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RavenclawPrincess913 (253 KP) rated A Multitude of Dreams in Books
Sep 10, 2023
Favorite book of this year
Title: A Multitude of dreams
Author: Mara Rutherford
My favorite read of the year would be A Multitude of Dreams by Mara Rutherford. In the beginning of this book it takes place during the after math of a horrible plague called the Mori Roja which basically causes the patient to bleed out and die. Only ways people can survive the mori Roja are to die and be reborn, never come in contact with the plague or be immune.
Princess Imogen of Goslind has been locked in the palace with many other higher born citizens for the past four years during the plague she wants to be set free same with many others but the king will not allow that. After Nico impersonating a prince shows up they quickly learn being locked up is what helped them survive so long but it is no longer possible when the food runs out.
When Nico realizes that Lord Crane is a reborn and learns of his plans he decided to impersonate a prince who died on his way to meet the princess for a marriage agreement. He died by a reborn. He does this to try to warn and save the people of the palace but he has no success when Lord Crane and other reborns invade the palace killing many.
This being the best book I read of 2023 I am having a hard time choosing just one part I loved the most in it. I did enjoy that Princess Giselle got the karma that was coming for her it was one hundred percent deserved. The story was really well written and extremely hard to put down. Another part I loved were all the moments between Jocelyn and Princess Imogen. Honestly only part of this book I disliked was that Jocelyn and Imogen didn't end up together. I thought they would because they were giving off more that friend vibes with the kisses and stuff.
When it comes to the characters my favorites were Jocelyn and Princess Imogen. I loved them from the beginning. One character who gave bad vibes and I knew couldn't be trust was Lord Crane. I could just tell there was something up with him. On the other hand Nico and Colin were both very trustworthy from the beginning. I didn't like Giselle, Henry or Branson either. Princess Giselle I could tell she was a backstabber. Henry I could tell he had an alternative motive and couldn't be trusted. Same with Branson. This book had a very good character development.
I recommend reading this if books based during or after a plague interests you. I also recommend if you enjoy books about vampires.
Author: Mara Rutherford
My favorite read of the year would be A Multitude of Dreams by Mara Rutherford. In the beginning of this book it takes place during the after math of a horrible plague called the Mori Roja which basically causes the patient to bleed out and die. Only ways people can survive the mori Roja are to die and be reborn, never come in contact with the plague or be immune.
Princess Imogen of Goslind has been locked in the palace with many other higher born citizens for the past four years during the plague she wants to be set free same with many others but the king will not allow that. After Nico impersonating a prince shows up they quickly learn being locked up is what helped them survive so long but it is no longer possible when the food runs out.
When Nico realizes that Lord Crane is a reborn and learns of his plans he decided to impersonate a prince who died on his way to meet the princess for a marriage agreement. He died by a reborn. He does this to try to warn and save the people of the palace but he has no success when Lord Crane and other reborns invade the palace killing many.
This being the best book I read of 2023 I am having a hard time choosing just one part I loved the most in it. I did enjoy that Princess Giselle got the karma that was coming for her it was one hundred percent deserved. The story was really well written and extremely hard to put down. Another part I loved were all the moments between Jocelyn and Princess Imogen. Honestly only part of this book I disliked was that Jocelyn and Imogen didn't end up together. I thought they would because they were giving off more that friend vibes with the kisses and stuff.
When it comes to the characters my favorites were Jocelyn and Princess Imogen. I loved them from the beginning. One character who gave bad vibes and I knew couldn't be trust was Lord Crane. I could just tell there was something up with him. On the other hand Nico and Colin were both very trustworthy from the beginning. I didn't like Giselle, Henry or Branson either. Princess Giselle I could tell she was a backstabber. Henry I could tell he had an alternative motive and couldn't be trusted. Same with Branson. This book had a very good character development.
I recommend reading this if books based during or after a plague interests you. I also recommend if you enjoy books about vampires.
