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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Woman in Cabin 10 in Books
Feb 8, 2018
Laura (Lo) Blackstock is excited to finally get the opportunity of her travel journalism career: a chance to cover the launch of a luxury cruise ship, the Aurora. The ship is headed to Norway, and Lo has the ability to mingle with a set of wealthy passengers and make some connections to jump-start her writing career. But before she even sets foot on the boat, Lo is reeling from a break-in at her apartment, which leaves her anxious, exhausted, and--through a series of unfortunate events--on the outs with her boyfriend, Jonah. Still, at first the Aurora seems gorgeous and luxurious, if a bit small for Lo's claustrophobia. But her first evening on board, after an evening of dining and drinking, Lo is awoken to the sound of an argument in cabin 10 next door, and she's convinced she sees a woman tossed overboard. But no one on the ship believes her, and the woman she knows she met earlier in cabin 10, when asking to borrow mascara, is gone--nowhere on the boat. Lo knows realistically this isn't possible: it's a small boat and people can't just disappear. But she also knows who she saw and what she saw. Is she going crazy? And is someone on the boat now out to get her?
This was an interesting and suspenseful thriller. I agree with the comparisons to an Agatha Christie novel: with the setting of the novel being a ship, you have a limited cast of characters (and suspects), which heightens some of the intrigue. Ware does an excellent job of setting the scene, and you can practically feel yourself trapped in this opulent yet slightly claustrophobic, endlessly rocking luxury cruise-liner. Lo is set up rather quickly as unreliable narrator: she's clearly anxious after her break-in, prone to drinking, and reeling from a lack of sleep. Therefore, from the outset, we're not sure if we can trust what we're reading or what seems to be unfolding on this ship. One of my favorite things about this novel is that it certainly keeps you guessing -- I was constantly coming up with (and discarding) various theories as I read, placing blame on a new character every few chapters. And, of course, always harboring that seed of doubt that Lo just made the entire thing up. While we hear entirely from Lo, Ware places a few newspaper stories at the end of each chapter, which just add to your doubt and confusion.
As for Lo, she's not the most enjoyable of main characters and due to our limited set of characters, we don't have many others, so most of the tale hinges on her. She's a bit annoying and whiny and prone to overthinking and bad decisions. She can get frustrating at times, to say the least. The story itself isn't really creepy or spooky, but it's definitely interesting and, as I said, keeps you guessing until nearly the very end. A few of the plot points seem a bit haphazard, as if things were just jammed together randomly into the story, but I suppose they all work together at the end.
Overall, this is certainly an engaging and suspenseful thriller. If you enjoy a fast-paced whodunnit, this one is for you. 3.5 stars.
This was an interesting and suspenseful thriller. I agree with the comparisons to an Agatha Christie novel: with the setting of the novel being a ship, you have a limited cast of characters (and suspects), which heightens some of the intrigue. Ware does an excellent job of setting the scene, and you can practically feel yourself trapped in this opulent yet slightly claustrophobic, endlessly rocking luxury cruise-liner. Lo is set up rather quickly as unreliable narrator: she's clearly anxious after her break-in, prone to drinking, and reeling from a lack of sleep. Therefore, from the outset, we're not sure if we can trust what we're reading or what seems to be unfolding on this ship. One of my favorite things about this novel is that it certainly keeps you guessing -- I was constantly coming up with (and discarding) various theories as I read, placing blame on a new character every few chapters. And, of course, always harboring that seed of doubt that Lo just made the entire thing up. While we hear entirely from Lo, Ware places a few newspaper stories at the end of each chapter, which just add to your doubt and confusion.
As for Lo, she's not the most enjoyable of main characters and due to our limited set of characters, we don't have many others, so most of the tale hinges on her. She's a bit annoying and whiny and prone to overthinking and bad decisions. She can get frustrating at times, to say the least. The story itself isn't really creepy or spooky, but it's definitely interesting and, as I said, keeps you guessing until nearly the very end. A few of the plot points seem a bit haphazard, as if things were just jammed together randomly into the story, but I suppose they all work together at the end.
Overall, this is certainly an engaging and suspenseful thriller. If you enjoy a fast-paced whodunnit, this one is for you. 3.5 stars.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Accepted (2006) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Story: Accepted starts when serial slacker Bartleby (Long) fails to get accepted into any colleges when his high school run concludes. Bartleby isn’t the only one that lost his chance to go college, he decides to join Sherman (Hill) and Daryl (Short) in creating a fake college South Harmon Institute of Technology.
