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Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated The Darkest Torment (Lords of the Underworld #12) in Books
Jan 6, 2021
I wasn't expecting Baden's story to be next. I assumed it would be William, the Ever Randy, or Cameo with Lazarus since both of their stories have been progressing in the background of previous books. So I'll admit my interest wasn't all that captured by his story. I started this some time in June and picked it back up after a lengthy break in September.
If I remember correctly this starts with Baden in a bad mood, not knowing how to cope with the new beats inside him and needing a way to relax so William hires some female company for the night. Only they are assassins sent to kill him and he finds himself in the middle of a war between Lucifer and Hades. As one of Hades' assassins, thanks to the wreaths, he now finds himself - along with Pandora - on missions to earn points to see which of them will be given their life back. One mission takes him back to Budapest and straight into the middle of a wedding ceremony between his target and Katarina, who is being forced into the marriage to save her loved ones.
As mentioned above, I wasn't really craving this book when I realised it was Baden's story and not one of the others but after the month break reading other things, I have to say that I quickly got sucked back into the story. I grew to like Baden a lot. He got good at dealing with all the crap that Hades threw at and asked of him. Katarina was a little harder for me to like. She did kind of treat him like she would her dogs but I do get that the beast that occasionally took over Baden was rather animal like.
I loved seeing this group of friends and warriors again. They're an eclectic bunch but will protect each other to their deaths.
This one has set us up for Gilly and Puck's story - a way out of left field decision from the author after making us want Gilly and William for the past ten books or so. And also Cameo and Lazarus which has been brewing since the previous book - and coincidentally the next in the series.
P.S. I loved the reference to Immortals After Dark by Kresley Cole. Keeley, I love that series, too!
If I remember correctly this starts with Baden in a bad mood, not knowing how to cope with the new beats inside him and needing a way to relax so William hires some female company for the night. Only they are assassins sent to kill him and he finds himself in the middle of a war between Lucifer and Hades. As one of Hades' assassins, thanks to the wreaths, he now finds himself - along with Pandora - on missions to earn points to see which of them will be given their life back. One mission takes him back to Budapest and straight into the middle of a wedding ceremony between his target and Katarina, who is being forced into the marriage to save her loved ones.
As mentioned above, I wasn't really craving this book when I realised it was Baden's story and not one of the others but after the month break reading other things, I have to say that I quickly got sucked back into the story. I grew to like Baden a lot. He got good at dealing with all the crap that Hades threw at and asked of him. Katarina was a little harder for me to like. She did kind of treat him like she would her dogs but I do get that the beast that occasionally took over Baden was rather animal like.
I loved seeing this group of friends and warriors again. They're an eclectic bunch but will protect each other to their deaths.
This one has set us up for Gilly and Puck's story - a way out of left field decision from the author after making us want Gilly and William for the past ten books or so. And also Cameo and Lazarus which has been brewing since the previous book - and coincidentally the next in the series.
P.S. I loved the reference to Immortals After Dark by Kresley Cole. Keeley, I love that series, too!
David McK (3227 KP) rated Hercules (1997) in Movies
Nov 13, 2020
Zero to Hero. Or Hero to Zero?
Mid-to-late 90's (1997) Disney's take on the tale of the Greek demigod Heracles (aka Hercules), that takes more than a few liberties with those tales to put their own spin on it: here Hercules himself, for instance, does not suffer from the enmity of Hera, nor does he have the 12 labours to complete (although those are referenced).
The main 'big draw voice' in this is Danny DeVito as Hercules tutor Philoctetes, with Yate Donavan as Hercules himself and James Woods as the villain of the piece, Hades.
It also has very 'angular' and vibrant animation (to represent strength) which I find somewhat offputting, while none of the songs are really that memorable IMO.
The main 'big draw voice' in this is Danny DeVito as Hercules tutor Philoctetes, with Yate Donavan as Hercules himself and James Woods as the villain of the piece, Hades.