Lee (2222 KP) rated Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (2019) in Movies
May 18, 2019
Much better than I was expecting
I never really 'got' Pokémon. I've never watched it, never read it, never had any interest in it whatsoever. I actually gave the game Pokémon Go a shot, as I was already a big fan of Niantic's previous game, Ingress. But swiping balls randomly at floating animated creatures on the screen? Yeah, not really my idea of fun. So, why then would I go watch a Pokémon movie where, for some strange reason, Deadpool is voicing the lead character, a cute little fluffy Pikachu? Well, in the interests of providing balanced, impartial Smashbomb reviews that's why. And, because my nephew asked me to take him...
I guess one of my concerns before heading in to see Detective Pikachu was how exactly the Pokémon we're going to be portrayed. If this was going to be some kind of Smurfs or Alvin and the Chipmunks style movie, where over-the-top CGI characters are thrust upon the world of over-the-top human characters in some crazy adventure aimed at six year olds, then I wouldn't be very happy. Thankfully, it turned out to be the compete opposite.
21 year old Tim receives news that his father, top detective Harry Goodman, has gone missing following a car accident, and is presumed dead. He travels to his father's place of work - Ryme City, a modern metropolis where humans and Pokémon live happily side by side - and joins forces with Harry's Pokémon partner, Detective Pikachu. Tim discovers that he can understand what the wise cracking, cute little Pikachu is saying to him and they set about trying to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding Harry's suspected death.
I was pretty impressed from the offset just how well this movie is presented. It's set in a world where humans and these strange, wonderful creatures live alongside each other in harmony, yet the Pokémon are never really presented in that wacky manner that I described earlier with other CGI character movies. It's extremely well done and feels both natural and believable. And because the focus of the movie is more on the story, and the mystery to be solved, rather than revelling in the fact that this is a live action Pokémon movie, it made it all the more enjoyable. This felt to me something more alike to 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit'. And I really liked it!
Better still, I rarely felt as though I needed any prior knowledge of Pokémon in order to appreciate and enjoy it. There's a brief explainer near the beginning regarding the whole trainer/balls/battles concept, which didn't make it any less ridiculous as far as I'm concerned, but that just didn't matter as it wasn't really necessary to the main plot. Having never experienced Pokémon in any other media form, I obviously can't comment on how faithful this is to any of that, but as a family movie I'd say this is a pretty big hit.
I guess one of my concerns before heading in to see Detective Pikachu was how exactly the Pokémon we're going to be portrayed. If this was going to be some kind of Smurfs or Alvin and the Chipmunks style movie, where over-the-top CGI characters are thrust upon the world of over-the-top human characters in some crazy adventure aimed at six year olds, then I wouldn't be very happy. Thankfully, it turned out to be the compete opposite.
21 year old Tim receives news that his father, top detective Harry Goodman, has gone missing following a car accident, and is presumed dead. He travels to his father's place of work - Ryme City, a modern metropolis where humans and Pokémon live happily side by side - and joins forces with Harry's Pokémon partner, Detective Pikachu. Tim discovers that he can understand what the wise cracking, cute little Pikachu is saying to him and they set about trying to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding Harry's suspected death.
I was pretty impressed from the offset just how well this movie is presented. It's set in a world where humans and these strange, wonderful creatures live alongside each other in harmony, yet the Pokémon are never really presented in that wacky manner that I described earlier with other CGI character movies. It's extremely well done and feels both natural and believable. And because the focus of the movie is more on the story, and the mystery to be solved, rather than revelling in the fact that this is a live action Pokémon movie, it made it all the more enjoyable. This felt to me something more alike to 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit'. And I really liked it!
Better still, I rarely felt as though I needed any prior knowledge of Pokémon in order to appreciate and enjoy it. There's a brief explainer near the beginning regarding the whole trainer/balls/battles concept, which didn't make it any less ridiculous as far as I'm concerned, but that just didn't matter as it wasn't really necessary to the main plot. Having never experienced Pokémon in any other media form, I obviously can't comment on how faithful this is to any of that, but as a family movie I'd say this is a pretty big hit.