To make his parents believe this is a real college, he works with his friends to refurbish a building to be a college, only for the college to take off having numerous students turn up leading to a battle with the local real college.
Thoughts on Accepted
Characters – Bartleby is the student at high school everyone turns to for fake ids, he is a slacker at heart, not knowing where he wants to go and getting rejected by all the colleges that he applied to. To keep his parents happy, he creates a college only for everything to get out of hand he needs to use his quick-thinking ideas to keep the cover on. Sherman is the only one of the group of friends that did get into the college he wanted, he helps Bartleby get the college up and running while trying to keep everything in his own future together. Monica is the love interest for Bartleby, always been the girl that he dreams off, she has her own passion, which her college isn’t going to give her. We get plenty of characters that are struggling to find their place in the next stages of their life and the rich students who get into college without any problems.
Performances – This movie has a big cast of actors that would be great picks for any teen comedy in the early 2000s. Justin Long takes the leading role and he is great because the character he plays is the one we are seeing him play a lot. Jonah Hill gets good laughs from his role, but this is before he transformed his comedy to hit more often. Blake Lively is a good love interest for the film, the whole supporting cast does well through the film.
Story – The story is about one student that creates a fake college to cover up the fact he never got accepted into any college and things get out of hand. The story is told in a comic tone, even though it does tackle the serious problem school students face when it comes to the end of their run, before college, what happens if they don’t make it, what if they do make it and can’t handle the pressure. In fairness the telling of the story is done well for a teen comedy and is easily one that can be enjoyed by the fans of the genre.
Comedy – The comedy in this film does work for the most part, it is mostly teen comedy material which is fine to enjoy.
Settings – The film is a college set movie, it gives an idea of creativity the characters will be facing.
Scene of the Movie – The case.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – We don’t get enough focus on why so many students got rejected from other colleges.
Final Thoughts – This is one of the fun modern college movie, it tells an important message about dealing with the added pressure of college life.
Overall: One for the teen comedy movies.
https://moviesreview101.com/2018/06/03/justin-long-weekend-accepted-2006/
To make his parents believe this is a real college, he works with his friends to refurbish a building to be a college, only for the college to take off having numerous students turn up leading to a battle with the local real college.
Thoughts on Accepted
Characters – Bartleby is the student at high school everyone turns to for fake ids, he is a slacker at heart, not knowing where he wants to go and getting rejected by all the colleges that he applied to. To keep his parents happy, he creates a college only for everything to get out of hand he needs to use his quick-thinking ideas to keep the cover on. Sherman is the only one of the group of friends that did get into the college he wanted, he helps Bartleby get the college up and running while trying to keep everything in his own future together. Monica is the love interest for Bartleby, always been the girl that he dreams off, she has her own passion, which her college isn’t going to give her. We get plenty of characters that are struggling to find their place in the next stages of their life and the rich students who get into college without any problems.
Performances – This movie has a big cast of actors that would be great picks for any teen comedy in the early 2000s. Justin Long takes the leading role and he is great because the character he plays is the one we are seeing him play a lot. Jonah Hill gets good laughs from his role, but this is before he transformed his comedy to hit more often. Blake Lively is a good love interest for the film, the whole supporting cast does well through the film.
Story – The story is about one student that creates a fake college to cover up the fact he never got accepted into any college and things get out of hand. The story is told in a comic tone, even though it does tackle the serious problem school students face when it comes to the end of their run, before college, what happens if they don’t make it, what if they do make it and can’t handle the pressure. In fairness the telling of the story is done well for a teen comedy and is easily one that can be enjoyed by the fans of the genre.
Comedy – The comedy in this film does work for the most part, it is mostly teen comedy material which is fine to enjoy.
Settings – The film is a college set movie, it gives an idea of creativity the characters will be facing.
Scene of the Movie – The case.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – We don’t get enough focus on why so many students got rejected from other colleges.
Final Thoughts – This is one of the fun modern college movie, it tells an important message about dealing with the added pressure of college life.
