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Lottie disney bookworm (1056 KP) rated A Whole New World in Books
Aug 16, 2019
Review by Disney Bookworm
“What if Aladdin had never found the lamp?”
OK so I am going to start off this review with a really pedantic comment and I know I am being petty and that this will almost definitely end in a rant but… he does find the lamp! Of course he does! Aladdin is the diamond in the rough! He is literally the only one who can find the lamp. If he didn’t find the lamp nothing would happen: Jasmine would probably grow old with her tiger; Jafar would carry on hypnotising the Sultan; Aladdin would probably wind up arrested and this would be the shortest twisted tale in history.
*Ahem*
So, Aladdin finds the lamp. Let’s move past it, because if you have read my other reviews, you will know I love Liz Braswell: her twisted tales always wind up being my favourites as she always brings something completely unexpected to the novels. In the circumstances, I can forgive the tagline.
This review of “A Whole New World” comes at a time where Aladdin is everywhere: the live action movie was released in the UK just over a month ago and, I for one, loved it! With this in mind, I just had to re-read this twisted tale and shout about the wholly different Agrabah that it presents to the reader.
Braswell’s Agrabah is a raw, dirty, troubled cousin of the Agrabah we all know and love. I struggle to comprehend exactly how the movies did it, because both showed starving children, but we found ourselves simultaneously accepting and glossing over the poverty of the street rats. We have no such option in “A Whole New World”.
From starving infants; old men shovelling camel dung for coins; to Aladdin’s own mother dying of a wasting disease: this novel takes no prisoners in the Quarter of the Street Rats. However, those in the Palace remain blind to the struggles of the poor, with the Sultan playing with his golden toys whilst some of his citizens have no food or clean water.
The plight of the Agrabah people creates an undercurrent of resentment that runs all the way through Aladdin and Jasmine’s story. It is also a clear indicator of the identity of this novel: Braswell has taken all the romanticism of the familiar story and buried it in her own cave of wonders, leaving behind a highly political but incredibly powerful story.
The twisted tale starts off on a similar vein to both movies, boy meets girl, boy rescues girl from hand severing businessman, boy winds up arrested and transported to a creepy cave where he finds an old lamp, boy’s monkey can’t keep his hands to himself and boy is left clinging on for his life at the entrance to said creepy cave. However, in this version, when Jafar steps on Aladdin’s fingers to prevent his escape, Abu doesn’t grab the lamp! How will Aladdin escape now?
As is to be expected from Braswell’s novels, the characters are phenomenal. Aladdin is the proud, eternal optimist that we recognise but with a strong ethical viewpoint that is introduced by the inclusion of his mother as a character.
Creating a new character, particularly Aladdin’s mother, could simply be a tactic to give some history to the charming thief. However, Braswell uses the matriarch to add depth to Aladdin: she tells him “don’t let how poor you are, decide who you are…you can choose to be something more”.
This is ultimately the lesson the genie would teach Aladdin if they were to meet and so I think it is very clever of Braswell to keep this element of Aladdin’s character. It allows us to witness Aladdin’s pride and strength through these instilled virtues: he has even lost friends over his views of when he considers it acceptable to be a thief.
Although I wouldn’t consider the genie a main character in this tale (he doesn’t get as much airtime as in the films): he remains a funny and flippant sidekick for the most part. However, in keeping with the tone of “A Whole New World”, he does use this humour to provoke our thoughts. The genie and Braswell divulge that there was once a whole race of djinn who have since died out. The genie has lost his home, his wife and his freedom and so, he rightly asks, who would stay sane under those conditions?
Jafar; Mr dark and twisty himself, is a whole other level of evil in this twisted tale. He does present some of the characteristics of the movie villain: power mad, desperate for everyone to love him and all that jazz; however, he also tortures the genie and plans to break the laws of magic in order to create an army of the dead. It’s all very game of thrones all of a sudden!
I know what you’re thinking: what about Jasmine? Surely, she isn’t all dark and twisty as well? The girl looks good in turquoise baggy trousers for goodness sakes!
Jasmine begins her journey as the typical naïve, sheltered princess she is always portrayed as: possessing no knowledge of the price of food or the struggles of her own people. However, Braswell manages to make even the live-action Jasmine appear over-dramatic and petty: she isn’t resisting marriage just because she doesn’t fancy random foreign prince number 3; she is resisting becoming a “baby making machine” and signing herself up to an early grave.
“A princess among men”, Jasmine and the reader soon realise that she has to step forward and become the hero of this tale. This is no small ask for someone who has never led an army or witnessed death before. Nonetheless, Jasmine is clearly up to the task: this is no weak princess trapped in an hourglass of sand, waiting to be rescued by a man. This is a Sultana!
The story of Aladdin typically conjures up images of love, magic carpets and romantic duets. Liz Braswell’s story of Agrabah does orbit around love, how could it not? However, “A Whole New World” explores the shades of grey in life: Street rats are not always bad, Princesses are not always good and magic is not always the solution. This is not a tale of love; it is a tale of finding strength in unlikely places; it is a tale that teaches us you don’t need magic to have a happy ending.
