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Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated The Music Man: Other Dimensions in Books
Feb 11, 2020
Honest Review for Free Copy of Book
Before you read this review I just want to mention that I do like the idea behind this book and do not want to discourage anyone from reading it. This was just my personal opinion as all my reviews are.
The Music Man: Other Dimensions by Moonyani Write picks up directly where the previous one left off. It has the same writing style as the previous one for those who enjoyed that. However, at the time of my writing this the book could still use some work (although keep in mind I am just a reader and not an editor).
This second book welcomes back The Music Man (Cornelius), Jimmy, and his friends at a boarding school for the musically gifted. At first, Jimmy believes all the previous events are just a dream but he soon pins down Cornelius, who just happens to be a teacher at his school and learns the truth. The bad news is Hornsbury and the witches have returned in the other dimension and are trying to steal the other Jimmy’s talents and take over the world.
Before Jimmy and his friends can stop Hornsbury and save everyone they must complete a few other tasks. The first of these tasks is to save Chris from his possession and return the book he stole to its rightful owner, Priala. Priala is a powerful witch and on the side of good who has agreed to help stop Hornsbury so long as she gets her spellbook back first. They also want to help Phillip regain his human form and free all those already possessed by Hornsbury. Sadly all seems lost when both Jimmy’s and Cornelius’s girlfriend are captured by Honsbury. It then becomes a race against the clock to stop him before it is too late.
I enjoyed how the students from our dimension and those from the other dimension interacted with each other. It was interesting to see how the friendships formed almost instantly between many of them. Of course, the surprise at the end was nice, although it mirrored the ending of the first book. The amount of repetition is this book was a major issue for me and made it extremely hard to read. To be honest I got bored with it quickly. The story is slow to make progress and it seems like there are character descriptions thrown in at random which interrupts the flow of the story. It could be the format that I received this book in but yet again there were few paragraphs and almost every sentence started a completely new line.
This book is ideal for children as I found nothing inappropriate in it. It might be a bit on the long side for some younger readers but making one chapter at a time a reading goal should help with that issue. I rate this book 1 out of 4. Unfortunately, I found this book to be way too repetitive and slow to be enjoyable. In contrast, the big battle at the end that everything was leading up to was over so quickly that it didn’t create any tension or excitement. I do not like doing this but in this book’s current condition I can not recommend it.
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The Music Man: Other Dimensions by Moonyani Write picks up directly where the previous one left off. It has the same writing style as the previous one for those who enjoyed that. However, at the time of my writing this the book could still use some work (although keep in mind I am just a reader and not an editor).
This second book welcomes back The Music Man (Cornelius), Jimmy, and his friends at a boarding school for the musically gifted. At first, Jimmy believes all the previous events are just a dream but he soon pins down Cornelius, who just happens to be a teacher at his school and learns the truth. The bad news is Hornsbury and the witches have returned in the other dimension and are trying to steal the other Jimmy’s talents and take over the world.
Before Jimmy and his friends can stop Hornsbury and save everyone they must complete a few other tasks. The first of these tasks is to save Chris from his possession and return the book he stole to its rightful owner, Priala. Priala is a powerful witch and on the side of good who has agreed to help stop Hornsbury so long as she gets her spellbook back first. They also want to help Phillip regain his human form and free all those already possessed by Hornsbury. Sadly all seems lost when both Jimmy’s and Cornelius’s girlfriend are captured by Honsbury. It then becomes a race against the clock to stop him before it is too late.
I enjoyed how the students from our dimension and those from the other dimension interacted with each other. It was interesting to see how the friendships formed almost instantly between many of them. Of course, the surprise at the end was nice, although it mirrored the ending of the first book. The amount of repetition is this book was a major issue for me and made it extremely hard to read. To be honest I got bored with it quickly. The story is slow to make progress and it seems like there are character descriptions thrown in at random which interrupts the flow of the story. It could be the format that I received this book in but yet again there were few paragraphs and almost every sentence started a completely new line.
This book is ideal for children as I found nothing inappropriate in it. It might be a bit on the long side for some younger readers but making one chapter at a time a reading goal should help with that issue. I rate this book 1 out of 4. Unfortunately, I found this book to be way too repetitive and slow to be enjoyable. In contrast, the big battle at the end that everything was leading up to was over so quickly that it didn’t create any tension or excitement. I do not like doing this but in this book’s current condition I can not recommend it.