Overall: One for the teen comedy movies.
https://moviesreview101.com/2018/06/03/justin-long-weekend-accepted-2006/
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Watch (2012) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
On the surface, life for Evan (Ben Stiller), appears to be ideal. He has a very nice home, a loving wife, a solid job as in upper management for Costco, and is very active in his suburban Ohio community. But Evan’s life is about to take an unexpected change when the night watchman for the store is found brutally murdered, leaving Evan distraught. Unhappy with the efforts of the local police force, Evan decides to form a community watch to solve the crime and to protect his beloved community.
In the new comedy The Watch, Stiller teams with comedy veterans Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, and relative newcomer Richard Ayoade, who has had audience in stitches for the past three years on the phenomenally popular and funny British comedy The I.T. Crowd.
Vaughn plays Bob, a successful contractor who sees the neighborhood watch as an opportunity for some much needed guys’-nights-out. Bob’s wife travels often for work leaving him to watch over their teenage daughter who hs driven Bob to hysterical fits of extreme measures as he attempts to divert any unwanted male attention from her.
Hill plays Franklin, a unstable individual who still lives at home with his mother after flunking out of high school and failing every evaluation the police department entrance exam offered, especially the part concerning mental stability. Franklin views the watch as his opportunity to get back at the police force and to clean up the streets. Ayoade rounds out the group as Jamarcus who sees the group as his chance to get back into the social network and envisions calls from lonely women looking for protection as his golden opportunity.
As the group begins to bond, Evan becomes agitated as he is, by nature, an insecure individual who finds Bob’s growing popularity within the group to be a threat to him and his plan to solve the murder. Despite their initial awkwardness the team begins to make progress and discovers a much larger threat to the community in the form of a hostile alien force which is capable of assuming human identity. In a desperate race against time the watch must not only battle the alien threat but each other and their own insecurities and issues to come together and save the day.
The film was directed by Akiva Schaffer who made a name for himself as part of the Lonely Island Boys who’ve done some outrageously funny song parodies on Saturday Night Live as well as the film Superbad.
While there are some very funny moments in the film as well as some fun sci-fi action sequences, the talented cast appears to be playing it safe rather than going all out. Time and time again the cast appears to be holding back. This is not to say that they don’t have great moments. Unfortunately, the best parts of the film were ruined by the trailers. I spent the whole time waiting for things to be kicked to the next level which sadly never arrived.
There were some pacing issues with film as it dragged at times. There were also some plot holes but naturally with films of this type, a deep and complicated plot is not to be expected. In the end, while entertaining, the film was disappointing. It could’ve been so much more, especially with so much talent attached to it. Sadly pacing issues and a fairly generic plot lacking any real surprises keeps the film from reaching its potential.
In the new comedy The Watch, Stiller teams with comedy veterans Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, and relative newcomer Richard Ayoade, who has had audience in stitches for the past three years on the phenomenally popular and funny British comedy The I.T. Crowd.
Vaughn plays Bob, a successful contractor who sees the neighborhood watch as an opportunity for some much needed guys’-nights-out. Bob’s wife travels often for work leaving him to watch over their teenage daughter who hs driven Bob to hysterical fits of extreme measures as he attempts to divert any unwanted male attention from her.
Hill plays Franklin, a unstable individual who still lives at home with his mother after flunking out of high school and failing every evaluation the police department entrance exam offered, especially the part concerning mental stability. Franklin views the watch as his opportunity to get back at the police force and to clean up the streets. Ayoade rounds out the group as Jamarcus who sees the group as his chance to get back into the social network and envisions calls from lonely women looking for protection as his golden opportunity.
As the group begins to bond, Evan becomes agitated as he is, by nature, an insecure individual who finds Bob’s growing popularity within the group to be a threat to him and his plan to solve the murder. Despite their initial awkwardness the team begins to make progress and discovers a much larger threat to the community in the form of a hostile alien force which is capable of assuming human identity. In a desperate race against time the watch must not only battle the alien threat but each other and their own insecurities and issues to come together and save the day.
The film was directed by Akiva Schaffer who made a name for himself as part of the Lonely Island Boys who’ve done some outrageously funny song parodies on Saturday Night Live as well as the film Superbad.
While there are some very funny moments in the film as well as some fun sci-fi action sequences, the talented cast appears to be playing it safe rather than going all out. Time and time again the cast appears to be holding back. This is not to say that they don’t have great moments. Unfortunately, the best parts of the film were ruined by the trailers. I spent the whole time waiting for things to be kicked to the next level which sadly never arrived.
