Search

Search only in certain items:

40x40

Sarah (7798 KP) rated The Cows in Books

Aug 17, 2020  
The Cows
The Cows
Dawn O'Porter | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
9
8.3 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Entertaining and powerful
I was a little worried about reading this book as I was concerned about it being a little preachy, however I’m so glad that my concerns were completely unwarranted.

This is a very powerful, moving and motivational book. It promotes powerful and independent women without becoming too preachy or overpoweringly feminist, yet with a heartwarming, interesting and relatable story. There are aspects of all 3 of the main characters that I identified with, and no doubt most other women will too. Their stories and lives made me laugh and cry throughout the entire book, and I really struggled to put this down. I also thought I knew where this story was going until a major twist over two thirds of the way through completely shocked me. I never saw it coming and I loved this, along with the ending in general which didn’t play out in exactly the way you’d expect. I’ve seen Dawn O Porter’s documentaries in the past but wasn’t too sure what I’d make of her writing, however this is beautifully written. She’s come up with some human, deep and maybe slightly crazy characters that are all endearing in their own ways and intertwined their stories into something immensely entertaining. It’s also made me really think about my own life and make me feel better about things that have been getting me down, and I’d really encourage any woman to read this who might be in need of a pick me up. I will definitely be reading more of Dawn O Porter’s work after this.
  
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019)
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019)
2019 | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Impressive Cast & Visuals Are Not Enough When Compared To The First Film's Magical Story
Contains spoilers, click to show
The beginning started off strong for this movie and it immediately reminded me of what i liked about the first one. Angelina Jolie is just magnificent as Maleficent and you can tell she really enjoys acting the part. I didn't really understand why the people feared her is she wasn't a bad guy (which was the point of the first one I thought, showing the story from her side), but apparently the Queen was spreading rumors or stories to make people frightened. At the dinner scene it was quite believable from Maleficent's outburst that she might have done something to the King but to me it was too out of character that Aurora would believe her to do something like that. Also it was too Deus Ex Machina for another Fey, Connall to have been around close enough for him to save Maleficent when she is shot by an iron bullet. I really liked the scene where they fly around the underground caverns where the other Fey live and show the different biomes and talk about her unknown heritage. It bothered me that the Queen had that little fairy guy that was doing the experiments for her on his own people and how that stuff could kill him too, but what bothered me more was that it never showed his motivations when he released the little creatures in the dungeon. It just showed him do it and never said why or what changed his mind, I feel like there might have been a scene cut there or something. And then there was a couple of ridiculous scenes for me that almost killed this movie for me. One was that all the fairy creatures were invited to the wedding, which was obviously a trap with the red powder already being hinted at, but the fact that the people didn't make as much a deal about it like they did when Maleficent came to dinner surprised me. I mean they had guards holding back the citizens but when Maleficent appeared they ran away, wouldn't they have acted similarly if there were monsters coming to their kingdom. The attack by the Dark Fey on the castle was also one of those parts that made me wonder what the hell was going on. They are massacred on a big scale by the red powder which earlier in the film, it said that it was hard to make or took a long time, but they had butt loads of it in this battle. They had so much that when the Dark Fey retreat and change where they attack the humans even had traps setup in those areas as well. I mean it made for an interesting intense battle scene but Maleficent was the only one of her kind the humans had ever seen and only the Queen's servant said she saw one similar to her save her from the water. How did they know an army was coming and attacking by air. Good planning, smart Queen I guess. I was greatly disappointed that Maleficent didn't turn into a dragon like the cartoon. I love seeing a good dragon on screen but I guess the Phoenix was a good change and fit more with the story especially with her sacrifice. Phoenix's are reborn from their ashes as it says. The last part I found to be laughable was that when the battle is over Aurora is like, "Weddings back on". Her and the Prince are like, we will live in peace from now on with the Moors. Ok, you were just killing each other a couple of minutes ago, and so many Dark Fey died it wasn't even funny. Oh yeah, this movie also did quite a great job of hiding any blood whatsoever in a lot of scenes where there probably should have been some maybe a little. I mean Maleficent gets shot, Connall gets shot up like swiss-cheese, and the soldiers are shooting in the final battle and everyone has weapons like axes, swords, etc..

