a lot to do with Matt and Mira getting together more. Matt is reconnecting with his family. He is also getting involved in Hagen's and Mira's lives more. I am hoping to see more of Matt building relationships with his family more. I know he was building a relationship with Hagen throughout the book then with Mira. I would have like to see the relationship of the build up with Mira throughout the book. I know we did see a part of it.We hear more about these wedding that are taking place in this book. I would have been nice to find out more about Matt and his family more and their loves ones. Mira seems to worry more about her future and about Hagen's.Will it last? Will Matt stay at his job or will he leave it? You will need to read the book to find out.
  
HS
Highland Surrender
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
In the reign on James V (son of Margaret Tudor, the sister of Henry VIII, and father of Mary Queen of Scots) Fiona and Myles, representatives of two feuding clans, are told by the King that they must marry and form an alliance.....

Sadly, Fiona, the heroine, appears as a right Little Madam for most of the first part of the book. Even after feeling betrayed by her brothers, she is unable to reasonably question anything beyond the clan indoctrination and acts simply like a spoilt child. It's quite hard to see why Myles falls for her at all.

That said, overall this isn't a bad book. I think a bit more on the history side would have made this a more solid and exciting novel, as the ending was really rather good, but it seemed that it couldn't decide if it wanted to be an historical novel, with a romance element (think Elizabeth Chadwick) or something more akin to a bodice ripper (and nothing wrong with that!). You started off feeling there was a bigger plot at play, but this seemed to get a bit lost in the middle, before a quite exciting ending after all.

Not sure it's worth a second read, but I'd consider this author again in the future.
  
Smoke and Mirrors & White Lies (Grey Areas #4)
Smoke and Mirrors & White Lies (Grey Areas #4)
Brad Carl | 2015 | Contemporary, Crime, Fiction & Poetry, Romance, Thriller
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
The epic saga of the events set in motion by Barrett Grayson fleeing a murder investigation comes to a head in this final installment. This doesn't let the series down.

Barrett is wondering what to do with the secret his dying father told him. Claire is wondering if her future is with Barrett. Della De Marco's life hangs in the balance while her FBI agent brother is seeking to find out the truth about Sergeant Jackson's involvement with the drugs cartel.

The number of threads and number of characters that need to be covered are enormous but nothing is left out. All are given time and all the stories come to a conclusion. It is hard to imagine how much time Carl spent plotting everything that is going on but it all ties up very nicely and at a pace which means nothing is rushed despite the amount of ground that has to be covered.

Once again we have everything from romance to a gunfire laden confrontation in a warehouse. The whole of life is here and the author shows us the frailties and strengths of human nature in all its forms.

A fantastic conclusion to the series that started so long ago with a stranger appearing in Gable, Iowa
  
Dire Straits (Bo Blackman, #1)
Dire Straits (Bo Blackman, #1)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
So this is my first full-length foray into paranormal/urban fantasy for a long time since I lost interest in the genre a year or so ago and I have to admit I got pulled into it.

I'm usually wary of urban fantasy books because I read books for the romance in them, be it a little flirting or a full on sex-fest, and this was more of a subtle he-wants-her-does-she-want-him sort of thing, though I think that Bo is a little oblivious right now--or purposely ignoring it. Maybe a bit of both.

The story pulled me in from the start though I will admit I skipped a few paragraphs here and there where she was doing too much description. It was intriguing, as to who behind it from the start. Who was it aimed at? Were they from a family?

Admittedly I was a little torn over who I thought it was of the three recruits but it did become a bit more obvious the more that was read.

I'm definitely interested in reading more of the series in the future, if only so I can see what happens with Bo and Michael :P