There were some pacing issues with film as it dragged at times. There were also some plot holes but naturally with films of this type, a deep and complicated plot is not to be expected. In the end, while entertaining, the film was disappointing. It could’ve been so much more, especially with so much talent attached to it. Sadly pacing issues and a fairly generic plot lacking any real surprises keeps the film from reaching its potential.
Stories of the Prophets ( Peace be Upon Them) For iphone, ipod & ipad
Education and Reference
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The Blessed life of the prophets (Peace and Blessings Upon Them) why it is important to know the...
Children's Bible Books & Movies | Family & School
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Children's Bible is an app which contains comics and movies with Bible stories for children. More...
Superbook Kid’s Bible, Videos and Games
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This FREE Kid's Bible app brings the Bible to life for the entire family with a full Bible, videos,...
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated The Cousins in Books
Dec 21, 2020
Whenever Karen McManus releases a book, I feel obligated to read it since I loved her first book, One of Us Is Lying. I also read the sequel, Two Can Keep a Secret. When The Cousins was released, it was one of those books that I had to read. While it wasn't as good of a read as her first two books, it was still a decent book.
Mildred Story cut ties with all of her children twenty-four years prior. All of her children swear they have no idea what they did to be cut off. However, when Mildred's grandchild receive a letter from Mildred inviting them to stay and work on her island, her grandchildren are a little suspicious but end up going. However, when they decide to try to figure out the mystery, things take a dangerous turn.
The plot really reeled me in. I love a good mystery, so The Cousins was right up my alley. While the story did flow together really well, I felt that the pacing was a bit on the slow side. It wasn't painfully slow, but it made it where The Cousins wasn't one of those books where you can't put it down. I guess I was just hoping for more action. There were a few plot twists which were a bit unpredictable which was enjoyable. The setting and world building were done nicely. It was easy to feel like I was on the island with everything that was going on. I enjoyed the flashbacks from Mildred's children - Adam, Anders, Archer, and Allison. I felt like there were no cliff hangers and that all my questions were answered by the end of the book. I suppose McManus could make a sequel from this book, but I think that this book would be better left as a standalone.
The characters in The Cousins were written decently enough although I never really cared too much for any one character. I just had a hard time relating to any of the characters, so it was hard to really care for them. Milly came across as being too standoffish and stuck up a lot of the time. While I liked that she wasn't afraid to speak her mind, sometimes I felt like she went a bit overboard. Jonah was an alright character, but I felt like he lacked enough depth to really like him. I just felt like there was something missing with his backstory. Aubrey was an okay character too, but I felt like she wasn't much of a main character. I would have liked to see more of Aubrey because I felt like she didn't really add anything to the story and that her character was kind of pointless. Aubrey's character felt more like a filler in the book. I would have also liked to see more scenes with Mildred as she isn't in many. Knowing the whole story, I can see why she wasn't as present, but it would have been nice to at least have her in the book a bit more.
Trigger warnings for The Cousins include swearing, murder, death, minor violence, drinking (including underage), miscarriage, and teenage pregnancy,
Overall, The Cousins does have an interesting plot despite the execution. The world building is done fantastically, and the plot twists are plentiful. I would recommend The Cousins by Karen M. McManus to those aged 15+ that like mysteries.
Mildred Story cut ties with all of her children twenty-four years prior. All of her children swear they have no idea what they did to be cut off. However, when Mildred's grandchild receive a letter from Mildred inviting them to stay and work on her island, her grandchildren are a little suspicious but end up going. However, when they decide to try to figure out the mystery, things take a dangerous turn.
The plot really reeled me in. I love a good mystery, so The Cousins was right up my alley. While the story did flow together really well, I felt that the pacing was a bit on the slow side. It wasn't painfully slow, but it made it where The Cousins wasn't one of those books where you can't put it down. I guess I was just hoping for more action. There were a few plot twists which were a bit unpredictable which was enjoyable. The setting and world building were done nicely. It was easy to feel like I was on the island with everything that was going on. I enjoyed the flashbacks from Mildred's children - Adam, Anders, Archer, and Allison. I felt like there were no cliff hangers and that all my questions were answered by the end of the book. I suppose McManus could make a sequel from this book, but I think that this book would be better left as a standalone.