OK so I am going to start off this review with a really pedantic comment and I know I am being petty and that this will almost definitely end in a rant but… he does find the lamp! Of course he does! Aladdin is the diamond in the rough! He is literally the only one who can find the lamp. If he didn’t find the lamp nothing would happen: Jasmine would probably grow old with her tiger; Jafar would carry on hypnotising the Sultan; Aladdin would probably wind up arrested and this would be the shortest twisted tale in history.
*Ahem*
So, Aladdin finds the lamp. Let’s move past it, because if you have read my other reviews, you will know I love Liz Braswell: her twisted tales always wind up being my favourites as she always brings something completely unexpected to the novels. In the circumstances, I can forgive the tagline.
This review of “A Whole New World” comes at a time where Aladdin is everywhere: the live action movie was released in the UK just over a month ago and, I for one, loved it! With this in mind, I just had to re-read this twisted tale and shout about the wholly different Agrabah that it presents to the reader.
Braswell’s Agrabah is a raw, dirty, troubled cousin of the Agrabah we all know and love. I struggle to comprehend exactly how the movies did it, because both showed starving children, but we found ourselves simultaneously accepting and glossing over the poverty of the street rats. We have no such option in “A Whole New World”.
From starving infants; old men shovelling camel dung for coins; to Aladdin’s own mother dying of a wasting disease: this novel takes no prisoners in the Quarter of the Street Rats. However, those in the Palace remain blind to the struggles of the poor, with the Sultan playing with his golden toys whilst some of his citizens have no food or clean water.
The plight of the Agrabah people creates an undercurrent of resentment that runs all the way through Aladdin and Jasmine’s story. It is also a clear indicator of the identity of this novel: Braswell has taken all the romanticism of the familiar story and buried it in her own cave of wonders, leaving behind a highly political but incredibly powerful story.
The twisted tale starts off on a similar vein to both movies, boy meets girl, boy rescues girl from hand severing businessman, boy winds up arrested and transported to a creepy cave where he finds an old lamp, boy’s monkey can’t keep his hands to himself and boy is left clinging on for his life at the entrance to said creepy cave. However, in this version, when Jafar steps on Aladdin’s fingers to prevent his escape, Abu doesn’t grab the lamp! How will Aladdin escape now?
As is to be expected from Braswell’s novels, the characters are phenomenal. Aladdin is the proud, eternal optimist that we recognise but with a strong ethical viewpoint that is introduced by the inclusion of his mother as a character.
Creating a new character, particularly Aladdin’s mother, could simply be a tactic to give some history to the charming thief. However, Braswell uses the matriarch to add depth to Aladdin: she tells him “don’t let how poor you are, decide who you are…you can choose to be something more”.
This is ultimately the lesson the genie would teach Aladdin if they were to meet and so I think it is very clever of Braswell to keep this element of Aladdin’s character. It allows us to witness Aladdin’s pride and strength through these instilled virtues: he has even lost friends over his views of when he considers it acceptable to be a thief.
Although I wouldn’t consider the genie a main character in this tale (he doesn’t get as much airtime as in the films): he remains a funny and flippant sidekick for the most part. However, in keeping with the tone of “A Whole New World”, he does use this humour to provoke our thoughts. The genie and Braswell divulge that there was once a whole race of djinn who have since died out. The genie has lost his home, his wife and his freedom and so, he rightly asks, who would stay sane under those conditions?
Jafar; Mr dark and twisty himself, is a whole other level of evil in this twisted tale. He does present some of the characteristics of the movie villain: power mad, desperate for everyone to love him and all that jazz; however, he also tortures the genie and plans to break the laws of magic in order to create an army of the dead. It’s all very game of thrones all of a sudden!
I know what you’re thinking: what about Jasmine? Surely, she isn’t all dark and twisty as well? The girl looks good in turquoise baggy trousers for goodness sakes!
Jasmine begins her journey as the typical naïve, sheltered princess she is always portrayed as: possessing no knowledge of the price of food or the struggles of her own people. However, Braswell manages to make even the live-action Jasmine appear over-dramatic and petty: she isn’t resisting marriage just because she doesn’t fancy random foreign prince number 3; she is resisting becoming a “baby making machine” and signing herself up to an early grave.
“A princess among men”, Jasmine and the reader soon realise that she has to step forward and become the hero of this tale. This is no small ask for someone who has never led an army or witnessed death before. Nonetheless, Jasmine is clearly up to the task: this is no weak princess trapped in an hourglass of sand, waiting to be rescued by a man. This is a Sultana!
The story of Aladdin typically conjures up images of love, magic carpets and romantic duets. Liz Braswell’s story of Agrabah does orbit around love, how could it not? However, “A Whole New World” explores the shades of grey in life: Street rats are not always bad, Princesses are not always good and magic is not always the solution. This is not a tale of love; it is a tale of finding strength in unlikely places; it is a tale that teaches us you don’t need magic to have a happy ending.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Now You See Me (2013) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
When you were little and you saw your very first magic show, you were probably amazed just by the simple action of a magician waving his magic wand and pulling a rabbit out of his hat. The only explanation you needed was that it was magic.
