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Six of Crows
Six of Crows
Leigh Bardugo | 2016 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
10
9.2 (45 Ratings)
Book Rating
Amazing duology
Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom are a duology set in Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse. Grisha being the magic users in her world. I haven't read the rest of the Grishaverse (Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, and Ruin and Rising) - but I will definitely be doing so, because Crows and Crooked Kingdom are AMAZING.

I was pretty surprised - normally books rotating between several viewpoints are confusing, but Bardugo handles the transitions seamlessly and unmistakably. I was never unsure of what character I was reading - each one really had their own unique voice. I also loved that she worked in an LGBT romance without it being in any way odd. No one in the novel found non-heterosexuality weird at all. It was treated just as matter of factly as opposite-sex romances, and I loved that.

Six of Crows opens on a gang being blackmailed into a job they don't want to do. I can totally see the gang has a D&D group - and the books definitely feel a bit like a D&D campaign, albeit one with a mostly experienced group and a very experienced DM.

You've got Kaz, the ringleader, who's an all-around great thief but a superb tactician.

Inej, the acrobat assassin.

Jesper, the marksman hiding his magic ability.

Wylan, the rich merchant's son on the outs with his father and fallen in with a bad crowd, and talented with demolitions.

Nina, the sexpot who wields magic, and has a love/hate relationship with Mathias, the barbarian who's spent his life hunting magic users but is irresistibly attracted to Nina. (I can see the DM telling these two to hash out a background that will let them co-exist, which they obviously did.)

Each character has a complex back story that influences most of their actions, and different relationships with other members of the gang that also affects how they react. Their back stories don't just explain their actions in the books, people and events from their backgrounds also show up to complicate matters in the present. The wheels-within-wheels of the plotline is EXACTLY what I love about good political fantasies. The world-building is superb, and Bardugo has given just as much thought to the seedy underbelly of her world as she has the magic and politics.

I really, really loved this duology, and I see now why people rave about this universe. It is VERY well deserved.

You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
  
Crooked Kingdom
Crooked Kingdom
Leigh Bardugo | 2016 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
10
9.1 (22 Ratings)
Book Rating
Amazing duology
Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom are a duology set in Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse. Grisha being the magic users in her world. I haven't read the rest of the Grishaverse (Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, and Ruin and Rising) - but I will definitely be doing so, because Crows and Crooked Kingdom are AMAZING.

I was pretty surprised - normally books rotating between several viewpoints are confusing, but Bardugo handles the transitions seamlessly and unmistakably. I was never unsure of what character I was reading - each one really had their own unique voice. I also loved that she worked in an LGBT romance without it being in any way odd. No one in the novel found non-heterosexuality weird at all. It was treated just as matter of factly as opposite-sex romances, and I loved that.

Six of Crows opens on a gang being blackmailed into a job they don't want to do. I can totally see the gang has a D&D group - and the books definitely feel a bit like a D&D campaign, albeit one with a mostly experienced group and a very experienced DM.

You've got Kaz, the ringleader, who's an all-around great thief but a superb tactician.

Inej, the acrobat assassin.

Jesper, the marksman hiding his magic ability.

Wylan, the rich merchant's son on the outs with his father and fallen in with a bad crowd, and talented with demolitions.

Nina, the sexpot who wields magic, and has a love/hate relationship with Mathias, the barbarian who's spent his life hunting magic users but is irresistibly attracted to Nina. (I can see the DM telling these two to hash out a background that will let them co-exist, which they obviously did.)

Each character has a complex back story that influences most of their actions, and different relationships with other members of the gang that also affects how they react. Their back stories don't just explain their actions in the books, people and events from their backgrounds also show up to complicate matters in the present. The wheels-within-wheels of the plotline is EXACTLY what I love about good political fantasies. The world-building is superb, and Bardugo has given just as much thought to the seedy underbelly of her world as she has the magic and politics.

I really, really loved this duology, and I see now why people rave about this universe. It is VERY well deserved.

You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
  
Red Clocks
Red Clocks
Leni Zumas | 2018 | Gender Studies, Science Fiction/Fantasy
7
6.5 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Red Clocks first caught my attention because it's set in a small fishing town in Oregon, my home state. After that, learning that it's a dystopia where abortion and in vitro fertilization have both been banned outright meant I HAD to read it. Of course, I got it from the library some weeks ago and had so many other books to read that I didn't get to it until the day it was due back to the library! Luckily, I read fast!

I think the cover description oversells the book a little. I wouldn't call Gin's trial "frenzied" nor the drama exactly "riveting" but it did keep my attention throughout the book. I really enjoyed the relationships between the characters, and the point that none of them really know what is going on in each other's personal lives. One moment I particularly liked is slightly spoilery, but I loved how Ro was able to put her personal feelings aside to help Mattie, her student. That was really, really hard for her, but she recognized how much damage it would do to Mattie to not help her.

I think I found Gin the most interesting - given all the reading I've been doing lately about autism, her entire personality screams autism to me, but she was never labeled as autistic. So I'm marking her as a possibly autistic character. (I'd love if any of my autistic readers could weigh in on that, if you've read the book!) Between preferring to live in the woods with animals and NOT around people, specifically, and the way she reacts to the textures and smells in the jail when she's arrested (shoving the bleach-scented blankets as far away in the cell as possible, and refusing to eat the food), and how she stumbles over her answers in the courtroom when she's interrogated - it seems likely.