The characters in The Cousins were written decently enough although I never really cared too much for any one character. I just had a hard time relating to any of the characters, so it was hard to really care for them. Milly came across as being too standoffish and stuck up a lot of the time. While I liked that she wasn't afraid to speak her mind, sometimes I felt like she went a bit overboard. Jonah was an alright character, but I felt like he lacked enough depth to really like him. I just felt like there was something missing with his backstory. Aubrey was an okay character too, but I felt like she wasn't much of a main character. I would have liked to see more of Aubrey because I felt like she didn't really add anything to the story and that her character was kind of pointless. Aubrey's character felt more like a filler in the book. I would have also liked to see more scenes with Mildred as she isn't in many. Knowing the whole story, I can see why she wasn't as present, but it would have been nice to at least have her in the book a bit more.
Trigger warnings for The Cousins include swearing, murder, death, minor violence, drinking (including underage), miscarriage, and teenage pregnancy,
Overall, The Cousins does have an interesting plot despite the execution. The world building is done fantastically, and the plot twists are plentiful. I would recommend The Cousins by Karen M. McManus to those aged 15+ that like mysteries.
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated The little mermaid (2023) in Movies
Sep 20, 2023
You Will Want To Go Under The Sea
Back in 2013, the Baltimore Ravens won the Super Bowl with a QB, Joe Flacco, who was a “game manager”. His reputation was that he was NOT spectacular and wouldn’t win a game for you, but he also wouldn’t take chances and LOSE a game for you.
Such the same can be said of newcomer Halle Bailey as Ariel in Disney’s Live Action remake of THE LITTLE MERMAID. She produces a competent, steady (but unspectacular) performance that doesn’t really add all that much to the film, but (more importantly) it doesn’t detract either.
And that is a GOOD (enough) thing as Director Rob Marshall (Chicago) populates this remake with some wonderful performers/performances to go along with better-than-average CGI and some new songs that actually work well (and don’t just seem like “add-ons”). All of this adds up to a very enjoyable family time at the movies.
Following the plot of the Disney Animated film from 1989, this Little Mermaid does not sway too far from the basic plot, though it does cut down (a bit) on the musical numbers. But when it swings big, it swings BIG and these swings connect.
Daveed Diggs (Broadway’s Hamilton) almost steals the film as the voice of Sebastian the Crab and his UNDER THE SEA number is a visual and audible delight while Awkwafina (CRAZY, RICH ASIANS) fills in very well in the Buddy Hackett role as the bird Scuttle. Surprisingly, young Jacob Trembley (ROOM) more than holds his own in this crazy trio of sidekicks as the young fish Flounder. These three work together quite a bit more in this film than in the previous, animated one and they work well together.
But, make no mistake, this film is Melissa McCarthy’s and as the evil Sea Witch Ursula, she demands you pay attention - and keep paying attention - to her. Her big number, POOR UNFORTUNATE SOULS is deep, rich and powerful while her performance throughout the film is just enough over-the-top to work. Credit needs to go to both McCarthy and Marshall to understand when enough was enough or when they went too far and reigned it in.
Javier Bardem (NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN) also populates this film as Ariel’s father, King Triton, and while it looks like Bardem is trying very, very hard to audition for a serious Shakespeare role, it works well here.
Finally, the biggest surprise to me in this film is Jonah Hauer-King (he played Laurie in the Saoirse Ronan/Emma Watson/Florence Pugh LITTLE WOMEN) as Prince Eric. In the animated version of this film, poor Prince Eric has very little to do, except to be Ariel’s “Prince Charming”. In this version, writer David Magee (LIFE OF PI) turns Eric into a real character with some depth - and a song! The 2nd half of this film was as much about Prince Eric as it was about Ariel.
And, that is okay, for the ending of this film needed some energy in addition to Bailey’s to make it rise above the rest of film and with the help of all those other wonderful performers, it rises well above (and not under) the sea.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Such the same can be said of newcomer Halle Bailey as Ariel in Disney’s Live Action remake of THE LITTLE MERMAID. She produces a competent, steady (but unspectacular) performance that doesn’t really add all that much to the film, but (more importantly) it doesn’t detract either.
And that is a GOOD (enough) thing as Director Rob Marshall (Chicago) populates this remake with some wonderful performers/performances to go along with better-than-average CGI and some new songs that actually work well (and don’t just seem like “add-ons”). All of this adds up to a very enjoyable family time at the movies.
