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Merissa (12911 KP) rated Princes and Kings (A Rose in a Thorn Bush #1) in Books
Dec 7, 2021 (Updated Jul 9, 2023)
PRINCES AND KINGS is the first book in A Rose in a Thorn Bush series, and we start with Llywelyn the Great's funeral and his two sons, Dafydd and Gruffudd. Gruffudd's son, Owain, doesn't think his uncle will make a good king and has no hesitation in confronting him. This means that when King Henry of England gives him a choice, Dafydd makes Owain part of the bargain to get him out of his hair. Gruffudd and Owain are sent to the Tower of London as hostages of war, the treaty dependent upon their safekeeping. All is well until Gruffudd can't cope with being a prisoner any longer and tries to escape, dying in the process. The treaty is broken and war is inevitable.
As a long-term lover of Wales and all things Welsh, I couldn't wait to read this story. Told as third-person and with a multitude of perspectives, it gives a rounded view of the events leading up to and including, the defeat of the English by the younger Llywelyn. You also get the see the bond between brothers, even with their vastly different experiences.
Whilst I enjoyed this story, I found it slightly disconcerting when the character's emotions changed so quickly. One of them went from being distraught at the thought of the loss of her husband to thinking that she'd lost him years ago anyway. And another went from intensely disliking a wife, to having a normal conversation with her in the blink of an eye. And then there is having a funny feeling about someone where nothing else is mentioned or happens.
That being said, I did enjoy this book and think it is a really good interesting start to a series that involves a bloody and brilliant time in Welsh history.
** 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!
Dec 7, 2021
As a long-term lover of Wales and all things Welsh, I couldn't wait to read this story. Told as third-person and with a multitude of perspectives, it gives a rounded view of the events leading up to and including, the defeat of the English by the younger Llywelyn. You also get the see the bond between brothers, even with their vastly different experiences.
Whilst I enjoyed this story, I found it slightly disconcerting when the character's emotions changed so quickly. One of them went from being distraught at the thought of the loss of her husband to thinking that she'd lost him years ago anyway. And another went from intensely disliking a wife, to having a normal conversation with her in the blink of an eye. And then there is having a funny feeling about someone where nothing else is mentioned or happens.
That being said, I did enjoy this book and think it is a really good interesting start to a series that involves a bloody and brilliant time in Welsh history.
** 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!
Dec 7, 2021
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated UglyDolls (2019) in Movies
Aug 16, 2019
u.g.l.y. You ain't got no alibi.
Ugly Dolls is a garish & heartless mess of stolen ideas & mixed messages. Ugly Dolls at its core is a film about being different, believing in yourself, being proud of who you are & the way you look but I found these positive messages to be all very contradictory & one sided. For instance we are told certain types of people are the evil ones because of how they dress, think & behave etc but the message of the film is to not discriminate or judge people so how is slating, stereotyping, victimising, hating & bullying them morally ok? its basically like saying using racism to combat racism is makes it fine. I know its a kids film & most of this will go over their heads but when my little nephew is turning to me questioning which characters are the villains then it must be that obvious its a problem. Now this would all be fine if the film at least looked nice or had interesting set pieces but it doesnt at all. Animation is ugly with texture work that seems lazy & unfinished in parts making what should be vibrant fluffy creatures feel a blurry texturless mess especially around the eyes & mouth areas. Lacking also in any excitement the film most of the time crawls along at a snails pace with lengthy painful sections just there to flesh out its unnecessarily complex plot. When action does start its drab & void of excitement with big scenes shamelessly stolen from films such as toy story 3 & replicated exactly just with less care & budget. While my nephew enjoyed it I could definitely see him becoming restless at times especially when nothing much was happening & talking to him when we left he knew none of the characters names either (usually he wont shut up about the plot, characters & songs after we see a film hyper & grinning from ear to ear but with this film he wasnt). Song wise theres nothing remotley catchy or memorable here & i get the sense the film was just trying to cash in on the success of the greatest showman. All in all its a film thats had minimum effort put into it designed just to sell the McDonalds happy meals it shamelessly promotes just before it starts.
Christine A. (965 KP) rated Losing Normal in Books
Mar 15, 2019
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.
Losing Normal by Francis Moss is relatively short, less than 300 pages, but do not let the length fool you into thinking it does not have a lot to say. There is a lot of action in this short book.
