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Paper Snow
Paper Snow
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Paper Snow by Azarius Boreaus was not what I expected at all. In fact, it was one of the few books that completely surprised me. The description on the back of the book is vague yet considering the book is fairly short it is understandable. It was hard to write a summary without giving too much away. That being said there is a lot packed into a short book but amazingly it did not feel rushed as the author was able to effectively get the point across.

23 – year old Noah wakes up with no idea as to exactly where he is or what happened to him. Everything is all white except for the garden that his bedroom opens up to. In the center of this garden is a giant baobab tree. At first, the only other person Noah sees is Coal, his doctor, but in the garden, he meets the people living in the other rooms surrounding the garden. It is by taking with the other people that Noah comes to know that all is not as it seems and why Coal is so interested in his dreams.

Noah learns that he possesses a special form of empathy, as does the others living in this facility, and that it allows him to communicate with plants. The others also teach him about the sleepers and how they are all prisoners in the facility. The people running the facility believes that Noah and the other prisoners have the ability to save humanity. Noah receives memories from the baobab tree’s broken branches and tells the tree he is listening by creating origami symbols to represent each memory. With the help of the tree, Noah is able to find strength in himself and help others to escape.

What I liked best is that the author highlights the deep connection the humans once had with nature wonderfully. The connection that the characters had with plants, animal, and each other were well explained. The first fifty pages were slow yet they promised interesting developments later on. It was difficult to stick with the book early on and I almost gave up on it. The jumping from Noah’s present to his memories, and then to the Arctic was rough at first but I was able to get used to it.

The target readers for this book would probably be around high school and older. The content is fine for younger audiences I just don’t think that it would be able to be understood very well. This book requires a reader to have an open mind as it deals with empaths, communicating with nature, reincarnation, and the ability that our beliefs can shape our physical world if strong enough. I rate this book 4 out of 4. Originally I was going to give it a lower rating but the further I got the more I saw the book for what it really is. I am not even sure if the author knows what they created of if this was just meant as a story. It was an amazing experience to read and something I was able to connect with.
  
The Figment Wars: Search for the Caretaker
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Figment Wars: Search for the Caretaker by David R. Lord is the second book but clearly it is not intended to be last of the Figment Wars series. Old friends are reunited and familiar foes are faced along side some new ones in this twisty, imaginative story. While it is not completely required I highly recommend reading The Figment Wars: Through the Portal before this one.

In the previous book Thomas, Isaac, and Emily defeated Torvik in the Realm of Imagination and watched him disappear into the Void, or so they thought. After returning home from their family vacation Thomas and Isaac get ready for the start of their school year and are introduced to their new headteacher Mr. Newman. To their surprise, the headteacher is someone they have already met and they quickly become concerned about his plans for the school. Thomas and Isaac decide that trying to find The Caretaker is probably their best bet and turn to the internet for information.

This brings them to the attention of The Society whose ultimate goal is to kill The Caretaker and destroy the Realm of Imagination in order to become extremely powerful and take over the world. This threat greatly trumps that of Mr. Newman, especially once one member of The Society, Magnus, gets a hold of an artifact giving his imagination full power in the Realm of Reality. Thomas and Isaac, along with Emily and Clark team up with Mr. Newman to put an end to the new threat and send the artifact back to the Realm of Imagination. This all goes according to plan until Magnus refuses to let go of the artifact.

What I liked best was that the old saying “The enemy of my enemy is my friend” plays a big role as two unlikely groups team-up. It is great to see a change of heart in some of the characters as the come to recognize new facts about their own existence. It was also wonderful to see how the Realm of Imagination was created. I was disappointed to see Isaac being left out at the end of the book but I feel like he may play a bigger role than expected in the next one. I was also surprised at how quickly Thomas’s parents let Thomas and Emily go, but that is normally the case with this type of book.

Just like the one before it this second Figment Wars book is geared towards the young adult age range. While this is such a broad group it is fitting as people of all ages will enjoy this book. I increased the rating of this book from the 3 out of 4 of its prequel to a rating of 4 out of 4. This book doesn't just take place in the same world(s) as the first one but directly continues after its end. The rules established in the first are also still followed even if it makes things difficult and inconvenient for some characters. I hope to have the chance to read book three.

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The Honey-Don't List
The Honey-Don't List
Christina Lauren | 2020 | Erotica, Humor & Comedy, Romance
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Carey Douglas is looking forward to a much-needed vacation. She's spent nearly ten years serving as an assistant--and much more--to Melissa Tripp, one half of Melissa and Rusty Tripp. The Tripps are co-owners of the store Comb+Honey and best known for their home renovation TV shows and books. They have a new solo show, Home Sweet Home, about to launch on Netflix, accompanied by a book about their happy marriage. The only issue: Melissa and Rusty can't stand each other. So instead of giving their assistants--Carey and Rusty's assistant/engineer, James--a break while they go on book tour, the couple's behavior requires they be babysat so their mutual self-hatred does not go viral. Suddenly Carey and James find themselves stuck together on a tour bus, watching over two very irritable and often hateful people. James needs the engineering contacts and a job where everything is on the up-and-up--something his last couldn't offer. Carey requires health insurance and believes Melissa needs her more than anyone else. And who knows, the more time James and Carey spend together, the more they might wind up finding some good in all this mess.