It also has very 'angular' and vibrant animation (to represent strength) which I find somewhat offputting, while none of the songs are really that memorable IMO.
Lilyn G - Sci-Fi & Scary (91 KP) rated Bright (2017) in Movies
Jan 31, 2018
I don't get the hate - this was a fun popcorn flick.
I'll admit, I watched this movie basically because of all the hate it was getting on social media. I thought "It really can't be that bad, can it?" And I was right. It really wasn't that bad.
Now, if you're looking for an original storyline, insightful social commentary that hasn't been done three hundred times before, or acting that'll blow you away - well, why the sweet Hades were you watching a Netflix movie starring Will Smith and ORCS for heaven's sake?
However, if you were wanting a fun popcorn flick that required no thinking, but gave you cheesy-lines and lots of action, this was almost perfect. It really just depends on what you're expecting from it going in.
Now, if you're looking for an original storyline, insightful social commentary that hasn't been done three hundred times before, or acting that'll blow you away - well, why the sweet Hades were you watching a Netflix movie starring Will Smith and ORCS for heaven's sake?
However, if you were wanting a fun popcorn flick that required no thinking, but gave you cheesy-lines and lots of action, this was almost perfect. It really just depends on what you're expecting from it going in.
Kyera (8 KP) rated The Star-Touched Queen (The Star-Touched Queen, #1) in Books
Feb 1, 2018
The Star-Touched Queen is a little slow to start, but once it finds a groove the story will draw you in and you won't want to put it down. The writing style is very poetic and descriptive, which is absolutely gorgeous but can sometimes slow down the story. Those pacing issues continue throughout the story. Sometimes the book flows well and you find yourself reading through chapters in no time, while other times the writing or plot trips you up and slows down the story.
I was very intrigued by the premise of the story, as not only does it include elements of Indian folklore but it is a re-telling of the Hades and Persephone myth. As a huge fan of Greek mythology, that was the aspect of the story that I was most excited to experience. Amar and Maya are our Hades and Persephone, although it is a unique story and you don't feel like you're reading a re-telling.
As strange as it seems, my favourite character was actually the demon horse Kamala. Although she could be really creepy when she salivated over eating people, she could be funny and made some of the scenes for me. Although I liked Amar, Maya and the other supporting characters I didn't relate strongly to any of them so it made me less invested in the book. I wish I did like them more because I would have loved to have stronger feelings about this gorgeous book.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it - but it didn't make any strong or lasting impact on me. Readers who are fans of flowery prose and very descriptive writing will enjoy Roshani Chokshi's writing style, but if you are a fan of more simple sentences you might have difficultly getting through this book.
I was very intrigued by the premise of the story, as not only does it include elements of Indian folklore but it is a re-telling of the Hades and Persephone myth. As a huge fan of Greek mythology, that was the aspect of the story that I was most excited to experience. Amar and Maya are our Hades and Persephone, although it is a unique story and you don't feel like you're reading a re-telling.
As strange as it seems, my favourite character was actually the demon horse Kamala. Although she could be really creepy when she salivated over eating people, she could be funny and made some of the scenes for me. Although I liked Amar, Maya and the other supporting characters I didn't relate strongly to any of them so it made me less invested in the book. I wish I did like them more because I would have loved to have stronger feelings about this gorgeous book.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it - but it didn't make any strong or lasting impact on me. Readers who are fans of flowery prose and very descriptive writing will enjoy Roshani Chokshi's writing style, but if you are a fan of more simple sentences you might have difficultly getting through this book.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Born of Hatred (The Hellequin Chronicles #2) in Books
Dec 5, 2020
Contains spoilers, click to show
201
Kindle
Born of Hatred ( The Hellequin chronicles book 2)
By Steve McHugh
There was a time when Nathan Garrett was feared. When the mention of his name was enough to stop his enemies in their tracks. That time has long since passed.