The beginning started off strong for this movie and it immediately reminded me of what i liked about the first one. Angelina Jolie is just magnificent as Maleficent and you can tell she really enjoys acting the part. I didn't really understand why the people feared her is she wasn't a bad guy (which was the point of the first one I thought, showing the story from her side), but apparently the Queen was spreading rumors or stories to make people frightened. At the dinner scene it was quite believable from Maleficent's outburst that she might have done something to the King but to me it was too out of character that Aurora would believe her to do something like that. Also it was too Deus Ex Machina for another Fey, Connall to have been around close enough for him to save Maleficent when she is shot by an iron bullet. I really liked the scene where they fly around the underground caverns where the other Fey live and show the different biomes and talk about her unkown heritage. It bothered me that the Queen had that little fairy guy that was doing the experiments for her on his own people and how that stuff could kill him too, but what bothered me more was that it never showed his motivations when he released the little creatures in the dungeon. It just showed him do it and never said why or what changed his mind, I feel like there might have been a scene cut there or something. And then there was a couple of ridiculous scenes for me that almost killed this movie for me. One was that all the fairy creatures were invited to the wedding, which was obviously a trap with the red powder already being hinted at, but the fact that the people didn't make as much a deal about it like they did when Maleficent came to dinner surprised me. I mean they had guards holding back the citizens but when Maleficent appeared they ran away, wouldn't they have acted similarly if there were monsters coming to their kingdom. The attack by the Dark Fey on the castle was also one of those parts that made me wonder what the hell was going on. They are massacred on a big scale by the red powder which earlier in the film, it said that it was hard to make or took a long time, but they had butt loads of it in this battle. They had so much that when the Dark Fey retreat and change where they attack the humans even had traps setup in those areas as well. I mean it made for an interesting intense battle scene but Maleficent was the only one of her kind the humans had ever seen and only the Queen's servant said she saw one similar to her save her from the water. How did they know an army was coming and attacking by air. Good planning, smart Queen I guess. I was greatly disappointed that Maleficent didn't turn into a dragon like the cartoon. I love seeing a good dragon on screen but I guess the Phoenix was a good change and fit more with the story especially with her sacrifice. Phoenix's are reborn from their ashes as it says. The last part I found to be laughable was that when the battle is over Aurora is like, "Weddings back on". Her and the Prince are like, we will live in peace from now on with the Moors. Ok, you were just killing each other a couple of minutes ago, and so many Dark Fey died it wasn't even funny. Oh yeah, this movie also did quite a great job of hiding any blood whatsoever in a lot of scenes where there probably should have been some maybe a little. I mean Maleficent gets shot, Connall gets shot up like swiss-cheese, and the soldiers are shooting in the final battle and everyone has weapons like axes, swords, etc.. I really wanted to give this movie a 7 but I have to give it a 6/10.
  
Free Fire (2017)
Free Fire (2017)
2017 | Action, Comedy, Drama
Stretched a bit too much
Ever since watching Sightseers I’ve always been excited to see the next Ben Wheatley film, however recently they’ve been very hit and miss. And sadly Free Fire for me was no different.

It has a truly fantastic cast, you can’t really get much better than the likes of Brie Larson, Cillian Murphy, Armie Hammer and Michael Smiley. The cast themselves are faultless, and so is the direction. It’s brilliantly shot and does very well with such a limited set. The soundtrack is great too. My main issue is that it’s a simple plot that feels like it’s been stretched too thin. Whilst the run time of 90 minutes is very short, it still dragged and got a little boring and definitely feels too stretched. Don’t get me wrong, there are parts of this film that are hilarious and this did help, but for me it wasn’t enough. I could’ve done with a little more variety. Also the ending was a little predictable.
  