Alex, a highly-functioning autistic boy, likes things to stay the same. He knows how many steps it is from school to home and, to him, that is normal. He knows all the answers in math. That is normal. The strange giant television screens that are being put up all over are making him forget and that is not normal. Only the "defective" kids, those that are immune to the televisions, like Alex can save the world from becoming television watching zombies. What ensues is an interesting novel that shows how quickly technology could take over.
Losing Normal is not a post-apocalyptic novel. It shows the collapse of society by our rapidly advancing technology getting out of hand and beginning to think for itself.
This novel would be appropriate for those as young as middle school to read but it is an interesting story adults would enjoy too. I found it to be a quick, easy, enjoyable, and thought provoking read.
Review published on Philomathinphila.com, Smashbomb, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble on 3/14/19.
Losing Normal by Francis Moss is relatively short, less than 300 pages, but do not let the length fool you into thinking it does not have a lot to say. There is a lot of action in this short book.
Alex, a highly-functioning autistic boy, likes things to stay the same. He knows how many steps it is from school to home and, to him, that is normal. He knows all the answers in math. That is normal. The strange giant television screens that are being put up all over are making him forget and that is not normal. Only the "defective" kids, those that are immune to the televisions, like Alex can save the world from becoming television watching zombies. What ensues is an interesting novel that shows how quickly technology could take over.
Losing Normal is not a post-apocalyptic novel. It shows the collapse of society by our rapidly advancing technology getting out of hand and beginning to think for itself.
This novel would be appropriate for those as young as middle school to read but it is an interesting story adults would enjoy too. I found it to be a quick, easy, enjoyable, and thought provoking read.
Review published on Philomathinphila.com, Smashbomb, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble on 3/14/19.
ClareR (5879 KP) rated The Great Believers in Books
Aug 27, 2018
A truly touching depiction of the AIDS epidemic.
I loved this, really loved it. It’s one of those books where you turn the last page and there’s that empty feeling, knowing that there’s no more of it to read.
There are two timelines: the mid-1980s and the emergence and devastation of the AIDS epidemic amongst a group of gay friends; 2015, and one of the characters from the 1980s is travelling to Paris to try and find her estranged daughter. She meets up with one of the characters who was also in Chicago in the 80s.
This is such a heart breaking story, particularly the earlier timeline. The panic, disbelief and sorrow of the men as they and their friends contract AIDS (such was the speed of their deaths after they found out they had the virus, I can’t remember there being any mention of HIV) was described so well, and Fiona, who is in both timelines, was there for those who needed her starting with her own brother. That seemed like such a huge responsibility to me, and she’s such a strong character: we do see the repercussions of those years though, in 2015.
This is definitely a book to read with a box of tissues to hand, but it’s worth every tear. I can see this being one of my favourite books of the year.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read this. And yes, it’s a completely honest review!
There are two timelines: the mid-1980s and the emergence and devastation of the AIDS epidemic amongst a group of gay friends; 2015, and one of the characters from the 1980s is travelling to Paris to try and find her estranged daughter. She meets up with one of the characters who was also in Chicago in the 80s.
This is such a heart breaking story, particularly the earlier timeline. The panic, disbelief and sorrow of the men as they and their friends contract AIDS (such was the speed of their deaths after they found out they had the virus, I can’t remember there being any mention of HIV) was described so well, and Fiona, who is in both timelines, was there for those who needed her starting with her own brother. That seemed like such a huge responsibility to me, and she’s such a strong character: we do see the repercussions of those years though, in 2015.
This is definitely a book to read with a box of tissues to hand, but it’s worth every tear. I can see this being one of my favourite books of the year.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read this. And yes, it’s a completely honest review!
The Complete Buddhism for Mothers
Book
Become a calmer and happier mother with The Complete Buddhism for Mothers. Parenthood can be a time...
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Ghost in the Shell (2017) in Movies
Sep 19, 2020
Dumb as fuck, sheds the vast majority of the source's intelligence - even speaking as someone with only a cursory knowledge of it - for something a lot more nonsensical, westernized, and generic. But it doesn't sacrifice even an ounce of its visual pizzazz - if we've learned anything about Rupert Sanders (non-cheating scandal related, that is) it's that he does not fuck around with his aesthetic. 110% magnetic, self-assured, and every bit as visually stupendous as 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘙𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳 2049. I found most of the ending parts to be a disingenuous swing and a miss but who cares, did you *see* the way ScarJo beat the shit out of those people to synth music while she was invisible and the water was going all slo-mo and stuff? As a piece of seductive sci-fi junk food that's nice and heavy on the portent, it's nothing less than orgasmic - though it makes sense fans of the source would detest this, this is pretty much what I expected after all so I can't say my bar was mega high to begin with. I'm in the middle with Scarlett, it isn't too demanding of a performance but the unnatural cranes and dead gawks are right up her alley and do fit quite nicely here so eh I'll take it for now even if it feels like bootleg 𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘬𝘪𝘯. And it's always good to see Takeshi Kitano. Oh and also Juliette Binoche is at least twenty-five times better in this than every role she's ever been nominated for an Oscar for.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Girl in the Ice (Erika Foster book 1) in Books
Mar 5, 2023
26 of 235
Book
The Girl in the Ice ( Detective Erica Foster # 1)
By Robert Bryndza
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Her eyes are wide open. Her lips parted as if to speak. Her dead body frozen in the ice…She is not the only one.
