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Butterfly Islands (Chronicles of the Twenty-One Butterflies Book 1)
Butterfly Islands (Chronicles of the Twenty-One Butterflies Book 1)
Chris Seabranch | 2016 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
8
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Girl pirates (4 more)
Magic
Quests
Amazing setting
Action & Adventure
Girl Pirates, Treasure, Sword Fights, and Adventure! Yes, please!!!
I read this book because the Kindle version was offered for free on Amazon.
I didn't know what to expect and I honestly thought it was going to be a failed version of some of my most loved pirate stories. But because it featured female pirates, I knew I HAD to read it! And, girl, am I glad I did!
This is the first of a series of 5 books and it did not disappoint! This book had action, adventure, life changing decisions, sword fights, a treasure hunt, pirate ships, and even a couple villains that I ended up truly hating.
The story begins with 15-year-old Casey fleeing her marriage to a much older, very cruel man, which was arranged by her abusive step-father. Casey struggles with leaving because she knows what horrible fate awaits her mother at the hands of her step-father.
As Casey makes her escape, in her wedding dress, she is easily trailed by the very sadists that insist she make good on her step-father's arrangement. Casey runs deeper into the jungle and is rescued by the Twenty-One Butterflies just as the dogs are loosed on her.
Once she observes the ways and learns the values of the group of women that are the Twenty-One Butterflies, Casey makes yet another life-altering decision to join them.
Adventure, danger, training, sword fights, and sisterhood ensue as Casey embarks on her journey to become a Twenty-One Butterfly.
I fully intend to continue the series and discover Casey's fate as well as the fates of the rest of the Twenty-One Butterflies!
  
Leah, daughter of the cheesemaker has had a hard life living with a violent father. Leah marries Judah and finds protection and care. But the land is controlled by Antiochus IV, who is descended from one of Alexander the Great's generals. When he issues a decree that all Jews are to comply with Syrian laws, the devout Jews chance it all to follow the law of Moses.

Judah's father Mattathias decides to move his family from Jerusalem Modein to flee the punishment for defying the decree. By defying the decree, it begins a war that will cost many their lives. Before his death, Mattathias commands Judah to continue the war, otherwise, the Jewish lineage and their lands would be annihilated. Leah wants peace and wrestles with her husband's decision to be the commander of the army. Will there ever be peace?
This is the incredible chronicle of the Maccabees, told through the wife of Judah, who learns what courage and sacrifice are all about.

The author Angela Hunt has done an incredible amount of research and has produced a powerful history lesson entwined with her own creative writing. The author has a way of captivating the reader's attention while teaching us historical content. I like the way the author writes her novels through the eyes of people that were actually there, teaching us history through their eyes.

This is an excellent read, especially for those who love history.


 I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
  
The Dead Fathers Club
The Dead Fathers Club
Matt Haig | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry
7
6.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Philip’s father has just died in a car crash, but he doesn’t think it was an accident. His father’s ghost comes back and tells him that he must have been murdered because he is part of the Dead Fathers Club – just for murdered fathers. He tells Philip that it must have been his Uncle Alan who murdered him, and tells him that he must get revenge.

In an odd take on Hamlet, The Dead Fathers Club follows Philips hunt for revenge for the death of his father.

It’s definitely a disturbing read. Philip is a young boy whose father has just died unexpectantly, and now he sees his father’s ghost, telling him to do awful things, to the point where he is listing ways he could kill his uncle.

The novel is written like it was Philips diary, so the childish grammar with the disturbing thoughts that Philip is experiencing work together to create a definitely troubling novel.

I was definitely questioning Philip’s mental health throughout the novel and wondering whether his father’s ghost was all in his imagination or it was actually happening.

Philip is a misfit with no friends, a girlfriend in part of the novel (which I’m not too sure what that did to the plot) and he’s bullied constantly. He found comfort in the fact that he had the chance to change his own life. He knew he could kill his uncle if he tried, and he saw that as the only way ahead. In killing his uncle, he would get revenge for his father’s death and stop his father from suffering and finally send him to heaven. He could get everything he needed and at the same time feel like he had a friend in his father’s ghost.

It was definitely a good read, but a big change to Matt Haig’s usual writing style.
  
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Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated The Highwaymen (2019) in Movies

Apr 5, 2019 (Updated Apr 5, 2019)  
The Highwaymen (2019)
The Highwaymen (2019)
2019 | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Costner & Harrelson (1 more)
Well made
Slow (0 more)
HighwayMeh
The Highwaymen is a recent Netflix movie about two ex Texas Rangers that were brought out of retirement to hunt and kill Bonnie & Clyde. With that premise and Kevin Costner & Woody Harrelson in the lead roles, this could have been incredible. Although the movie is very well made and the entire cast are all pretty great in it, it is just so damn slow.