Following the plot of the Disney Animated film from 1989, this Little Mermaid does not sway too far from the basic plot, though it does cut down (a bit) on the musical numbers. But when it swings big, it swings BIG and these swings connect.
Daveed Diggs (Broadway’s Hamilton) almost steals the film as the voice of Sebastian the Crab and his UNDER THE SEA number is a visual and audible delight while Awkwafina (CRAZY, RICH ASIANS) fills in very well in the Buddy Hackett role as the bird Scuttle. Surprisingly, young Jacob Trembley (ROOM) more than holds his own in this crazy trio of sidekicks as the young fish Flounder. These three work together quite a bit more in this film than in the previous, animated one and they work well together.
But, make no mistake, this film is Melissa McCarthy’s and as the evil Sea Witch Ursula, she demands you pay attention - and keep paying attention - to her. Her big number, POOR UNFORTUNATE SOULS is deep, rich and powerful while her performance throughout the film is just enough over-the-top to work. Credit needs to go to both McCarthy and Marshall to understand when enough was enough or when they went too far and reigned it in.
Javier Bardem (NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN) also populates this film as Ariel’s father, King Triton, and while it looks like Bardem is trying very, very hard to audition for a serious Shakespeare role, it works well here.
Finally, the biggest surprise to me in this film is Jonah Hauer-King (he played Laurie in the Saoirse Ronan/Emma Watson/Florence Pugh LITTLE WOMEN) as Prince Eric. In the animated version of this film, poor Prince Eric has very little to do, except to be Ariel’s “Prince Charming”. In this version, writer David Magee (LIFE OF PI) turns Eric into a real character with some depth - and a song! The 2nd half of this film was as much about Prince Eric as it was about Ariel.
And, that is okay, for the ending of this film needed some energy in addition to Bailey’s to make it rise above the rest of film and with the help of all those other wonderful performers, it rises well above (and not under) the sea.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Fractured Legacy (Fractured Legacy, #1) in Books
Jun 7, 2018
(This review can be found on my blog <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.com/">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a>).
I read the blurb to this book, and I was instantly hooked! A spooky ghost story involving ghost hunters? Yes, please! Luckily, I wasn't disappointed by this book.
Kaylyn and her sister Cole both work for a company called Aicil as paranormal investigators. When Kaylyn gets the opportunity to investigate the creepy and old Teague Hotel, she jumps at the chance. However, bad things start happening to Kaylyn. She's being attacked by an unseen force, having blackouts as well as very strange dreams. Kaylyn can't understand whys he's being trageted specifically, but with her job, as well as her life on the line, she'd better figure it out...and quickly.
I love the cover of Fractured Legacy! It has a really creepy look to go with the rest of the book. I think the cover suits the book well, and with a cover like that, you know the contents will be creepy as well.
The world building was definitely believable. I felt like I was Kaylyn, and it was a book about me. That's how great of a job the author did. I was feeling scared right along Kaylyn and feeling frustrated when she did. I also loved the setting. A creepy hotel is one of my top places for spookiness.
The pacing did start out a bit slow, and I was wondering if I had made a mistake in agreeing to review this. Then, I felt as if the pacing just zoomed, and I was left wondering what had happened. Thankfully, after the first few chapters, the pacing settles down, and I couldn't read this story fast enough. It's definitely a page turner!
The plot was fantastic! Creepy stories with bad entities in them have been done a lot, but Skye Callahan turns that classic plot into her own. There are also a few plot twists which I didn't predict until a few chapters before they are revealed. As for the ending, it's not a big cliff hanger, but since this is going to be a series, it is left open for another book (which I can't wait to read). Oh, and there isn't much romance in this book. In fact, I can't think of any, but I'm not a big romance fan so I enjoyed that this story focused solely on what was going on with Kaylyn.
I loved Kaylyn. There were times I just wanted to hug her because I liked her that much. She endures a lot and often times feels like she is going insane. However, she's a very strong character and bounces back. I also like Jonah. At first, I found him to be a bit arrogant, but my heart melted towards him, and I found myself thinking what a kind and caring man he was. I was hoping he and Kaylyn would get together throughout the book because they seemed so great together. I did like Cole, but there's not a lot of her after the first few chapters. She does seem like a very caring sister though.
I enjoyed the dialogue and found that it flowed smoothly. It goes back and forth between Kaylyn's point of view and Jonah's. There are a few grammatical mistakes but nothing major. There are a few swear words, but nothing over the top.