My only actual complaint about this book had nothing to do with the writing or plot! But it refers to the ghost pepper as "the hottest pepper known to man" which the Carolina Reaper growing in my backyard would have an issue with!

Other than that very minor quibble, I thought this dystopia was pretty good. I'm always interested in Reproductive Rights-related dystopias. This isn't as good as The Handmaid's Tale, but it's MILES better than Future Home of the Living God. It's good at showing the lengths women will go to, to ensure their own reproductive freedom. Outlawing abortion doesn't eliminate abortion. It just makes it less safe.

You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
  
The Snow Angel
The Snow Angel
Lauren St. John | 2017 | Children, Fiction & Poetry, Young Adult (YA)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
It tells a story of 11-year-old girl Makena, who lives in Nairobi, Kenya. Her parents died because of a cruel disease, leaving Makena an orphan. Due to some events, she ends up in the slum, where she meets her one true friend Snow.

I really enjoyed this book and its complex characters. The protagonist in this novel is Makena. She is a very smart person for an eleven-year-old. Her thoughts about life, survival and friendship were so inspiring to me, that’s why, I think, this book is superb for young readers. Makena teaches so many great values and shows great appreciation for things that matter in life. I really loved that the author chose such unique and original characters. They all had very intriguing personalities and their input in the story was irreplaceable. The story was mostly told from Makena’s perspective, and it was fully sufficient for me.

The narrative was absolutely gorgeous. It has a lot to offer to the reader, it is serious, educational but at the same time playful and magical. I think the author has done a great research for this book, and her personal experience was very well utilized in this novel. There is plenty of surprises in this story, which kept me glued to this book. I really loved the topics which the author was discussing, such as Ebola and its effects on the families they left behind, poverty and fight for survival, charity workers and their lives, and many more. The setting and atmosphere always change in this book, from Mount Kenya to slums, to the Scottish Highlands, so, your imagination will not be bored and will be taking you to various places…

I really enjoyed the writing style of this novel, I think it was very well crafted and I found it easy, and pleasant to read. The chapters are not very short, but for me, they just flew by because I was absorbed by the story itself. It has absolutely stunning illustrations by Catherine Hyde, and it makes the whole reading experience even more pleasant. I did enjoy the ending of this book, I think it rounded the story very nicely and gave the closure which left me very satisfied.

So, to conclude, this is a very beautiful story, filled with inspiring and motivating characters, who made me smile and cry on multiple occasions, and I do strongly recommend this book not only to children but to adults as well. There are plenty of things to learn from little Makena.
  
Half a Soul (Regency Faerie Tales #1) by Olivia Atwater
Half a Soul (Regency Faerie Tales #1) by Olivia Atwater
Olivia Atwater | 2022 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
HALF A SOUL is the first book in the Regency Faerie Tales and I honestly can't wait to read more. This was a gentle story with some harsh life lessons for our main character when she learns what war and workhouses are really like in a world where magic exists.

She -- Dora -- sees life through a slightly skewed lens as it is, being a Faerie Lord stole half her soul when she was only a child. Since then, she struggles to feel emotions, apart from "long-tailed ones". Her cousin, Vanessa, is the only warmth in her life and she will do all she can to please her. This includes going to London, although Dora isn't sure if she is going to help Vanessa's chances of finding a husband, or if she is going because of Vanessa's scheme to cure Dora. Either way, they end up in London, with the ton, and Dora has her own adventures whilst Vanessa is at the mercy of the matchmaking mothers.

I found Dora to be a heart-warming character who is aware of her own 'strangeness' but tries her best to fit in to please her cousin. I loved how she was truthful and direct, at a time when it was not fashionable to be so. Elias was the perfect foil for her. She didn't accept his rudeness or be put off by his temper, simply because she wasn't affected by it. Albert, and his mother, Lady Caraway, were jewels in this book and I loved every scene they were in. I was so happy for him!

Rightly or wrongly, I enjoy historical fiction as it is written. I have no idea if the dip of the neckline or the length of the hem is one hundred per cent accurate, and I don't really care. And if it is historically incorrect, so what? So long as the story fits together, and the inconsistencies remain the same throughout (now there's an oxymoron for you), that's all that concerns me.

I loved this story as it guided me along, all coming together nicely at the end. The epilogue was perfect. I sincerely hope to see more of this couple in future books. A fantastic start to a new series by a new-to-me author and absolutely recommended!

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* 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!
May 26, 2022
  
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KalJ95 (25 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Doom Eternal in Video Games

May 6, 2020  
Doom Eternal
Doom Eternal
2019 | Action, Horror
Fast, free flowing combat is adrenaline pumping. (2 more)
One of the best FPS' of all time.
The sheer variety of Demons, Guns and Arenas is staggering.
Multiplayer is a bit...meh. (1 more)
Frequent crashes.
First person shooters have lost their touch. For a long time, the market has been utterly saturated with same annual game, like Call of Duty and Battlefield, and they play the same every time. Go back to the rise in the FPS genre, you'll see the likes of Wolfenstein 3D and DOOM revolutionise the genre forever. At the time, they were fast, weighty and satisfying to control. Fast forward to 2016, DOOM returns and ignites a brutal and bloody comeback for the FPS genre. A combination of fast paced gunplay, a killer soundtrack and over the top gore made this the best FPS to date.

