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Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Abra Cadabra ( Harem of Freaks book 2) in Books
Jan 2, 2023
1 of 235
Kindle
Abra Cadabra ( Harrm of Freaks book 2)
By Crystal Ash
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶
Something is watching me. I can't tell if it wants to hurt or protect me.
Is the howling at night real or is my mind playing tricks on me? What about the flashes of white fur I see out of the corners of my eyes? And who is the beautiful, pale man haunting my dreams?
As carnival performers, it's always on to the next show. A tattooed sword swallower with an affinity for fire has gotten me all fired up. Connor not only doesn't mind, but he's encouraging the sparks to fly. My heart's being pulled in multiple directions, and somehow it actually feels right.
Meanwhile, I've been tasked with the impossible for this show. I can't just pull it off, I have to nail it perfectly, or the whole operation could go up in flames.
The ride has just begun. Step right up.
It’s a quick easy fun read. I love how different this book is. We meet 2 shifters who Melody seems to draw to her it’s also nice to see a single father figure featured too. Crystal Ash is becoming one of my favourite indie authors her books are effortless and always entertaining. Also Dragon shifter what’s not to love?
Kindle
Abra Cadabra ( Harrm of Freaks book 2)
By Crystal Ash
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶
Something is watching me. I can't tell if it wants to hurt or protect me.
Is the howling at night real or is my mind playing tricks on me? What about the flashes of white fur I see out of the corners of my eyes? And who is the beautiful, pale man haunting my dreams?
As carnival performers, it's always on to the next show. A tattooed sword swallower with an affinity for fire has gotten me all fired up. Connor not only doesn't mind, but he's encouraging the sparks to fly. My heart's being pulled in multiple directions, and somehow it actually feels right.
Meanwhile, I've been tasked with the impossible for this show. I can't just pull it off, I have to nail it perfectly, or the whole operation could go up in flames.
The ride has just begun. Step right up.
It’s a quick easy fun read. I love how different this book is. We meet 2 shifters who Melody seems to draw to her it’s also nice to see a single father figure featured too. Crystal Ash is becoming one of my favourite indie authors her books are effortless and always entertaining. Also Dragon shifter what’s not to love?
Murder at the Majestic Hotel
7.0
Rate It
Book
Against all expectations in Edwardian England, newly married American heiress Stella Kendrick and...
Lighten The Load (Ghosts along the Oregon Trail, #2)
Book
After a devastating tragedy, Dorcas Moon faces brutal choices in the unforgiving wilderness. An...
Historical Western Adventure American West Pioneers
Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated The Ritual (2017) in Movies
May 12, 2018
Contains spoilers, click to show
If you’re browsing Netflix for a horror movie, The Ritual is definitely one worth checking out. Set in a foreboding, heavily wooded landscape of the Swedish mountains, this horror film reminds viewers that maybe, just maybe you should think twice about taking that shortcut – because you know, clearly that horror movie trope hasn’t been done enough.
Nevermind that, though. Starting off with a group of friends discussing their next vacation, we soon learn which character is the biggest coward of the troupe – Luke, The Ritual‘s first bloodletting comes fairly early on. Unintentionally, Luke and Robert (Rafe Spall and Paul Reid, respectively) stumble upon a robbery whilst they are inside a liquor store. Luke, in a cowardly manner, retreats and in his endeavor to do so, hits a few bottles and makes a noise, alerting the robbers to Robert’s presence and thus resulting directly in Robert’s murder. The guilt eats at him later on, but during the entire fiasco, Luke makes no attempt to come to Robert’s aid; he only watches as his friend is brutally slaughtered. (Okay, that one might be a bit of a hyperbole compared to later scenes, but I digress.)
As a direct result of this incident, the remaining quartet, which consists of Hutch (Robert James-Collier), Phil (Arsher Ali), and Dom (Sam Troughton) in addition to Luke, decide to go hiking in memory of Robert – a trip they’d originally ridiculed him about in the earlier bar scene. And thus, we have the set up of The Ritual.
Plotwise, I felt The Ritual was fairly solid as far as cult movies go – if a bit overplayed. Group of guys goes on a trip. Someone gets injured. They try to take a shortcut back. Things go badly. Of course, there’s a bit more of an occult flavor to it, one that’s a bit more haunting in quality which is nice, but overall it’s nothing new. The difference here is it is something that is done well as opposed to half-assed.
When we get to characters though, the only one that’s even remotely likable in my opinion is Phil. The others are all self-centered assholes or, in Luke’s case, cowards. Dom’s got the luck of a bag of rocks tossed into a lake and told to float, and Hutch… we’ll leave it at that. Luke’s character, on the other hand, experiences major growth. Earlier in the film, we watch him suffer from the inability to act; by the end of the film he is forced into action: either he redeems himself, or he dies.
Another aspect of this film that I love is its absolutely breathtaking shots. I hate using adverbs that I’ve already used earlier in a review, but haunting is such an apt description of the shots taken of the Swedish forests and mountains that we see in The Ritual. Those scenes, coupled with the disturbing echoes of Luke’s guilt really have a way of balancing out the movie.
Nevermind that, though. Starting off with a group of friends discussing their next vacation, we soon learn which character is the biggest coward of the troupe – Luke, The Ritual‘s first bloodletting comes fairly early on. Unintentionally, Luke and Robert (Rafe Spall and Paul Reid, respectively) stumble upon a robbery whilst they are inside a liquor store. Luke, in a cowardly manner, retreats and in his endeavor to do so, hits a few bottles and makes a noise, alerting the robbers to Robert’s presence and thus resulting directly in Robert’s murder. The guilt eats at him later on, but during the entire fiasco, Luke makes no attempt to come to Robert’s aid; he only watches as his friend is brutally slaughtered. (Okay, that one might be a bit of a hyperbole compared to later scenes, but I digress.)