Overall, Fractured Legacy is a creepy read that will leave you wanting more...and wanting to leave the lights on! It has a fantastic plot, a creepy setting, and well rounded characters.
I'd recommend this book to those age 17+ who truly want to read something spooky!
(I received a free ecopy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review).
I read the blurb to this book, and I was instantly hooked! A spooky ghost story involving ghost hunters? Yes, please! Luckily, I wasn't disappointed by this book.
Kaylyn and her sister Cole both work for a company called Aicil as paranormal investigators. When Kaylyn gets the opportunity to investigate the creepy and old Teague Hotel, she jumps at the chance. However, bad things start happening to Kaylyn. She's being attacked by an unseen force, having blackouts as well as very strange dreams. Kaylyn can't understand whys he's being trageted specifically, but with her job, as well as her life on the line, she'd better figure it out...and quickly.
I love the cover of Fractured Legacy! It has a really creepy look to go with the rest of the book. I think the cover suits the book well, and with a cover like that, you know the contents will be creepy as well.
The world building was definitely believable. I felt like I was Kaylyn, and it was a book about me. That's how great of a job the author did. I was feeling scared right along Kaylyn and feeling frustrated when she did. I also loved the setting. A creepy hotel is one of my top places for spookiness.
The pacing did start out a bit slow, and I was wondering if I had made a mistake in agreeing to review this. Then, I felt as if the pacing just zoomed, and I was left wondering what had happened. Thankfully, after the first few chapters, the pacing settles down, and I couldn't read this story fast enough. It's definitely a page turner!
The plot was fantastic! Creepy stories with bad entities in them have been done a lot, but Skye Callahan turns that classic plot into her own. There are also a few plot twists which I didn't predict until a few chapters before they are revealed. As for the ending, it's not a big cliff hanger, but since this is going to be a series, it is left open for another book (which I can't wait to read). Oh, and there isn't much romance in this book. In fact, I can't think of any, but I'm not a big romance fan so I enjoyed that this story focused solely on what was going on with Kaylyn.
I loved Kaylyn. There were times I just wanted to hug her because I liked her that much. She endures a lot and often times feels like she is going insane. However, she's a very strong character and bounces back. I also like Jonah. At first, I found him to be a bit arrogant, but my heart melted towards him, and I found myself thinking what a kind and caring man he was. I was hoping he and Kaylyn would get together throughout the book because they seemed so great together. I did like Cole, but there's not a lot of her after the first few chapters. She does seem like a very caring sister though.
I enjoyed the dialogue and found that it flowed smoothly. It goes back and forth between Kaylyn's point of view and Jonah's. There are a few grammatical mistakes but nothing major. There are a few swear words, but nothing over the top.
Overall, Fractured Legacy is a creepy read that will leave you wanting more...and wanting to leave the lights on! It has a fantastic plot, a creepy setting, and well rounded characters.
I'd recommend this book to those age 17+ who truly want to read something spooky!
(I received a free ecopy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review).
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019) in Movies
Jul 2, 2019
Universal Pictures is wrapping up its How To Train Your Dragon Trilogy with the release of the film: How To Train Your Dragon: Hidden World, set to release on Friday, February 22, 2019.
The film brings back the same core cast of characters as the previous two movies, with Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), Astrid, (America Ferrera), Valka (Cate Blanchet), Eret (Kit Harrington), Gobber (Craig Ferguson), Snotlout (Jonah Hill), Ruffnutt (Kristen Wiig), Tuffnut (TJ Miller), Fishlegs (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), and flashback appearances of Stoic (Gerard Butler).
The story opens on what is supposed to be a “stealthy raid” but isn’t, quite.
We learn that Hiccup and his band of friends (both Dragon and human) are on a continuous mission to rescue captured Dragons from the poachers determined to capture and exploit them.
Hiccup and his friends then bring the rescued dragons back to Berk which is now a “Dragon-Viking utopia”. This arrangement, however idyllic, does not appear to be sustainable in the long-term. It is crowded and messy and Berk is just simply running out of room to house any more Dragons! Astrid and Gobber are concerned that housing all the Dragons on Berk makes the settlement a target for the Dragon hunters, endangering the entire community.