Lee (2222 KP) rated The First Purge (2018) in Movies
Jul 9, 2018
Not sure why they bothered
The fourth movie in 'The Purge' series takes us right back to the beginning, introducing us to the days leading up to and including the very first purge. It's the weakest of the series, and while not exactly a bad movie, you're kind of left wondering why they even bothered.
The site of the new 'experiment' is Staten Island, NY, and in the run up to it's commencement we're introduced to quite a few of the locals, most of which aren't that memorable once the end credits have rolled. Some of them are angry, and looking to embrace this new way of being able to legally release their anger. Some are out to protect their illegal business interests, and some just want to keep their heads down and ride out the night with as little trouble as possible. In an effort to keep people on the island during the experiment, the NFFA offers $5,000 to anyone who does stick around for the night. And, if they actually participate in the purge, they'll get a nice bonus! Glowing contact lenses containing tiny cameras are on offer to those that do wish to partake, allowing their movements and actions to be tracked and seen by all, and providing a suitably creepy effect when worn out in the dark.
Unfortunately though, purge night doesn't get off to a great start. While most streets are clear, a number of block parties start up, and the only murder that takes place has been by the local crazy guy on drugs. So, they decide to stir things up a bit by sending in trained teams, disguised as locals, in an attempt to incite violence. When this happens, and innocent lives are lost, local drug boss Dmitri and his team of dealers decide to take things into their own hands. With their arsenal of automatic weapons, they seem surprisingly well trained in the art of taking out the mercenaries, and this is where the movie is at it's most enjoyable. As Dmitri strips down to his white vest and heads into the tower block where a number of bad guys are sweeping each floor, taking out innocents as they go, we get some fantastic action sequences. It's all very reminiscent of The Raid, with a dash of Die Hard thrown in. Close quarters stairwell fighting, gun fights, explosions, all beautifully choreographed and ramping up the tension as the bad guys near the 14th floor, where many of the characters introduced earlier in the movie are all holed up.
Sadly, this intense and thrilling action only features in the last 20 minutes or so and isn't enough to pull this back from being just a so-so movie, only adding to the overall imbalance of it all.
The site of the new 'experiment' is Staten Island, NY, and in the run up to it's commencement we're introduced to quite a few of the locals, most of which aren't that memorable once the end credits have rolled. Some of them are angry, and looking to embrace this new way of being able to legally release their anger. Some are out to protect their illegal business interests, and some just want to keep their heads down and ride out the night with as little trouble as possible. In an effort to keep people on the island during the experiment, the NFFA offers $5,000 to anyone who does stick around for the night. And, if they actually participate in the purge, they'll get a nice bonus! Glowing contact lenses containing tiny cameras are on offer to those that do wish to partake, allowing their movements and actions to be tracked and seen by all, and providing a suitably creepy effect when worn out in the dark.
Unfortunately though, purge night doesn't get off to a great start. While most streets are clear, a number of block parties start up, and the only murder that takes place has been by the local crazy guy on drugs. So, they decide to stir things up a bit by sending in trained teams, disguised as locals, in an attempt to incite violence. When this happens, and innocent lives are lost, local drug boss Dmitri and his team of dealers decide to take things into their own hands. With their arsenal of automatic weapons, they seem surprisingly well trained in the art of taking out the mercenaries, and this is where the movie is at it's most enjoyable. As Dmitri strips down to his white vest and heads into the tower block where a number of bad guys are sweeping each floor, taking out innocents as they go, we get some fantastic action sequences. It's all very reminiscent of The Raid, with a dash of Die Hard thrown in. Close quarters stairwell fighting, gun fights, explosions, all beautifully choreographed and ramping up the tension as the bad guys near the 14th floor, where many of the characters introduced earlier in the movie are all holed up.
Sadly, this intense and thrilling action only features in the last 20 minutes or so and isn't enough to pull this back from being just a so-so movie, only adding to the overall imbalance of it all.
Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated The Evil that came to Denham in Books
Jan 20, 2020
Honest Review for Free Copy of Book
The Evil that came to Denham by John Ulrich is based on a real story that I doubt many people have heard of. This story is The Denham Massacre in 1870 where all seven members of the Marshall family were brutally murdered. If this is something that interests you I invite you to read on.