As a direct result of this incident, the remaining quartet, which consists of Hutch (Robert James-Collier), Phil (Arsher Ali), and Dom (Sam Troughton) in addition to Luke, decide to go hiking in memory of Robert – a trip they’d originally ridiculed him about in the earlier bar scene. And thus, we have the set up of The Ritual.
Plotwise, I felt The Ritual was fairly solid as far as cult movies go – if a bit overplayed. Group of guys goes on a trip. Someone gets injured. They try to take a shortcut back. Things go badly. Of course, there’s a bit more of an occult flavor to it, one that’s a bit more haunting in quality which is nice, but overall it’s nothing new. The difference here is it is something that is done well as opposed to half-assed.
When we get to characters though, the only one that’s even remotely likable in my opinion is Phil. The others are all self-centered assholes or, in Luke’s case, cowards. Dom’s got the luck of a bag of rocks tossed into a lake and told to float, and Hutch… we’ll leave it at that. Luke’s character, on the other hand, experiences major growth. Earlier in the film, we watch him suffer from the inability to act; by the end of the film he is forced into action: either he redeems himself, or he dies.
Another aspect of this film that I love is its absolutely breathtaking shots. I hate using adverbs that I’ve already used earlier in a review, but haunting is such an apt description of the shots taken of the Swedish forests and mountains that we see in The Ritual. Those scenes, coupled with the disturbing echoes of Luke’s guilt really have a way of balancing out the movie.
Alison Pink (7 KP) rated A Game of Thrones in Books
Jan 15, 2018
Let me say first that, this is not at all the kind of book that I usually find myself drawn too. I had seen previews for the series on HBO & thought it looked good. I hesitated for a long while on whether to read it or not & decided that while I was on vacation I would read it. (I was advised to wait because you need to concentrate on the book in order to keep all the characters straight, which is VERY true!)
Now I wish I'd read it when I first got the urge. It is SOOOO incredibly well written. The characters are all so different, but so well fleshed out that you can picture them without much trouble. There are a great deal of them & it does take a hundred pages or so to get a handle on them. But, if you stick with it I know you will be pleasantly surprised & glad that you toughed out the first few chapters.
The story is haunting & beautiful. I loathe reviews that spoil the plot so I will not even begin to tackle it here. I could go on all day about it with all its twists & turns. Suffice it to say, I will be picking up the 2nd in the series as soon as I'm done typing here!
Take the risk, don't let the sheer size of the book intimidate you! You will not be disappointed.
Now I wish I'd read it when I first got the urge. It is SOOOO incredibly well written. The characters are all so different, but so well fleshed out that you can picture them without much trouble. There are a great deal of them & it does take a hundred pages or so to get a handle on them. But, if you stick with it I know you will be pleasantly surprised & glad that you toughed out the first few chapters.
The story is haunting & beautiful. I loathe reviews that spoil the plot so I will not even begin to tackle it here. I could go on all day about it with all its twists & turns. Suffice it to say, I will be picking up the 2nd in the series as soon as I'm done typing here!
Take the risk, don't let the sheer size of the book intimidate you! You will not be disappointed.
Steve Fearon (84 KP) rated Hereditary (2018) in Movies
Oct 10, 2018
Oscar worthy performances from the cast (2 more)
A genuinely complex approach to character based horror
Grounded horror, exploring reality and supernatural settings
It may be a little too slow for some (1 more)
This is not an easy viewing, and not a popcorn flick, you will need to pay full attention!
We Are family...
This movie is....intense.
It is painful.
It is uncomfortable.
It has moments of genuine scares too, but mostly it has slow dread.
The performance of this movie are outstanding and very much worthy of Oscar consideration, especially for Toni Collette who is just beyond amazing as a mother watching her family fall apart, but whose mental fragility is questioned over the course of the movie.
They keep the viewer guessing at all times as to whether the actions of this movie are due to insanity or something else, and honestly, either way, it is nightmarish.
The actions and conversations of the main characters all seem natural, or at least plausible, and this grounds the otherwise surreal situations in a way that is rare on movies of this type.
The sound design in this movie is fantastic, using really dynamic sound effects and periods of silence to create tension and keep the viewer focused, since there are very few musical cues on offer.
It is a classic, beautifully performed, lovingly crafted, and haunting in its brutality, realism and despair.
Watch it!
It is painful.
It is uncomfortable.
It has moments of genuine scares too, but mostly it has slow dread.
The performance of this movie are outstanding and very much worthy of Oscar consideration, especially for Toni Collette who is just beyond amazing as a mother watching her family fall apart, but whose mental fragility is questioned over the course of the movie.
They keep the viewer guessing at all times as to whether the actions of this movie are due to insanity or something else, and honestly, either way, it is nightmarish.
The actions and conversations of the main characters all seem natural, or at least plausible, and this grounds the otherwise surreal situations in a way that is rare on movies of this type.
The sound design in this movie is fantastic, using really dynamic sound effects and periods of silence to create tension and keep the viewer focused, since there are very few musical cues on offer.
It is a classic, beautifully performed, lovingly crafted, and haunting in its brutality, realism and despair.
Watch it!
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