Death on the Nile (2022)
Death on the Nile (2022)
2022 | Mystery
Kenneth branagh (1 more)
Tom Bateman
Watched today at cineworld after watching murder on the orient express couple of weeks ago that I would the sequel to see if it was any good I would say it’s better than murder. On too the film this isn’t the first time I’ve seen a version of death on Nile this is third one Kenneth Branagh is back poirot with the tache back as well we get an origin of the moustache at the beginning of the movie also hos lost love who was mentioned in the first film which was nice. Nice to see Tom Bateman back as his friend from murder on the orient express then the list of suspects including French and sanders and Russell brand any of them could have done it. Anyway will there be third film who knows there’s so many more poirot story’s still out there good film
  
The Time of My Life
The Time of My Life
Nora Phoenix | 2018 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Time of My Life by Nora Phoenix
Nora Phoenix is a relatively new author to me. I've only read her No Shame series up until this one. For No Shame, I was hooked. I loved how Ms. Phoenix was able to introduce her characters and ways of living. So when I saw The Time of My Life I immediately signed up to review.

And I am glad that I did!!!

This is an amazing story, that will keep you engrossed from start to finish. The characters, whether they are there to be liked or loathed, all ring true, and sometimes in a whole that's-too-realistic-and-it's-scary kind of way! Judah and Denver are very different, in more ways that one, but they complement each other perfectly. The path to true love is never smooth though, and these two know that more than most.

I honestly don't want to talk too much about particular points in the story as I don't want to ruin it for anyone else. For myself, I loved going in blind, not knowing anything about it. What I can and will say is that there are no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. Spread out over time, this is no insta-love, but it builds up over time, making it all the sweeter. The pacing is smooth and the transitions from one scene to the next are flawless.

Just one more thing that made me laugh to myself - and yes, this is a big hint, I guess - I never considered the title of the book until the ending. Perfect.

Absolutely 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!
  
Awaken
Awaken
K.S. Marsden | 2018 | Romance
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Awaken
Awaken is book 2 from the Northern Witch Series. Read my review for Winter Trials, book one in the series.

I have enjoyed reading the first book, and I was so eager to get to the second one. This is a story about a young boy Mark and his grandma, who is a witch. This is also a story about Damien, a new guy in town, in which Mark falls in love with.

The second book starts where the first book left off. Mark and Damien have feelings for each other, but Damien is a danger to himself and others, and grandma will try to fix this with her power.

The book is a short and fast read. It is fast-paced, and I kept spinning the pages intensely. It brings you the feelings of home, and winter times, and family moments, and high-school memories. It has all the good vibes put together neatly.

The high-school romance was an addition to the book, and it was a pleasure to read. I enjoyed it a lot, even though we didn’t see as much romance in this book as we do in book one.

And then, there is the word ‘’Dunno.’’ A word that I don’t really mind, unless it’s used too often. And it bothered me, I will admit it.

But then, there was Nanna – a character full of light and power that pierces through. A character full of wittiness, giving life to each scene unlike any character can. A woman I so greatly admire, for her love and dedication to the family, and unconditional love and teaching towards her grandchild.

I read about magic, and high-school, more about high-school than magic. I wish there were more romance scenes, and was terrified when the book finished the way it did. I was afraid, and happy, and excited and sad, and not to forget, annoyed, but this book gave me all the right feels at times, and all the wrong ones too.

It has never been harder to judge a book in-between this space of annoyance and love, and I am struggling. But I love Nanna too much.

I would recommend you to read this (or the first book in the series, if you haven’t yet). If you enjoy LGBT high-school romance and witchcraft adventures, this one will be a pleasurable read for you.

Thank you to the author, K.S. Marsden, for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
  
40x40

Sarah (7798 KP) rated It (2017) in Movies

Sep 13, 2017  
It (2017)
It (2017)
2017 | Drama, Horror
8
7.9 (355 Ratings)
Movie Rating
A pleasant surprise
This was always going to be up against it, as Stephen King's book is an epic and there's no way the entire book can be put into 2 films. However as a part 1, this film actually does a pretty good job.

