Gage (Angelbound Offspring #8) by Christina Bauer
Book
Gage runs the L’Griffe, AKA the dragon shifter mafia on Earth. Since the human realm has no...
Young Adult Fantasy Series
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Kings or Pawns (Steps of Power #1) in Books
Nov 18, 2019
But that is where any similarity between this book and most other epic fantasy novels ends. Sherwood tells the tale of an elven country that has become corrupt with a ruling council who make decisions for reasons of profit, driving the rightful kings away and installing a puppet regime. Meanwhile the country is facing a war led by a brilliant defector.
When his father, the king, dies young Prince Hairem is determined to stand up to the council and stop the rot. But the council has ruled for hundreds of years, how can he possibly change things? Meanwhile Jikun, the general of the army must obey the council's wishes, even if the orders will only lead to destruction.
Sherwood starts with a few scenes and set pieces and gradually introduces the key players; Jikun is bold and brilliant but has a lot of inner demons which threaten to destroy him. Hairem is idealistic but naive.
The machinations of the council are real House of Cards type stuff, every way that Hairem tries to exert his authority blunted and diverted by the wily council members, who simultaneously try to make out they are on his side. As a political thriller this works amazingly well despite being set in a fantasy world; the descriptions and characters are perfectly pitched. It seems that pretty much everybody has dark secrets which everybody else is either trying to discover or use to their advantage.
There are scenes of action too, with Jikun and the army and also Sellemar mounting a daring raid into enemy territory plus duels and assasination attempts. This book really does have everything packed into it and the ending is both shocking and perfectly balanced to allow for further books in the series while satisfyingly closing a number of plot threads.
I was expecting a fairly standard fantasy book when I started this; what I got was an absolute gem that just begged to be read. A total masterpiece.
Ashley Valencia (5 KP) rated Christopher Robin (2018) in Movies
Mar 31, 2019
Ewan McGregor plays a grown up Christopher Robin who most people will be able to relate to. He's trying to find balance between his work and home life and finds himself coming up short on both sides. He's stressed and has put aside childish things to focus on trying to be a competent adult.
Then he gets a visit from a few almost forgotten childhood friends and learns to loosen up a little and see things differently. It's a wonderfully told story and I was so glad that the original voice actor was brought back. It just wouldn't have been Winnie the Pooh without Jim Cummings.
The Bridge
1.0
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Podcast
It's an alternate 2016, and Watchtower 10 sits in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, keeping lonely...
The Science of Game of Thrones: A Myth-Busting, Mind-Blowing, Jaw-Dropping and Fun-Filled Expedition Through the World of Game of Thrones
8.0
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Book
A myth-busting, mind-blowing, jaw-dropping and fun-filled expedition through the world of Game of...
The Secrets of Rosslyn
Book
Nestling in an exquisite glen just seven miles from the centre of Edinburgh, Rosslyn Chapel is one...
Elizabeth (1521 KP) rated Finding Neverland in Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (New York, United States) in Shows
Jul 20, 2020 (Updated Jul 20, 2020)
My daughter was part of stage crew at her high school at the time and she was blown away by the set. She would have loved to get the chance to go backstage, not to meet the cast, but the crew, she was so impressed. The most impressive part of the set was Captain Hook's ship. The way it came together, jutting over the stage, and was used as part of the dance routine was breathtaking.
The show follows the movie of the same name starring Johnny Depp which weaves reality with fantasy. It stayed very close to the movie and had some great musical performances.
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Gabriel García Márquez and Gregory Rabassa
8.5
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Book
Equally tragic, joyful and comical, Gabriel Garcia Marquez's masterpiece of magical realism, One...
Kelly (279 KP) rated London Falling: The Shadow Police book one in Books
Dec 10, 2018
The main characters, 3 police inspectors, and an intelligence analyst who stubble upon a darker magical side of London lead us through finding out the cause of the death of Rob Toshack, a drug lord who died in police custody. The group set up a team to hunt down the killer, quickly finding that they need to develop a whole new set of skills in order to defeat their opposition.
I am a huge fan of Ben Aaronovitch, and found that Cornell’s style of writing is very similar, with a touch more darkness and cynicism. Cornell’s characters are more serious in their absorption into the magical underground, however there are still moments of lightheartedness. However it is worth noting that the general undertone of the novel is much darker than a lot of other urban fantasy novel, which made the novel more successful for me. Cornell is not afraid to touch on more serious issues in his writing, such as depression and police budget cuts.
I found all of the main characters enjoyable, all seemingly having a turbulent past, which links into the story. Cornell enables us to clearly picture the characters as we are reading and selves into their complex histories. The ‘villain’ in this story is more sinister than I was expecting when I initially started reading, with an interesting twist by connecting the plot line and murderous motive to West Ham football team.
For me this was a page turner, and will certainly be re-read many times. Although I have previously read some urban fantasy novels, it has been Cornell’s series starting with London Falling, which has truest got me hooked.
A Drop of Blue (Rifters #1)
8.0
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Book
An average Wednesday night gets turned upside down when 16-year-old Cate McAuliffe inexplicably...
Urban Fantasy Time_Travel