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https://smashbomb.com/nightreader
Lee (2222 KP) rated Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017) in Movies
Dec 15, 2017
I was disappointed... sorry
I can't believe I'm writing this, but The Last Jedi was a big disappointment for me. I saw it last night and it still hasn't quite sunk in. After the triumphant return to the Star Wars universe with The Force Awakens, expectations for this were pretty high, and the trailers for this next episode didn't disappoint either. More Rey! More Kylo! More Snoke! And Luke is back!!
It's difficult for me to describe exactly where my problems with the movie lie. Very early on in the movie there is a very odd attempt at comedy which just didn't sit right for me. Yes, there has always been moments of humour in Star Wars movies, but this is different. This comedy continues throughout the movie, with varying levels of success.
For two thirds of the movie I found myself slightly bored. Continuous changes of tone and none of the thrills or goosebump moments that I got when watching The Force Awakens. Even the return of Luke is an anti-climax and disappointment for such a huge chunk of the movie. And it is a long movie too, one which could have seriously benefited from a trimmed down run time.
All of this sounds a little harsh. I guess The Force Awakens was more of a nostalgia trip for me, and for many others too, but at some point you have to move on. The Last Jedi is all about doing away with the old to make way for the new, and there's still a big old universe of characters and stories out there to explore. At the end of the day, this is still an enjoyable Star Wars movie, which I'll hopefully appreciate more on repeat viewings.
It's difficult for me to describe exactly where my problems with the movie lie. Very early on in the movie there is a very odd attempt at comedy which just didn't sit right for me. Yes, there has always been moments of humour in Star Wars movies, but this is different. This comedy continues throughout the movie, with varying levels of success.
For two thirds of the movie I found myself slightly bored. Continuous changes of tone and none of the thrills or goosebump moments that I got when watching The Force Awakens. Even the return of Luke is an anti-climax and disappointment for such a huge chunk of the movie. And it is a long movie too, one which could have seriously benefited from a trimmed down run time.
All of this sounds a little harsh. I guess The Force Awakens was more of a nostalgia trip for me, and for many others too, but at some point you have to move on. The Last Jedi is all about doing away with the old to make way for the new, and there's still a big old universe of characters and stories out there to explore. At the end of the day, this is still an enjoyable Star Wars movie, which I'll hopefully appreciate more on repeat viewings.
Merissa (11961 KP) rated Immortal Girl5 in Books
Apr 4, 2019
Immortal Girl5 by Griffin Stark
Immortal Girl5 is a fast paced short story about five girls who are made immortal to 'save the world'. The introduction to each girl is perfect, and suited to the individual. It felt like we found out more about Skylar than most of the others, but it still seemed to fit.
I did feel like this book raised questions that weren't answered though. For example, who were Alistair and Isabelle? You are under the impression they are 'good', but nothing really backs that up. What actually was the job of the Immortal Girl5, because it seemed like they exacted vengeance and then spent the followings years doing... what? With Joan of Arc, Anne Frank, and Jack the Ripper all making an appearance, I would have liked it to be a bit more in-depth, giving more detail and story to these scenes.
There is also a MASSIVE case on insta-love going on, that managed to make the whole ending confusing. There were plenty of things alluded to, but nothing was made clear. I'm not sure if this is book one in a series, or if it's a standalone. The ending suggests it could go further.
I did enjoy this book, but in my opinion, it could do with a bit... more. A bit more story, a bit more editing and formatting so the differences in times and characters become clearer. I would definitely like to read 'more' from this author, and about these characters.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
I did feel like this book raised questions that weren't answered though. For example, who were Alistair and Isabelle? You are under the impression they are 'good', but nothing really backs that up. What actually was the job of the Immortal Girl5, because it seemed like they exacted vengeance and then spent the followings years doing... what? With Joan of Arc, Anne Frank, and Jack the Ripper all making an appearance, I would have liked it to be a bit more in-depth, giving more detail and story to these scenes.
There is also a MASSIVE case on insta-love going on, that managed to make the whole ending confusing. There were plenty of things alluded to, but nothing was made clear. I'm not sure if this is book one in a series, or if it's a standalone. The ending suggests it could go further.
I did enjoy this book, but in my opinion, it could do with a bit... more. A bit more story, a bit more editing and formatting so the differences in times and characters become clearer. I would definitely like to read 'more' from this author, and about these characters.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) in Movies
Jun 14, 2018 (Updated Jun 14, 2018)
Slightly ruined by the final trailer...
I'm so frustrated that this film has been spoilt by the decision to release the final trailer that pretty much showed the entire film. And not only that, this trailer was shown ahead of Infinity War for the whole world to see. Genius...