Yes there are things missing from the book, this isn't really a surprise. And they have changed some parts of the story too, and although I don't necessarily agree with these changes, the majority of them don't really have a detrimental effect to the story. And a lot of these changes still hint and nod to the book (e.g. Eddie's broken arm, "beep-beep Richie" etc). The kids themselves I mainly loved and they were well cast, the humour was great. Although I do think Beverly looked a little too old? I also liked some of the exposition and explanatory scenes which happened differently in the book, yet still worked in this.


Despite the old school type scares, I actually found myself quite scared and creeped out at times, which I wasn't expecting. My only issue is I didn't like Pennywise's front teeth, I found them really off putting and didn't look very good. And I think some of the CGI was a little over the top.


So all in, a surprisingly good adaptation. Actually can't wait to see the next chapter.
  
Morgwel Hall
Morgwel Hall
Michael Hutchins | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry, Horror, Paranormal
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Interesting plot (1 more)
Great setting
A bit too wordy sometimes (1 more)
Hard to get an idea of the age of main character
A Lovely Ghost Story
I love books about ghost stories, so when I got the chance to read Morgwel Hall by Michael Hutchins, I didn't think twice. The synopsis definitely piqued my interest. Luckily, I was not disappointed.

I really enjoyed the plot for Morgwel Hall. Captain Williamson sees a girl dancing on the battlements of the ruined castle he is about to purchase. He is instantly mesmerized by her. He learns her name is Anna and begins to fall in love with her. The only problem is she's a ghost. However, there's a bit more paranormal happenings going on at Morgwel Hall. Desperate to learn the history of the place, he seeks out two locals who tell him of the horrible history of Morgwel Hall and of Anna's demise. I wouldn't say the plot was scary. It was spooky and a bit creepy at times, but it wasn't overly scary which I didn't mind. It was still very interesting! I didn't really read any major plot twists, but that didn't take away from the story. All of my questions and wondering were answered by the end of the book even my questions about Williamson's cat and dog which was a nice touch. I wish there was more detail as to why Anna took a shining to Captain Williamson and what made her fall in love with him though. The world building was done very well as well. The story takes place almost completely in Cornwall not long after World War I. It was definitely believable.

The characters of Morgwel Hall were very well written and realistic. Captain Williamson is a great character although sometimes it was hard to tell if he was supposed to be an older man or a younger man. It would have been nice to know his actual age in the book because I struggled to picture him in my mind age wise. Other than that, everything about Williamson was great. It was interesting learning with Williamson about Morgwell Hall. Albert and Nancy were also fantastic characters. I really liked Nancy for some reason. I guess it was just how humble she was. Dougy was my absolute favorite though. He sounded like such a sweet dog!

The pacing in Morgwel Hall was set decently. There were a few times when the story got a bit too wordy and descriptive which would slow the pacing down a little, but for the most part, the pacing stayed strong, and I was desperate to learn more about Morgwel Hall and the history.

Trigger warnings for Morgwel Hall include alcoholism (Captain Williamson came across as being addicted to whiskey), minor profanities, death, suicide, and implied murder.

Overall, Morgwel Hall is a very interesting read. The plot is written very well, and the characters are interesting to read about. I would definitely recommend Morgwel Hall by Michael Hutchins to those aged 15+ who are fans of ghost stories but don't want to be too scared.
--
(A special thank you to the author for providing me with a paperback of Morgwel Hall in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)
  
What can I say about this book except that it is excellent and so much better than the films, doesn't matter which film, take your pick!

I first read this as a child and loved it straight away. Dodie Smith has a way of writing a scene that you see it in your head with no problems or difficulties whatsoever.

I now read it to me 5 and 3 year olds and they love it too. There was some confusion to begin with as they had seen Disney so didn't understand why there were 3 adults to begin with, but we soon got past that.

For me, this is a timeless classic that can be passed down from generation to generation.