Hiccup is still exploring and reading his father’s old records, and remains convinced that there is “more” out there. He enlists Astrid’s help in finding the hidden world where he believes that all of Berk could move to, with their Dragons to leave in peace and secrecy.
After an attack on Berk, the rest of the community is convinced that Hiccup is right (even as he is not fully convinced himself of his ability to lead them successfully) and agrees to follow him in his search for the Hidden World sanctuary.
The story follows them on their quest and the dangers and successes of the journey to find a new, more suitable home.
The music, animation, and scenery in this movie is great. The details are phenomenal, from the characters’ hair, to the movements of the Dragons, to the Hidden World cave details, really show the attention that was paid in making this movie stand out!
The story line itself, as a continuation of the previous two movies, flows well, and follows an appropriate arc, both as far as relationships as well as time.
The addition of a new Dragon, and the relationship that evolves between the Light Fury and Toothless brings a new level of evolution to the existing relationship between Toothless and Hiccup, and plays on the adage of “if you love something, set it free”.
I laughed throughout the movie, at the dragons’ antics and expressions and interactions with their humans and each other. I held my breath in anticipation at some aspects, and heard myself say ‘oh no!” under my breath at one point as well. Dragons 3 drew me in from the start, and didn’t let go till the very end of the credit rolled. (We stayed until the lights came back up, and even the credits had me smiling with their small surprises!)
I found myself both wishing that this installment wouldn’t be “the end” as well as acknowledging that this story provided a fitting end to the series of films.
If there MUST be an end, this film wraps up the story nicely and provides closure, while yet leaving enough room to imagine what might come next.
I would give this movie 5 out of 5 stars, and while we did not see it in IMAX or 3D, if you have those options available, I would recommend that as well!
The film brings back the same core cast of characters as the previous two movies, with Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), Astrid, (America Ferrera), Valka (Cate Blanchet), Eret (Kit Harrington), Gobber (Craig Ferguson), Snotlout (Jonah Hill), Ruffnutt (Kristen Wiig), Tuffnut (TJ Miller), Fishlegs (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), and flashback appearances of Stoic (Gerard Butler).
The story opens on what is supposed to be a “stealthy raid” but isn’t, quite.
We learn that Hiccup and his band of friends (both Dragon and human) are on a continuous mission to rescue captured Dragons from the poachers determined to capture and exploit them.
Hiccup and his friends then bring the rescued dragons back to Berk which is now a “Dragon-Viking utopia”. This arrangement, however idyllic, does not appear to be sustainable in the long-term. It is crowded and messy and Berk is just simply running out of room to house any more Dragons! Astrid and Gobber are concerned that housing all the Dragons on Berk makes the settlement a target for the Dragon hunters, endangering the entire community.
Hiccup is still exploring and reading his father’s old records, and remains convinced that there is “more” out there. He enlists Astrid’s help in finding the hidden world where he believes that all of Berk could move to, with their Dragons to leave in peace and secrecy.
After an attack on Berk, the rest of the community is convinced that Hiccup is right (even as he is not fully convinced himself of his ability to lead them successfully) and agrees to follow him in his search for the Hidden World sanctuary.
The story follows them on their quest and the dangers and successes of the journey to find a new, more suitable home.
The music, animation, and scenery in this movie is great. The details are phenomenal, from the characters’ hair, to the movements of the Dragons, to the Hidden World cave details, really show the attention that was paid in making this movie stand out!
The story line itself, as a continuation of the previous two movies, flows well, and follows an appropriate arc, both as far as relationships as well as time.
The addition of a new Dragon, and the relationship that evolves between the Light Fury and Toothless brings a new level of evolution to the existing relationship between Toothless and Hiccup, and plays on the adage of “if you love something, set it free”.
I laughed throughout the movie, at the dragons’ antics and expressions and interactions with their humans and each other. I held my breath in anticipation at some aspects, and heard myself say ‘oh no!” under my breath at one point as well. Dragons 3 drew me in from the start, and didn’t let go till the very end of the credit rolled. (We stayed until the lights came back up, and even the credits had me smiling with their small surprises!)
I found myself both wishing that this installment wouldn’t be “the end” as well as acknowledging that this story provided a fitting end to the series of films.
If there MUST be an end, this film wraps up the story nicely and provides closure, while yet leaving enough room to imagine what might come next.
I would give this movie 5 out of 5 stars, and while we did not see it in IMAX or 3D, if you have those options available, I would recommend that as well!