When a young boy discovers the body of a woman beneath a thick sheet of ice in a South London park, Detective Erika Foster is called in to lead the murder investigation.
The victim, a beautiful young socialite, appeared to have the perfect life. Yet when Erika begins to dig deeper, she starts to connect the dots between the murder and the killings of three prostitutes, all found strangled, hands bound and dumped in water around London.
What dark secrets is the girl in the ice hiding?
As Erika inches closer to uncovering the truth, the killer is closing in on Erika.
The last investigation Erika led went badly wrong… resulting in the death of her husband. With her career hanging by a thread, Erika must now battle her own personal demons as well as a killer more deadly than any she’s faced before. But will she get to him before he strikes again?
I really enjoyed this! I was still guessing right up till the end it was fast paced and a really good read! I think Erica Foster is a character that has to grow on you but she did about half way through! Looking forward to reading more from this author.
Book
The Girl in the Ice ( Detective Erica Foster # 1)
By Robert Bryndza
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Her eyes are wide open. Her lips parted as if to speak. Her dead body frozen in the ice…She is not the only one.
When a young boy discovers the body of a woman beneath a thick sheet of ice in a South London park, Detective Erika Foster is called in to lead the murder investigation.
The victim, a beautiful young socialite, appeared to have the perfect life. Yet when Erika begins to dig deeper, she starts to connect the dots between the murder and the killings of three prostitutes, all found strangled, hands bound and dumped in water around London.
What dark secrets is the girl in the ice hiding?
As Erika inches closer to uncovering the truth, the killer is closing in on Erika.
The last investigation Erika led went badly wrong… resulting in the death of her husband. With her career hanging by a thread, Erika must now battle her own personal demons as well as a killer more deadly than any she’s faced before. But will she get to him before he strikes again?
I really enjoyed this! I was still guessing right up till the end it was fast paced and a really good read! I think Erica Foster is a character that has to grow on you but she did about half way through! Looking forward to reading more from this author.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2346 KP) rated Hired Guns in Books
Jan 11, 2025
Spinoff Series Starts with a Bang
This book finds a trio of Army friends turned adventurers heading to the Arizona Territory to help out a struggling copper mine. No, it’s not to help them with the mining. The conglomerate Consolidated American Mining Corporation has decided it wants to buy this particular mine, and they are doing all they can to convince the owners to sell. There’s just one major problem – the owners don’t want to sell. And our trio of heroes have been hired to help protect the mine. But against the overwhelming odds, can they do it?
These characters began life in the author’s Holmes on the Range series, and I was happy to follow them over here. The story started a bit slowly, but it isn’t long before the action heats up as the characters find themselves facing overwhelming odds. Yet, I found myself cheering at the end. To be clear, this is more of an action story than a mystery. The characters are a bit thin, but they do have their moments to shine. The reality of racial relations in 1894 is part of the backdrop of the book, and it’s sad to think we ever treated each other this badly. The book is a bit more violent than I normally like, but only a little bit. It is softened some by the humor. If you are looking for an action book set in the old west, you’ll find this the perfect book to pick up.
These characters began life in the author’s Holmes on the Range series, and I was happy to follow them over here. The story started a bit slowly, but it isn’t long before the action heats up as the characters find themselves facing overwhelming odds. Yet, I found myself cheering at the end. To be clear, this is more of an action story than a mystery. The characters are a bit thin, but they do have their moments to shine. The reality of racial relations in 1894 is part of the backdrop of the book, and it’s sad to think we ever treated each other this badly. The book is a bit more violent than I normally like, but only a little bit. It is softened some by the humor. If you are looking for an action book set in the old west, you’ll find this the perfect book to pick up.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Broken City (2013) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
In Broken City, Russell Crowe and Mark Wahlberg wade into the streets of a
fictional New York, portraying its mayor and a tormented cop, respectively. This film is very political, and it drives to the heart of an issue found all around our country: corruption at every level, especially the highest.