This is the main problem with this film. I think parts of it would be fairly predictable anyway, but this trailer has ruined main parts of the film that were never shown in the original trailers. That said, I do feel like some of this is a little cliched and obvious (are they really that naive they can't spot a smarmy bad guy?). But despite all this, I actually still enjoyed watching it.
There are some great scenes in this with the dinosaurs, and had they not gone for a 12A rating, they could've been truly terrifying. This also nearly made me cry on more than one occasion, and it's not often you can say that about a dinosaur film! The ending itself though was entirely unexpected and I'm glad at least they didn't spoil this in the trailer, I'm interested to see where they're going to go with this next. The only thing that confused me was the subplot around Lockwood's granddaughter, there didn't seem to be a massive point to it really even at the end. And was I the only person to see the similarities with Lost World?
If it hadn't been for the trailer, I probably would've rated this slightly higher as I actually found it pretty enjoyable.
Does anyone else hope that they bring back the original trio (Grant, Malcolm and Sattler) for the next film? I'd kill to see that.
This is the main problem with this film. I think parts of it would be fairly predictable anyway, but this trailer has ruined main parts of the film that were never shown in the original trailers. That said, I do feel like some of this is a little cliched and obvious (are they really that naive they can't spot a smarmy bad guy?). But despite all this, I actually still enjoyed watching it.
There are some great scenes in this with the dinosaurs, and had they not gone for a 12A rating, they could've been truly terrifying. This also nearly made me cry on more than one occasion, and it's not often you can say that about a dinosaur film! The ending itself though was entirely unexpected and I'm glad at least they didn't spoil this in the trailer, I'm interested to see where they're going to go with this next. The only thing that confused me was the subplot around Lockwood's granddaughter, there didn't seem to be a massive point to it really even at the end. And was I the only person to see the similarities with Lost World?
If it hadn't been for the trailer, I probably would've rated this slightly higher as I actually found it pretty enjoyable.
Does anyone else hope that they bring back the original trio (Grant, Malcolm and Sattler) for the next film? I'd kill to see that.
Bookapotamus (289 KP) rated I Am Still Alive in Books
Jul 9, 2018
Crazy Story of Survival
Every time I read a book like this I realize how very dead I would be if I ever got lost in the woods! Put me up in the wilderness of Canada or Alaska and throw me in complete darkness and snow - and forget it - I MIGHT last 5 minutes.
Jess is alone. Her mother dies in a car crash, severely injuring here and now she's got no-one. She's only 16, and is in turn, forced to go live with her estranged father who she hasn't seen in about 12 years. Dad is a homesteader, and off-the-grid, he hates the government, and is living off the land. They are out in the middle of nowhere in the rough Canada wilderness, and this life she's dumped into, is a harsh shocking reality. But then something goes horribly bad. Her father is dead. And Jess is alone. Cue me freaking out!
We read through journal entries Jess writes about her life with her mom - before. Her brief time with her dad - before. And then we reach - after. Where Jess has no-one but a loyal dog-wolf hybrid, named Bo, and her own sheer willpower. Will she survive the winter in Canada? How will she eat, stay warm, and even just survive walking through the wilderness when her body is still hurting and broken. And who killed her father?
This was an easy breezy read that had me sucked in front start to finish. The writing is really good and I enjoyed the suspense and found myself rooting for Jess (and Bo!) to survive. A really good book.
Jess is alone. Her mother dies in a car crash, severely injuring here and now she's got no-one. She's only 16, and is in turn, forced to go live with her estranged father who she hasn't seen in about 12 years. Dad is a homesteader, and off-the-grid, he hates the government, and is living off the land. They are out in the middle of nowhere in the rough Canada wilderness, and this life she's dumped into, is a harsh shocking reality. But then something goes horribly bad. Her father is dead. And Jess is alone. Cue me freaking out!
We read through journal entries Jess writes about her life with her mom - before. Her brief time with her dad - before. And then we reach - after. Where Jess has no-one but a loyal dog-wolf hybrid, named Bo, and her own sheer willpower. Will she survive the winter in Canada? How will she eat, stay warm, and even just survive walking through the wilderness when her body is still hurting and broken. And who killed her father?
This was an easy breezy read that had me sucked in front start to finish. The writing is really good and I enjoyed the suspense and found myself rooting for Jess (and Bo!) to survive. A really good book.