When Nathan's friend asks for help investigating a pattern of horrific crimes, he reluctantly agrees. But his investigation leads to a serial killer who is something more, or less, than human, a creature of pure malevolence and hatred.
There are some things that even a 1600-year-old sorcerer hesitates to challenge. But when evil targets those Nathan cares about, his enemies will discover exactly who Nathan used to be. And why they will learn to fear him once more.
Born of Hatred is an action-packed, Urban Fantasy set in modern-day England with historical flashbacks to late nineteenth century Montana. It's the second book of the Hellequin Chronicles, following the widely praised Crimes Against Magic, which introduced sorcerer Nathan Garrett. I did t think I could enjoy the second as much as the first, I was so wrong!
Loved it!! Written by a Brit the character is English it’s set in England and what’s not to love about Nate!! I love the bloke he’s powerful and funny! This one be brings Hades and Persephone In to the picture and I absolutely love all Hades parts in books! The werewolf pack are brilliant, Tommy and Kasey are great I even warmed to Olivia!! Shame about the romance not working out but a mere mortal isn’t enough for our Nate! The big bad was really chilling along with his ghouls and the barren! We are one step closer to finding the assholes in Avalon. Brilliant read! Ooo and yes the Hellequin is back!!!
Kindle
Born of Hatred ( The Hellequin chronicles book 2)
By Steve McHugh
There was a time when Nathan Garrett was feared. When the mention of his name was enough to stop his enemies in their tracks. That time has long since passed.
When Nathan's friend asks for help investigating a pattern of horrific crimes, he reluctantly agrees. But his investigation leads to a serial killer who is something more, or less, than human, a creature of pure malevolence and hatred.
There are some things that even a 1600-year-old sorcerer hesitates to challenge. But when evil targets those Nathan cares about, his enemies will discover exactly who Nathan used to be. And why they will learn to fear him once more.
Born of Hatred is an action-packed, Urban Fantasy set in modern-day England with historical flashbacks to late nineteenth century Montana. It's the second book of the Hellequin Chronicles, following the widely praised Crimes Against Magic, which introduced sorcerer Nathan Garrett. I did t think I could enjoy the second as much as the first, I was so wrong!
Loved it!! Written by a Brit the character is English it’s set in England and what’s not to love about Nate!! I love the bloke he’s powerful and funny! This one be brings Hades and Persephone In to the picture and I absolutely love all Hades parts in books! The werewolf pack are brilliant, Tommy and Kasey are great I even warmed to Olivia!! Shame about the romance not working out but a mere mortal isn’t enough for our Nate! The big bad was really chilling along with his ghouls and the barren! We are one step closer to finding the assholes in Avalon. Brilliant read! Ooo and yes the Hellequin is back!!!
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Hercules (1997) in Movies
Mar 23, 2020
Go The Distance
I love this movie, this is one of my favorite animation films of all time. Its a classic. You have great songs like.."The Gospel Truth", "Go The Distance", "Zero to Hero", "I Wont Say" and "A Star is Born".
The plot: Disney tackles Greek mythology in this animated feature. Hercules (Tate Donovan), a son of gods, was snatched as a baby by Hades (James Woods) and forced to live among mortals as a half-man, half-god. Now a teenager, Hercules needs to perform a rite of passage on Earth to prove himself worthy of living with the gods on Mount Olympus. With his plucky satyr sidekick, Philoctetes (Danny DeVito), along for the ride, Hercules must learn how to use his strength to defeat a series of evil creatures.
Such a excellent, classic disney animation movie.
The plot: Disney tackles Greek mythology in this animated feature. Hercules (Tate Donovan), a son of gods, was snatched as a baby by Hades (James Woods) and forced to live among mortals as a half-man, half-god. Now a teenager, Hercules needs to perform a rite of passage on Earth to prove himself worthy of living with the gods on Mount Olympus. With his plucky satyr sidekick, Philoctetes (Danny DeVito), along for the ride, Hercules must learn how to use his strength to defeat a series of evil creatures.