Until now.

DOOM Eternal is the best FPS ever made. There, I said it. Eternal is blistering, adrenaline fuelled slingshot into your bloodstream, cranking the notches consistently to eleven, and it never let's up.

The core of Eternal is in its gameplay. The best way to describe the gunplay is a juggling of instruments that make up an orchestra, whilst you're conductor...and you're running mercilessly for your life and ammo. Its massively overwhelming to begin with, and you'll die often, but once you gather the rhythm of the dance of the Doom Slayer, it's a sight of awe, followed by psychotic grin on your face. Following in the footsteps and benchmarks that DOOM 2016 cemented, Eternal improves upon everything. The gunplay is meaty and brass, the platforming is fluid and easy to pick up, the demons and monsters all provide a challenge from the explosive beginning, to the equally as explosive finale, and when all of this is accompanied by the killer soundtrack cheering you on, Eternal is bulletproof.

Whilst DOOM 2016 feels dark in colour and tone, Eternal embraces the ridiculous and runs with it. Levels burst with bright and bonkers imagination, the effect of that first chainsaw kill where ammo flies out like confetti, and the endless ways to glory kill never gets tiresome. Add in the arsenal the Doom Slayer carries with him, it becomes a game of what gun is best for each demon. Although, the Double Barrel Shotgun is just magnificent to shoot with.

When it comes to DOOM, the narrative takes the backseat over its core idea of free movement to kill, and that's the only criticism I can give this franchise. Eternal does provide a planet hopping path of destruction through the Slayer's history, but you never feel invested in the narrative as much as you want to kill everything you see. I didn't need to know anything at all from the Slayers past, the mystery serves the narrative more not knowing. Also, I must note the amount of times my Playstation 4 has crashed due to DOOM Eternal. It really brings you out of the experience when you're almost finished on level, only to start again level all over again. I think this is however a minor fault in an otherwise superb game, and problems like this will hopefully be fixed in further patches.

I can't recommend DOOM Eternal enough. If video games were made singularly for fun, you have found the answer. I can't wait to see what id Software and Bethesda do next with this franchise.
  
Trainwreck (2015)
Trainwreck (2015)
2015 | Comedy
Admittedly, I did not have a lot of exposure to Amy Schumer going into this film. I was also a little tepid about seeing the film when I found that this is the first film she has ever written, also the first for her to play the leading role. And to keep the firsts going, this is also the first film that Judd Apatow has directed, but not written. There is a lot that could go wrong here. But it didn’t. At the recommendation of several friends, I went into this film optimistic. Boy were they right.

 

Trainwreck is the story of Amy Townsend (Amy Schumer). A career non-monogamist who kind-of/sort-of has a steady boyfriend, but she also happens to have her fun on the side. Having taken life lessons from her philandering father (Colin Quinn), Amy is all about having fun. She really is what the title of the movie suggests. But what most people don’t understand is that her commitment phobia really stems from her thinking she could never have the type of life and relationship that others, like her sister, have. She is rude, crude and never going to fall in love. Until she meets Aaron Connors (Bill Hader). Amy works for S’Nuff, a men’s magazine that is all about the outrageous stories, such as “How to Masturbate in the Workplace”. Another staffer pitches a piece about Aaron, a sports doctor who has recently developed a new surgery technique that would reduce downtime from knee surgery by half. Amy, being a non-sports fan and having just split with her kind-of/sort-of boyfriend, gets assigned the piece and ends up falling into bed with him and the sparks begin to fly. What could go wrong when a pot-smoking commitment-phobe meets her match and begins to fall in love?

 

Chock full of cameos, this movie is magic from start to finish. Bringing Schumer’s special brand of comedy to the big screen is no easy task, but it works. Schumer and Hader have such a great chemistry, it makes their relationship seem plausible – the responsible doctor and the slacker magazine writer. From start to finish, the film has great timing in both the comedic moments, and the sadder moments. The supporting cast was tremendous as joining Firth are Tilda Swinton as Amy Schumer’s eccentric boss, Brie Larson as her sister, Mike Birbiglia as her brother-in-law, not to mention Ezra Miller, Lebron James, and various other athletes and stars, including 6 current and past Saturday Night Live cast members. Quick note: I am not a Lebron James fan at all. I have personal opinions about the moves he has made, more the way he has made them, but he was superb in this film. He really can act well enough for the part at hand, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you see him in more roles in the future. You know, after his NBA career ends.

 

All-in-all, if you are a fan of Amy Schumer. Go see this movie. If you are looking for a great date-night movie. Go see this movie. If you are looking to laugh and some good, and at times inappropriate, humor… go see this movie. I can’t stress it enough. You will not regret it.
  
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