Not only that but it is 2+ hours long and, my God do you feel it. Like me, you will most likely spend the whole time waiting for the film to pick up until it just sort of fizzles out. I get that they were going for realism over action here, but it is seriously slow. At what I thought was almost the end of the movie, I hit paused to go for a bathroom break, only to discover that I was just shy of halfway into the movie's runtime.

Don't get me wrong, Costner and Harrelson do a great job of carrying this movie and it really does rely on their performance. Also, the movie is technically proficient. The camera work, the lighting, the set design etc is all solid, this is by no means a poorly made movie.

Overall, if you are a huge fan of the Bonnie & Clyde story, or of either of the lead actors, then you should probably check this one out. If not, you can most certainly give it a skip. As I keep reiterating, this is a technically sound movie, it is just so slow and drawn out that it is detrimental to me recommending the film to anyone other than diehard fans of this story.
  
Shiftless (Wolf Rampant, #1)
Shiftless (Wolf Rampant, #1)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Terra is shiftless --- a werewolf uncomfortable in her own animal skin.
A decade after learning to squash her wolf and flee the repressive village where she grew up, the packless ache still gnaws at Terra's insides. But despite her yearnings, she struggles against being reeled back into her old life.
To Terra's dismay, her father and half a dozen of his henchmen finally ambush her and demand her return. Yet they do offer one way out --- hunt down her nephew Keith, teach him to shift, and bring the youngster back into the fold in her place.
Problem upon problem piles up as Terra strives to do her father's bidding. The female shifter has hidden from her wolf for so long that she finds herself unable to change back into canine form, and she also realizes that her nephew is too good-natured to survive for a minute walking in his grandfather's footsteps. Plus, there's an alpha standing in her way who's equal parts enticing and terrifying.
Will Terra be able to relearn her werewolf abilities --- and overcome her morals --- before her father steals away her hard-earned independence? And as that tantalizing alpha reels her in closer and closer, the question becomes --- does she really want to stay away?

This is the story of Terra Wilder who is 27 now; She left her home and wolf pack ten years ago.
Her father who is the Alpha of her old pack has tracked her down and given her an ultimatum.
Terra has made herself shiftless by locking away her wolf side in her mind for the past 10 years and now needs it.
This is definitely different from other shifter novels which I like about it.
Good plot, great characters and can't wait to see how they develop.
Really good story and can't believe it's a first novel.
Recommend reading.
  
Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)
Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)
2018 | Action, Adventure, Thriller
A Race Against the Clock After a Mission Gone Wrong
In this sixth installment (yes, it’s been six!), special agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his crew find themselves racing against the clock after a mission goes terribly wrong.

Acting: 8

Beginning: 9

Characters: 10

Cinematography/Visuals: 10

Conflict: 9
Solid action from beginning to end keeps this film alive and well. This is what you come for, not a deep story or in-depth character development. You want to see Tom Cruise run really fast and jump off of tall things. While the action falls just short of the quality from the third film, it still packs a hard punch.

Genre: 9
It is surprising to me that, after six films and the following of a somewhat similar formula along the way, this franchise still continues to stand at the pinnacle of espionage action films. Director Christopher McQuarrie not only manages to keep the action fresh in Fallout, but he makes you think they could easily pull off another three. Not the best M:I movie, but it takes you on a wild ride nonetheless.

Memorability: 9

Pace: 9

Plot: 9

Resolution: 9
Wasn’t perfect, but solid enough to wrap the film up nicely. I was hoping for a little more for Ethan, but something tells me that things are going to work out for him just fine in the end. You will definitely leave the movie excited from the seventh installment.

Overall: 91
Mission: Impossible—Fallout is clever enough to make you use your brain, but not too over-the-top where you’re left thinking, “Wait, what?” I have mad respect for McQuarrie as it’s hard as all get out to keep a franchise fresh. After a terrible second try, the franchise has been balling ever since. Long live the running of Tom Cruise!
  
Deception Wears Many Faces
Deception Wears Many Faces
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A nerve-jangling read!

Deception Wears Many Faces by Maggie James is a fast-paced thriller that kept me reading through the night eager to reach the final conclusion.

When Lyddie Hunter’s sister Ellie, attempts suicide again, she flies back home to be with her only to find that some guy on a dating site conned Ellie out of all her money. With only a few clues to go on, Lyddie takes it upon herself to hunt down Ellie’s ex-boyfriend and con man through the dating site of which he uses to target unsuspecting women.

Pretending to be a customer looking for love herself, Lyddie dates a few men trying to work out which guy is the one which conned her sister. But the con man regularly changes his identity as to not get caught. Will Lyddie find out which man he and expose him for who and what he really is, or has she just put herself and her sister in jeopardy and made them both a target? Who can be trusted when dating sites are rife with people reinventing themselves? What better way to target vulnerable women by hiding in plain site.

What a stonker of a book! The cat and mouse chase to find out who the ex-boyfriend is without exposing herself or her sister, had me breathlessly reading this twisty suspense, but who exactly does Lyddie really need to watch out for?