"You wouldn't know from scrolling through their idyllic Instagram feed that Melly and Rusty aren't quite as sweet on each other anymore. Looking back, I'm not really sure when they decided their marriage mattered less than their brand."


This was a fun and engaging Christina Lauren read. I'd rank Carey and James as one of their good couples, though not perhaps in the great category. They are cute, however, with plenty of chemistry and lots of sexy banter.


"Your only job for the next ten days is to keep the Tripps from falling apart."


I enjoyed the HGTV feel of this book and the Tripps had a "Chip and Joanna Gaines" feel, if the Gaines went off the rails, or we were able to see their dark side. Things get a little repetitive in the middle, as the Tripps fight and Carey and James struggle with the "oh but we need our jobs" piece, but overall the book is humorous, tender, and fun. Sure, Carey and James are desperately thrown together and you have NO IDEA what will happen, right? It's all good; it's why I love a good romance. Their journey is enjoyable and the side characters--mainly the Tripps--are, well, a trip. Let me tell you, Melissa (Melly) is downright scary at times.

We also get the story told from both Carey and James' point of view, which I like, plus some police report excerpts (oh yeah) and parts of blogger and tabloid pieces. Our fabulous duo does a great job at putting us in the middle of the Tripps' scandal, and one of my favorite things about this one was that not only did we get to enjoy Carey and James' romance, but we felt like we were a part of the trainwreck sensation that was Melly and Rusty.

Overall, this is a fun read with a sexy romance and enjoyable characters. 3.75 stars, rounded to 4 stars here.
  
Rush (2013)
Rush (2013)
2013 | Action, Drama
Today we bring you the latest from dircetor Ron Howard. A movie about what is considered to be one of the greatest rivalries in sports history and to this day, the greatest rivalry in the history of Formula 1 racing … the biographical action film RUSH. Released in the United States on September 20th RUSH tells the story behind the 1976 Formula 1 racing season and the intense rivalry between britsh racing champion James Hunt and austrain racing champion Niki Lauda. Staring Chis Hemsworth (Thor, Red Dawn) as Hunt and Daniel Bruhl (Inglourious Bastards, The Bourne Ultimatum) as Lauda, RUSH follows the two racing legends from their first confrontation at a Formula 3 race at England’s Crystal Palace circuit in 1970 to their accention to Formula 1 racing, to Lauda’s near-fatal carsh at the German Grand Prix and finally to the final race of the season, the Japanese Grand Prix.

What makes this movie different from other stories about the two rivals, is that it is told from the viewpoint of Niki Lauda. Written by legendary screenwritter Peter Morgan, Lauda had been approached many times by studios and writers for nearly 30 years wanting to make a movie from his point of view. Lauda had also been hesitent to make a movie for many years in part because of the death of James Hunt in 1993 at the age of 45 and felt that it wouldn’t have been ‘right’ to make a movie without his rival’s input. After meeting with dircetor Ron Howard, reading Peter Morgan’s screenplay, and with the blessing of James Hunt’s family Lauda finally agreed the movie should be made and i’m here to tell YOU my fellow movie-goers that the 30 years was worth the wait. With a supporting cast inclding Olivia Wilde, Alexandra Maria Lara, and Piefranscesco Favino it is apparent that the studios were serious about making this movie and making it right. Hemsworth and Bruhl definately deliver the goods portraying Hunt and Lauda and I will not be surprised if both of them recieve awards for their potrayals is the two leading characters in the movie. RUSH is different from alot of other movies because there is no REAL villian. It tells the story of two very different competitors in a sport where death is one small mistake away who couldn’t stand one another but at the sametime, when all is said and done they respected each other. It’s the story of two heros who pushed themselves to the limit .. sometimes losing themselves in the process and having to come to terms with the fact that they were not invinvcible.

I for one enjoyed the movie more than any other movie so far this year and I would highly recommend it to you all! Go and see it! Rotten Tomatoes gives it an 89% rating and i’m giving it 5 out of 5 stars! And with talk of the movie being nominated for awards ALREADY … How can you say ‘NO’ to recommendations like that!? It is rated R though so leave the kids at home.
  
    Mavenfall

    Mavenfall

    Games and Stickers

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    "Mavenfall is quite surprising. On the one hand, it’s an incredibly simple game, and on the other,...