Such a excellent, classic disney animation movie.
Lee KM Pallatina (951 KP) rated Hercules (1997) in Movies
Aug 10, 2019
Zero to Hero
Contains spoilers, click to show
Disney's take on the Greek mythological Hero.
Hercules (Tate Donovan), son of Zeus, was kidnapped as a baby by minions of Hades (James Woods) and is found and raised by mortals in a superman-esque kinda way.
Now a teenager, Hercules wants to know about his real parents. Along the way he needs to perform a rite of passage on Earth to prove himself worthy of living with the gods on Mount Olympus and dealing with his first true love With help from his plucky satyr sidekick, Philoctetes (Danny DeVito), who's along for the ride, Hercules must learn how to use his strength to become the hero he's needed to be.
This movie is very light hearted and has an array of characters you can appreciate, many vibrant colours manage to draw you in, great dialogue and banter between characters with a meaningful story.
My personal favourite Disney animation.
Hercules (Tate Donovan), son of Zeus, was kidnapped as a baby by minions of Hades (James Woods) and is found and raised by mortals in a superman-esque kinda way.
Now a teenager, Hercules wants to know about his real parents. Along the way he needs to perform a rite of passage on Earth to prove himself worthy of living with the gods on Mount Olympus and dealing with his first true love With help from his plucky satyr sidekick, Philoctetes (Danny DeVito), who's along for the ride, Hercules must learn how to use his strength to become the hero he's needed to be.
This movie is very light hearted and has an array of characters you can appreciate, many vibrant colours manage to draw you in, great dialogue and banter between characters with a meaningful story.
My personal favourite Disney animation.
Becs (244 KP) rated Blinding Night in Books
May 17, 2019
Rushed at parts and slow at others, but the story was there
My rating: ☆☆☆.5
I received the audiobook version of Blinding Night to read and review for my honest opinion.
I was very excited to read this as it was a retelling of my favorite Greek God and Goddess. I did enjoy it, but there were things that I was kind of so/so on. We'll get to that in a bit though.
Blinding Night follows Summer as she heads to Greece with her family for an expedition over summer vacation. Summer is not at all too happy about spending the entire summer months in a different country with her family while her friends were out having fun. But when Summer arrives in Greece, things take a twist of a turn.
She begins having visions and dreams of a shadowed figure and pomegranate seeds. Then the unthinkable happens, a tragic car accident. This is about the time when Summer meets Darce, a disguise of Hades. Darce then seduces Summer down into the Underworld because he believes she is the reincarnation of his long lost love Persephone. But they can't say anything because than Demeter who has been disguising herself as Summer's mother, will try to take her back. Which is not what we need, because that could lead to some very bad endings.
Characters:
Summer - the main character, a reincarnation of Persephone. Whines and complains a ton.
Darce - a disguise that Hades uses for when he's in the Human world. Supposed to be very dominant, brooding, and in charge, yet is not. Don't get me wrong, he was witty and seductive - which is honestly something I rather enjoy in the main man.
Morpheus - a very laid back character that I at first thought was more of a side character but he plays a very important role throughout the story.
Arae - sassy, snarky, the exact replica of a mean girl. Her snarky comments to the other gods had me cracking up!
Reasons why I rated it 3.5 stars:
1. The plot:
There were a lot of plot holes, at least that's what it felt like. Summer would do things that didn't make any sense and it just left me really confused over the entirety of the story. Some parts were rushed, while others were slow. It wasn't balanced as well as I'd hoped it was. When I imagined a modern retelling of Hades and Persephone, I figured it would have a bit of the dramatic, dark, and Gothic aura around the Underworld and Hades himself as is found in other retellings. Instead, I was left with sunshine and buttercups and just a small disappointed flare that raced through my body. Also, the part I enjoyed the most was the ending. That's when things actually started to get interesting. Chantal does not disappoint on cliffhangers, cause that was a surprise of a cliffhanger.