Maggie James has created a terrific tale, full of lies, secrets and hidden agendas, but just who is actually deceiving who? I loved the final reveal at the end and how it all fell into place. A nerve-jangling read!

Thanks to #NetGalley and Bloodhound Books for my arc of #DeceptionWearsManyFaces. My opinions are honest, unbiased and all my own.
  
The Black Lily (Vampire Blood, #1)
The Black Lily (Vampire Blood, #1)
Juliette Cross | 2017 | Paranormal, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Black Lily By Juliette Cross is my first book by this author.
It's a kind of Vampire Twist on the whole cinderella story and seeing as I love fairy tales and am a sucker (sucker get it he he ) for vampires this seemed a win-win.
We have a fairy tale world ruled by vampires, nobles and then the poor peasants
Our Prince Mariel is a vampire and he's having a ball for all the nobility to attend to find his latest bleeder.
Enter Arabelle AKA The Black Lily she's at the ball until midnight to entice the prince so she can drive a gold edged dagger through his vampire heart.
Arabelle is part of the underground movement to stop vampire tyranny.
fleeing the scene of the crime just after midnight. Arabelle thinks she's succeeded in her mission.
Prince Marius wants to find the enchantress bearing a tattoo of a lily and proceeds to start a hunt across the kingdom for the mysterious woman.
Now It took me a while to get into this book, this might have been because I was in a bit of a reading slump, or just plain I wasn't sure about it.
anyway, something must have clicked for me as this changed for me around chapter seven and them a steamrolled through the rest.

so in conclusion, fantastic original plotline, I don't think I've ever seen cinderella imagined with vampires, a great narrative and excellent world building.
this was a fun read with great fleshed out characters my only issue was my inability to originally connect with the story this pulled it down slightly for me and my rating reflected this.
saying that this is still a great read.

I received a free e-copy of The Black Lily from NetGalley and this is my own honest opinion.

https://www.beckiebookworm.com/
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
  
King Kong Lives (1986)
King Kong Lives (1986)
1986 | Action, Horror
3
4.4 (8 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Ape Sh*t
Inexplicably boring and frankly quite weird attempt to cash in on the Kong name: having survived being machine gunned off the top of the Twin Towers and falling five hundred metres onto concrete (and thus proving that some gorillas just can't take a hint), Kong is in a coma being looked after by Linda Hamilton, who should have read the script before signing on. A no-mark leading man is able to hunt up a female giant gorilla to help out with a blood transfusion, but when the two apes get it on and escape, there's panic all round.

History has seen many overly optimistic monster movies, but few quite as out-of-touch with reality as King Kong Lives. It's not just that the story is preposterous (it is), or that the special effects are terrible (they are), but that one of main emotional relationships at the heart of the story is realised through the medium of two stuntmen in not-great gorilla suits nuzzling up to each other in simulation of simian romance. Your mind rebels when it is exposed to this stuff. 'No,' comes the interior monologue, 'no. Even the big bird in The Giant Claw was more convincing than this. I object. I am on strike from this point on.' With your suspension of disbelief in full revolt, you are forced to watch the rest of the movie simply in 'how much worse can this possibly get?' mode. And the answer is: considerably. To be honest it's only the sheer badness of the movie that keeps it interesting; anything remotely competent is also rather dull. I don't think the 1976 version of King Kong is nearly as bad as most people say; it certainly looks like a classic compared to this.
  
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Connie (244 KP) rated Werewolf Online in Apps

Jul 26, 2018 (Updated Jul 26, 2018)  
Werewolf Online
Werewolf Online
Entertainment
10
5.3 (3 Ratings)
App Rating
Ranked mode (2 more)
New roles being added all the time
Online means you can play anytime
Still in beta more so there are some bugs (0 more)
The best reboot of classic Mafia/ Werewolf card games!
I liked the card game Mafia as a kid. It was fun and made parties interesting. When I found Werewolf, I was more interested--the sci-fi/ fantasy theme really sucked me in farther. Now that it's an app, I literally can't put it down!

One team faces three other teams to try and be top dog (errr... wolf, actually) at the end of the game. Assigned a random role with a special ability, you have to try and hunt down all the members of all the other teams and lynch/shoot/holy water them without your own team being knocked out first. Will you be assigned to the Villager team as a Seer or the Mayor? Will you "wake up" as a Werewolf, or as the Shaman? Will you be the Serial Killer or the Arsonist, trying to kill every other player? Or will you be the Fool or Headhunter, trying to be lynched or get one other specific person lynched?

Every game is different. Every game is online against hundreds of others all around the world. And every game, only one team (sometimes only one player) can win.

It's tactical. It's skill and intrigue, lies and manipulations and downright back-stabbing as the most clever rise to the top.

On top of that, new roles are being added constantly through the Discord servers. If you've got an idea, they want to hear it. Several writers have already had their ideas incorporated, and it's awfully interesting to help those roles get perfected!

All in all this is a solid party favorite made playable anywhere. 10/10 WILL play again!