The narrator tells the story of his parents in their first house in Denham. Christine (the narrator's mother) comes from an extremely proper family. Her father is extremely controlling and abusive while her mother is religious and believes that her husband’s behavior is the will of God. Neither one of Christine’s parents approves of John, her boyfriend (and the narrator's father) because he is a garbage collector and doesn't come from money. It is their dislike for John and the mistreatment of Christine that pushes John to quickly find a home of their own.
John comes across a home for rent called Harridons at Cheapside Lane in Denham in the paper. After making the proper arrangements John, Christine, and their friend Dave happily rent the house. The happiness is short-lived as Christine is soon the first to hear the disembodied screams of women and children. It quickly becomes clear that there is more to this house than the three originally though. It takes a long talk with a priest and the landlords before they learn the truth behind the house. A horrible massacre many years before has stained the very land the house sits on and has left behind some very unhappy sprits.
I enjoyed the style of the storytelling used. When someone in the main story is telling another character a story about something else that happened in the past it is written like a flashback. The entire thing flows wonderfully without any jarring transitions. What I did not like was how just about everyone is accepting of what was going on in the house. Naturally, I expected more people to be skeptical of the paranormal happenings. This isn’t so much a problem as it is an odd observation.
This is an adult horror book that could be acceptable for slightly younger readers, such as those still in high school. One of the big issues is the fact that there is a fair amount of vivid gore scenes that some younger readers may find disturbing. Readers should also be prepared for a relatively long novel. I rate this book 3 out of 4. While not my favorite book its was still wonderful. A great read for any time of the year but especially around Halloween as this one truly was creepy. The fact that it is based on a true story adds to the creepy level even more.
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The narrator tells the story of his parents in their first house in Denham. Christine (the narrator's mother) comes from an extremely proper family. Her father is extremely controlling and abusive while her mother is religious and believes that her husband’s behavior is the will of God. Neither one of Christine’s parents approves of John, her boyfriend (and the narrator's father) because he is a garbage collector and doesn't come from money. It is their dislike for John and the mistreatment of Christine that pushes John to quickly find a home of their own.
John comes across a home for rent called Harridons at Cheapside Lane in Denham in the paper. After making the proper arrangements John, Christine, and their friend Dave happily rent the house. The happiness is short-lived as Christine is soon the first to hear the disembodied screams of women and children. It quickly becomes clear that there is more to this house than the three originally though. It takes a long talk with a priest and the landlords before they learn the truth behind the house. A horrible massacre many years before has stained the very land the house sits on and has left behind some very unhappy sprits.
I enjoyed the style of the storytelling used. When someone in the main story is telling another character a story about something else that happened in the past it is written like a flashback. The entire thing flows wonderfully without any jarring transitions. What I did not like was how just about everyone is accepting of what was going on in the house. Naturally, I expected more people to be skeptical of the paranormal happenings. This isn’t so much a problem as it is an odd observation.
This is an adult horror book that could be acceptable for slightly younger readers, such as those still in high school. One of the big issues is the fact that there is a fair amount of vivid gore scenes that some younger readers may find disturbing. Readers should also be prepared for a relatively long novel. I rate this book 3 out of 4. While not my favorite book its was still wonderful. A great read for any time of the year but especially around Halloween as this one truly was creepy. The fact that it is based on a true story adds to the creepy level even more.
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Hazel (1853 KP) rated In a Kingdom by the Sea in Books
Jul 31, 2019
I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Imagine how it must feel to live in a country that is nearly always depicted negatively? How does it feel to have your country's natural beauty and landscape usurped by the violence of a small percentage of people? This is what Gabriella discovers the majority of the population of Pakistan face when she accompanies her husband Mike to Karachi where he works for Pakistan Atlantic Airways.