2. My enjoyment:
I really enjoyed the story as a whole and would reread again at a later date, but I just wish it was more fleshed out.
3. Character and story development:
There was hardly any character development and that made the story a bit dry. There was some story development but not as much that was needed. I found some parts to be rather boring because it lacked the spark of background that could have made this story so much better.
4. Grammar and spelling:
Since I listened to the audiobook version of the story, I can't say much for the grammar and spelling. I'm going to assume it's good and the way Chantal writes had me enthralled with the story.
5. The overall story:
The story wasn't at all what I imagined how the story was going to go. It was a good and very light story, but it lacked the intensity that comes when you read retellings of Greek gods and goddess'.
"Stories tend to get messed up all the time. It's like a classic game of telephone. Somewhere along the way, the truth is lost and the story becomes something entirely different."
I received the audiobook version of Blinding Night to read and review for my honest opinion.
I was very excited to read this as it was a retelling of my favorite Greek God and Goddess. I did enjoy it, but there were things that I was kind of so/so on. We'll get to that in a bit though.
Blinding Night follows Summer as she heads to Greece with her family for an expedition over summer vacation. Summer is not at all too happy about spending the entire summer months in a different country with her family while her friends were out having fun. But when Summer arrives in Greece, things take a twist of a turn.
She begins having visions and dreams of a shadowed figure and pomegranate seeds. Then the unthinkable happens, a tragic car accident. This is about the time when Summer meets Darce, a disguise of Hades. Darce then seduces Summer down into the Underworld because he believes she is the reincarnation of his long lost love Persephone. But they can't say anything because than Demeter who has been disguising herself as Summer's mother, will try to take her back. Which is not what we need, because that could lead to some very bad endings.
Characters:
Summer - the main character, a reincarnation of Persephone. Whines and complains a ton.
Darce - a disguise that Hades uses for when he's in the Human world. Supposed to be very dominant, brooding, and in charge, yet is not. Don't get me wrong, he was witty and seductive - which is honestly something I rather enjoy in the main man.
Morpheus - a very laid back character that I at first thought was more of a side character but he plays a very important role throughout the story.
Arae - sassy, snarky, the exact replica of a mean girl. Her snarky comments to the other gods had me cracking up!
Reasons why I rated it 3.5 stars:
1. The plot:
There were a lot of plot holes, at least that's what it felt like. Summer would do things that didn't make any sense and it just left me really confused over the entirety of the story. Some parts were rushed, while others were slow. It wasn't balanced as well as I'd hoped it was. When I imagined a modern retelling of Hades and Persephone, I figured it would have a bit of the dramatic, dark, and Gothic aura around the Underworld and Hades himself as is found in other retellings. Instead, I was left with sunshine and buttercups and just a small disappointed flare that raced through my body. Also, the part I enjoyed the most was the ending. That's when things actually started to get interesting. Chantal does not disappoint on cliffhangers, cause that was a surprise of a cliffhanger.
2. My enjoyment:
I really enjoyed the story as a whole and would reread again at a later date, but I just wish it was more fleshed out.
3. Character and story development:
There was hardly any character development and that made the story a bit dry. There was some story development but not as much that was needed. I found some parts to be rather boring because it lacked the spark of background that could have made this story so much better.
4. Grammar and spelling:
Since I listened to the audiobook version of the story, I can't say much for the grammar and spelling. I'm going to assume it's good and the way Chantal writes had me enthralled with the story.
5. The overall story:
The story wasn't at all what I imagined how the story was going to go. It was a good and very light story, but it lacked the intensity that comes when you read retellings of Greek gods and goddess'.
"Stories tend to get messed up all the time. It's like a classic game of telephone. Somewhere along the way, the truth is lost and the story becomes something entirely different."
ArecRain (8 KP) rated To Hell With Love in Books
Jan 18, 2018
I seriously do not even know what to say about this piece of work. It's a rare and special day when you run across a romance novel where the male protagonist is death/devil/Hades. They are personal favorites of mine. So you can imagine I snatched this one up as soon as I saw it. I am glad I only dished out $2 for it.