Grumpy Goblin (123 KP) rated Monstress, Volume 1: Awakening in Books
Jul 25, 2019
The artwork is just breathtaking (3 more)
A complex, yet enjoyable storyline
Brilliant layout
Great quality paper and printing
I could not get enough of this.. Absolutely amazing.
Contains spoilers, click to show
I enjoy reading GNs that aren't necessarily classed as mainstream and this kept popping up on adverts. I found a copy for £4.99 on world books and figured why not give it a try.
To say I'm happy I did Woupd be an understatement... On receiving it the beauty of the artwork on the front cover just grabbed me and the pictures online really don't do it justice.
Id like to say also, it's not one I'd those GNs that has full concept pieces on the front and back covers and maybe a few inside and then the main layouts are less detailed.. Each drawing is as beautiful as the last with a mix of steampunk and art deco merged into a dark styled piece of art.
The story complimented the art perfectly and I read it from front to back in one sitting.
The story is complex seeing conflict between humans and Arcanics and you can tell there is so much backstory just waiting to be added to further volumes. The single page introductions to certain parts of the Lore within the world was extremely well done and not too overwhelming.
The story is certainly not without shock factor, seeing what is portraid as young Arcanic children tortured, eaten and with missing limbs scattered through the pages as well as a fair amount of blood and gore.
Overall the whole experience into this new dark fantasy of war, magic and monsters has been amazing and I cannot wait to carry on with this series.
To say I'm happy I did Woupd be an understatement... On receiving it the beauty of the artwork on the front cover just grabbed me and the pictures online really don't do it justice.
Id like to say also, it's not one I'd those GNs that has full concept pieces on the front and back covers and maybe a few inside and then the main layouts are less detailed.. Each drawing is as beautiful as the last with a mix of steampunk and art deco merged into a dark styled piece of art.
The story complimented the art perfectly and I read it from front to back in one sitting.
The story is complex seeing conflict between humans and Arcanics and you can tell there is so much backstory just waiting to be added to further volumes. The single page introductions to certain parts of the Lore within the world was extremely well done and not too overwhelming.
The story is certainly not without shock factor, seeing what is portraid as young Arcanic children tortured, eaten and with missing limbs scattered through the pages as well as a fair amount of blood and gore.
Overall the whole experience into this new dark fantasy of war, magic and monsters has been amazing and I cannot wait to carry on with this series.
Merissa (11961 KP) rated A Company of Monsters (The Sorcerers of Verdun #2) in Books
Jan 15, 2020
A Company of Monsters is the second book in The Sorcerers of Verdun series, and it takes you right back to Geist and WWI. I would definitely recommend reading these as a series as the story does follow on from book one.
In this book, however, Geist and her squadron are sent to Russia as Houses of Sorcerers are being obliterated. Not a simple task being as WWI is happening and Russia is also going through a turbulent time. Not only that, but Amalgam shows up, together with Geist's family and the Eyes of the Kaiser which adds a whole new level to the story.
Just as with book one, Ms. Stovall has done an exceptional job with this story. The events flow from one to the other, ringing true with every word. The only reason for not giving it 5-stars this time is because of Geist herself. She seemed more... fragmented... disjointed than in book one. Which may well be how it is supposed to be but I found it slightly distracting. The relationship between her and Vergess is also confusing as, on the one hand, they have special 'intimate' names for each other, and Vergess is definitely more intense, but then we are also told that they have no chemistry between them.
On the whole, I loved this book, just not quite as much as book one. That doesn't mean this book is no good, not by a long shot. I will be continuing this series and seeing where Geist and her crew go next, AND seeing how Amalgam fits in!
Definitely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
In this book, however, Geist and her squadron are sent to Russia as Houses of Sorcerers are being obliterated. Not a simple task being as WWI is happening and Russia is also going through a turbulent time. Not only that, but Amalgam shows up, together with Geist's family and the Eyes of the Kaiser which adds a whole new level to the story.
Just as with book one, Ms. Stovall has done an exceptional job with this story. The events flow from one to the other, ringing true with every word. The only reason for not giving it 5-stars this time is because of Geist herself. She seemed more... fragmented... disjointed than in book one. Which may well be how it is supposed to be but I found it slightly distracting. The relationship between her and Vergess is also confusing as, on the one hand, they have special 'intimate' names for each other, and Vergess is definitely more intense, but then we are also told that they have no chemistry between them.
On the whole, I loved this book, just not quite as much as book one. That doesn't mean this book is no good, not by a long shot. I will be continuing this series and seeing where Geist and her crew go next, AND seeing how Amalgam fits in!
Definitely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
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