Gabriella and her sons have been used to Mike disappearing for months at a time on various jobs abroad, however, she is beginning to feel she and her husband are drifting apart. When Mike suggests she come and stay with him in Pakistan, she jumps at the chance, however, instead of strengthing the relationship, Gabriella feels further away than ever. Constantly left behind in a hotel while Mike attends numerous conferences, Gabriella is virtually housebound; it being too dangerous to venture outside. Not only that, she suspects Mike is having an affair and to top it all off, her half-sister Dominique reveals a devastating secret about their childhood in Cornwall.
In a Kingdom by the Sea by Sara MacDonald is essentially a contemporary love story, exploring the woes of a nearly fifty-year-old coming to the end of a long relationship. With underlying elements of mystery, for instance, what happened to Dominique in the early 1970s and what exactly is Mike up to, the novel also explores the hidden truths of a country stereotyped by violence and terrorism.
Gabriella meets dozens of kind and caring people in Pakistan who have her best interests at heart. These people are not dangerous or violent as the media often leads the western world to believe. Whilst some groups of people are content to cause death and destruction, leaving the cities a minefield to navigate, there are plenty more who wish to live peaceful lives. Gabriella is captivated by the beautiful, enchanting landscapes, unlike anything back home in England.
As the story progresses, Gabriella learns more about the lives of women in Pakistan. They are unable to live as they please, having to bow to the commands of their husbands, parents and brothers instead. The more Gabriella speaks to these women, the more she realises that cooped up in the hotel most of the day, she is in a similar situation, under the thumb of her own husband. So, she stops. Thinks. Is this the life she wants?
In a Kingdom by the Sea is a slightly long-winded but eye-opening story. Not everyone will be able to relate to the lives of Pakistani women, however, their plight will resonate with those who relish freedom. Whilst it is difficult to compare Gabriella's life with the women she meets in Karachi, readers will also be rooting for Gabriella's happy-ever-after.
Imagine how it must feel to live in a country that is nearly always depicted negatively? How does it feel to have your country's natural beauty and landscape usurped by the violence of a small percentage of people? This is what Gabriella discovers the majority of the population of Pakistan face when she accompanies her husband Mike to Karachi where he works for Pakistan Atlantic Airways.
Gabriella and her sons have been used to Mike disappearing for months at a time on various jobs abroad, however, she is beginning to feel she and her husband are drifting apart. When Mike suggests she come and stay with him in Pakistan, she jumps at the chance, however, instead of strengthing the relationship, Gabriella feels further away than ever. Constantly left behind in a hotel while Mike attends numerous conferences, Gabriella is virtually housebound; it being too dangerous to venture outside. Not only that, she suspects Mike is having an affair and to top it all off, her half-sister Dominique reveals a devastating secret about their childhood in Cornwall.
In a Kingdom by the Sea by Sara MacDonald is essentially a contemporary love story, exploring the woes of a nearly fifty-year-old coming to the end of a long relationship. With underlying elements of mystery, for instance, what happened to Dominique in the early 1970s and what exactly is Mike up to, the novel also explores the hidden truths of a country stereotyped by violence and terrorism.
Gabriella meets dozens of kind and caring people in Pakistan who have her best interests at heart. These people are not dangerous or violent as the media often leads the western world to believe. Whilst some groups of people are content to cause death and destruction, leaving the cities a minefield to navigate, there are plenty more who wish to live peaceful lives. Gabriella is captivated by the beautiful, enchanting landscapes, unlike anything back home in England.
As the story progresses, Gabriella learns more about the lives of women in Pakistan. They are unable to live as they please, having to bow to the commands of their husbands, parents and brothers instead. The more Gabriella speaks to these women, the more she realises that cooped up in the hotel most of the day, she is in a similar situation, under the thumb of her own husband. So, she stops. Thinks. Is this the life she wants?
In a Kingdom by the Sea is a slightly long-winded but eye-opening story. Not everyone will be able to relate to the lives of Pakistani women, however, their plight will resonate with those who relish freedom. Whilst it is difficult to compare Gabriella's life with the women she meets in Karachi, readers will also be rooting for Gabriella's happy-ever-after.
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