The story starts with a shooting. As one might imagine, officers are easily found innocent in shootings because of the nature of their job, and thus Billy Taggart(Wahlberg) is found innocent after facing accusations of murder. Unfortunately, Mayor Nicholas Hostetler (Crowe) has damning evidence that would cause considerable harm to the officer — who’s earned a reputation as a hero — as well
as the city leaders, if it were brought to light. He decides to let Taggart go, and allow everyone to save face, with a handshake and a promise of future remembrance.
Seven years later the tides turn, as Private Eye Taggart is asked by Mayor
Hostetler to investigate his wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) for a hefty sum of money.
The cash-strapped Taggart takes the job, but finds himself diving headfirst into a political feeding frenzy two weeks prior to the election. Naturally, drama ensues.
Broken City is not a bad film. The problem is: it’s also not a great film. It has many of the elements of a good movie, but something is missing. It’s hard to blame the writing, as there was well-balanced humor and drama. It’s hard to blame
the cinematography, because the key shots are there. (But some awkward shots are there, too. For example, there’s an odd, segmented spinning shot of Crowe and Wahlberg in the mayor’s office.) It’s hard to blame the acting; everyone does a great job in that regard. But there was just something missing. I wasn’t drawn in.
The movie felt rushed in certain areas, and too long in others. It had major plot holes, like when (spoiler alert) Taggart’s girlfriend disappears, but never resurfaces. The main character never gets a true, deep, passionate call-to-action, which all heroes are supposed to have.
I enjoyed the role of Taggart’s assistant. Even the ending was a fresh take (though somewhat expected, because the main character wasn’t conflicted and chaotic enough to merit an unknown response).
All in all, Broken City is a good movie, but not a great one. You would be well-served to rent or stream it, and save your theater dollars.
fictional New York, portraying its mayor and a tormented cop, respectively. This film is very political, and it drives to the heart of an issue found all around our country: corruption at every level, especially the highest.
The story starts with a shooting. As one might imagine, officers are easily found innocent in shootings because of the nature of their job, and thus Billy Taggart(Wahlberg) is found innocent after facing accusations of murder. Unfortunately, Mayor Nicholas Hostetler (Crowe) has damning evidence that would cause considerable harm to the officer — who’s earned a reputation as a hero — as well
as the city leaders, if it were brought to light. He decides to let Taggart go, and allow everyone to save face, with a handshake and a promise of future remembrance.
Seven years later the tides turn, as Private Eye Taggart is asked by Mayor
Hostetler to investigate his wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) for a hefty sum of money.
The cash-strapped Taggart takes the job, but finds himself diving headfirst into a political feeding frenzy two weeks prior to the election. Naturally, drama ensues.
Broken City is not a bad film. The problem is: it’s also not a great film. It has many of the elements of a good movie, but something is missing. It’s hard to blame the writing, as there was well-balanced humor and drama. It’s hard to blame
the cinematography, because the key shots are there. (But some awkward shots are there, too. For example, there’s an odd, segmented spinning shot of Crowe and Wahlberg in the mayor’s office.) It’s hard to blame the acting; everyone does a great job in that regard. But there was just something missing. I wasn’t drawn in.
The movie felt rushed in certain areas, and too long in others. It had major plot holes, like when (spoiler alert) Taggart’s girlfriend disappears, but never resurfaces. The main character never gets a true, deep, passionate call-to-action, which all heroes are supposed to have.
I enjoyed the role of Taggart’s assistant. Even the ending was a fresh take (though somewhat expected, because the main character wasn’t conflicted and chaotic enough to merit an unknown response).
All in all, Broken City is a good movie, but not a great one. You would be well-served to rent or stream it, and save your theater dollars.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated the PC version of Fallout 76 in Video Games
Feb 8, 2019
Fallout 76: Getting Better With Each Update
The Fallout series has made the leap online with Fallout 76 and it is an ambitious attempt to take the franchise in a new direction. Set as a resident of Vault 76; players will craft a character and be amongst the first to venture into the Post-Apocalyptic world set in the Virginia wilderness as they attempt to help rebuild a new society.
Along the way players will encounter all manner of mutated creatures and threats that have zero qualms about tearing a player to pieces or bringing an arsenal of weapons to take down players.
Anyone who has played any of the series will know that gathering, trading, and crafting is essential to survival as being able to buy, repair, and exchange weapons and armor is essential as they will break and need to be upgraded frequently.