The plot is as thin as wet tissue and more boring than watching mud dry. Every page was obvious and expected, the obstruction between the protagonists was blaring, and it was just very...bland. I will give the author credit for knowing how to write and tell the story she wants to tell. However, I must deduct points for the lack of creativity. I wanted so much to be wowed or at least enjoy the novel, but instead I felt like this would be a the love story about death and his lady as written by a high school freshmen, still dewy eyed.
The plot is as thin as wet tissue and more boring than watching mud dry. Every page was obvious and expected, the obstruction between the protagonists was blaring, and it was just very...bland. I will give the author credit for knowing how to write and tell the story she wants to tell. However, I must deduct points for the lack of creativity. I wanted so much to be wowed or at least enjoy the novel, but instead I felt like this would be a the love story about death and his lady as written by a high school freshmen, still dewy eyed.
RavenclawPrincess913 (253 KP) rated Star Splitter in Books
Jul 14, 2023
Star Splitter by Matthew J Kirby was one of my favorite books I have read this year. My favorite character in this book would be Duncan, the ships captains sixteen year old son. I like the character due to him being a great friend with an amazing personality. I also love how him and the main character Jessica formed a friendship and how protective he was over her. My favorite part of the book was when they were together. I really loved the part when he saved her. I also loved all the other parts with them together which made the book interesting. This book was very well written kept me interested, and I loved the plot. I honestly had a hard time putting the book down. The author should write more books like this one.
Even though I loved this book and gave it a five out of five stars, the ending made me mad. I just don't like how it ended. It leaves many questions unanswered. Also, the back and forth between Jessica one and Jessica two got me very confused at times. One scene I disliked was when the two crew members talked about Jessica and her family behind her back. Also, the scene where her father killed the ships doctor was scary to me. Her dad's transfer was corrupted, which made him very violent. Another part I didn't like was the fact that Jessica's mother is the reason the ship was destroyed since she didn't leave Jessica's violent Dad locked up like she was supposed to. In my opinion, Jessica and her mother should have just left the ship alone and left her corrupted father behind. Jessica's relationship with her parents was bad from the start, but I imagine this made it even worse. Duncan also had a bad relationship with his dad, so I'm pretty sure them having that in common helped their relationship grow. In conclusion, I can definitely see myself rereading this book. If you love young adult science fiction with teleportation to another planet, you would love this book too.
Star Splitter was my favorite book read this year, so here's some fun facts about the book. Jessica refers to Carver 1061c as Hades, which I found hilarious and very fitting after everything that happened. Jessica's Mom was a geologist, and her dad a biological studying Hades surface. The rest you will just have to read to find out.
Even though I loved this book and gave it a five out of five stars, the ending made me mad. I just don't like how it ended. It leaves many questions unanswered. Also, the back and forth between Jessica one and Jessica two got me very confused at times. One scene I disliked was when the two crew members talked about Jessica and her family behind her back. Also, the scene where her father killed the ships doctor was scary to me. Her dad's transfer was corrupted, which made him very violent. Another part I didn't like was the fact that Jessica's mother is the reason the ship was destroyed since she didn't leave Jessica's violent Dad locked up like she was supposed to. In my opinion, Jessica and her mother should have just left the ship alone and left her corrupted father behind. Jessica's relationship with her parents was bad from the start, but I imagine this made it even worse. Duncan also had a bad relationship with his dad, so I'm pretty sure them having that in common helped their relationship grow. In conclusion, I can definitely see myself rereading this book. If you love young adult science fiction with teleportation to another planet, you would love this book too.
Star Splitter was my favorite book read this year, so here's some fun facts about the book. Jessica refers to Carver 1061c as Hades, which I found hilarious and very fitting after everything that happened. Jessica's Mom was a geologist, and her dad a biological studying Hades surface. The rest you will just have to read to find out.