This is always a trick for some players such as myself as I never know what to fully prioritize when I encounter scrap and can quickly become overburdened. This makes for some very tough choices as player movement will be very restricted and players will be unable to Fast Travel to previously explored areas of the map.
There is also the matter of needing to ensure that an adequate supply of food, beverages, and medicines are available to restore health as in a radiated area; even stopping for lunch can cause potential damage and mutations to happen.
There are numerous weapons available to players from crude Pipe Guns to more advanced energy weapons and machine guns and knives. I have found that Melee weapons such as an Axe or a Sledgehammer can do wonders as they do pack a solid punch but are slow and unyielding.
The map is extremely vast and filled with many areas to explore from old towns to hotels, shops, a mall, an airport, train stations, and pretty much anything else you would expect in a typical community.
One of the biggest issues in the game is the numerous bugs which hampered the game at launch. Bethesda has worked to fix them through several patches but issues still remain as I write this so players will have to understand that this is part of the game and being addressed but they will likely encounter issues along the way.
The game has taken a considerable amount of abuse for the state of the game at launch and while I freely admit there are issues; I have had a lot of fun playing the game and have logged a considerable amount of time in it. Despite the frustrations; I have been drawn back to the game time and again to play more. Players I have encountered have been generally helpful and friendly and the game has not become an open Free For All as the Bounty systems in place make it less appealing for players to pick off inexperienced players who are out minding their own business. Some higher-level players have been very generous in passing and have initiated trades to give me High-Level weapons even though I was not able to use them until I reached a higher level.
There are various Pop-Up events that happen where players can get some nice rewards and slipping into your Power Armor to take down a pack of Scorchers is always a fun experience.
In many ways this is one of the hardest reviews I have had to write as I can see how some people can be disappointed with the game and will take serious issues with the bugs and general direction. I also see the fun in the game and the progress being made with the updates and enjoy the game despite the issues. If you are patient and temper your expectations with the understanding that the game players have now is not the game they will have several months down the road, then Fallout 76 may be the escapist game you are looking for.
3.5 stars out of 5.
Along the way players will encounter all manner of mutated creatures and threats that have zero qualms about tearing a player to pieces or bringing an arsenal of weapons to take down players.
Anyone who has played any of the series will know that gathering, trading, and crafting is essential to survival as being able to buy, repair, and exchange weapons and armor is essential as they will break and need to be upgraded frequently.
This is always a trick for some players such as myself as I never know what to fully prioritize when I encounter scrap and can quickly become overburdened. This makes for some very tough choices as player movement will be very restricted and players will be unable to Fast Travel to previously explored areas of the map.
There is also the matter of needing to ensure that an adequate supply of food, beverages, and medicines are available to restore health as in a radiated area; even stopping for lunch can cause potential damage and mutations to happen.
There are numerous weapons available to players from crude Pipe Guns to more advanced energy weapons and machine guns and knives. I have found that Melee weapons such as an Axe or a Sledgehammer can do wonders as they do pack a solid punch but are slow and unyielding.
The map is extremely vast and filled with many areas to explore from old towns to hotels, shops, a mall, an airport, train stations, and pretty much anything else you would expect in a typical community.
One of the biggest issues in the game is the numerous bugs which hampered the game at launch. Bethesda has worked to fix them through several patches but issues still remain as I write this so players will have to understand that this is part of the game and being addressed but they will likely encounter issues along the way.
The game has taken a considerable amount of abuse for the state of the game at launch and while I freely admit there are issues; I have had a lot of fun playing the game and have logged a considerable amount of time in it. Despite the frustrations; I have been drawn back to the game time and again to play more. Players I have encountered have been generally helpful and friendly and the game has not become an open Free For All as the Bounty systems in place make it less appealing for players to pick off inexperienced players who are out minding their own business. Some higher-level players have been very generous in passing and have initiated trades to give me High-Level weapons even though I was not able to use them until I reached a higher level.
There are various Pop-Up events that happen where players can get some nice rewards and slipping into your Power Armor to take down a pack of Scorchers is always a fun experience.
In many ways this is one of the hardest reviews I have had to write as I can see how some people can be disappointed with the game and will take serious issues with the bugs and general direction. I also see the fun in the game and the progress being made with the updates and enjoy the game despite the issues. If you are patient and temper your expectations with the understanding that the game players have now is not the game they will have several months down the road, then Fallout 76 may be the escapist game you are looking for.
3.5 stars out of 5.