Not knowing that “the closer you look, the less you see as you become older you become less and less convinced that magic exists.
From French director Louis Leterrier who has brought us films like “The Transporter” and ” Unleashed” comes an “Ocean’s Eleven” style film about four magicians who pull off one of the biggest heists the world has ever seen by using magic.
Calling themselves The Four Horseman, four magicians with very different abilities come together as one to pull off something no other magician has ever attempted.
The leader of the pack is J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), who is a master at sleight-of-hand and blatant arrogance. A mentalist who specializes in hypnosis and is no stranger to being devious himself is Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson). The very talented pickpocket Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) not only steals the audience’s hearts but also can pick a lock blindfolded if he had to.
Last but by no means least is Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher), the sexy escape artist who can even escape a tank full of piranhas without a scratch.
The story follows The Four Horseman embarking on a journey of teleporting and robbing a Parisian bank and reining it over the cheering Las Vegas audience at their first venue.
They don’t stop there. There show takes them from Vegas to the renewed city of New Orleans and then to New York where the grand finally takes place whilst spreading the wealth of their heists to the deserving audience members in grand Robin Hood fashion.
This film is excellent! It doesn’t leave you hanging and answers all your questions. The elaborate tricks performed proved to be very entertaining and exciting!
A neat touch was adding a woman to the mix as you don’t really see any women magicians out there other than the assistants who get sawed in half.
The cast was great and had great chemistry however I would have liked to see a bit more of character backstory. Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Mark Ruffalo are also a part of the seemingly big cast. The special effects were not only entertaining but extremely appealing to the eye.
Though the storyline is a little scatterbrained it is anything but a bore and leaves you wanting to experience more. After seeing the film, I had an overwhelming need to watch other magician movies like “The Great Houdini”, “The Prestige”, and “The Illusionist”. It also brought back those same feelings I had as a child experiencing the magic and mystery a true magician can provide. This film left me wanting to see it for a second time.
Not knowing that “the closer you look, the less you see as you become older you become less and less convinced that magic exists.
From French director Louis Leterrier who has brought us films like “The Transporter” and ” Unleashed” comes an “Ocean’s Eleven” style film about four magicians who pull off one of the biggest heists the world has ever seen by using magic.
Calling themselves The Four Horseman, four magicians with very different abilities come together as one to pull off something no other magician has ever attempted.
The leader of the pack is J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), who is a master at sleight-of-hand and blatant arrogance. A mentalist who specializes in hypnosis and is no stranger to being devious himself is Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson). The very talented pickpocket Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) not only steals the audience’s hearts but also can pick a lock blindfolded if he had to.
Last but by no means least is Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher), the sexy escape artist who can even escape a tank full of piranhas without a scratch.
The story follows The Four Horseman embarking on a journey of teleporting and robbing a Parisian bank and reining it over the cheering Las Vegas audience at their first venue.
They don’t stop there. There show takes them from Vegas to the renewed city of New Orleans and then to New York where the grand finally takes place whilst spreading the wealth of their heists to the deserving audience members in grand Robin Hood fashion.
This film is excellent! It doesn’t leave you hanging and answers all your questions. The elaborate tricks performed proved to be very entertaining and exciting!
A neat touch was adding a woman to the mix as you don’t really see any women magicians out there other than the assistants who get sawed in half.
The cast was great and had great chemistry however I would have liked to see a bit more of character backstory. Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Mark Ruffalo are also a part of the seemingly big cast. The special effects were not only entertaining but extremely appealing to the eye.
Though the storyline is a little scatterbrained it is anything but a bore and leaves you wanting to experience more. After seeing the film, I had an overwhelming need to watch other magician movies like “The Great Houdini”, “The Prestige”, and “The Illusionist”. It also brought back those same feelings I had as a child experiencing the magic and mystery a true magician can provide. This film left me wanting to see it for a second time.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Onward (2020) in Movies
Mar 15, 2020
I had very mixed feelings about Onward after seeing the trailer, it didn't feel like Pixar and if you'd shown it to me out of context I'd never have guessed it was them.
It's Ian's 16th birthday and things aren't exactly going to plan. To cheer him up his mum gives him and his brother a present left for them by their late father. In a world that has forgotten magic, their father had still believed, and he's leaving them a way that will allow them to see him again. When the only way to complete the spell means finding something long forgotten the brothers must embark on a quest, one that older brother Barley has been preparing for his whole life.
Onward starts with a great potted history of magic in their world and how it's been replaced by modern amenities. It feels like they made a very quick change but I liked it over the sped-up timeline over many years, it actually summed up a more modern way of abandoning things that aren't convenient. It also allows you to have fun little moments of thinking about how things changed when you see flashes of their past during the film.
With Pixar you know that you're going to get that sentiment and deeper meaning that induces bucketloads of tears and in Onward it's a strong message about family and how the past weighs down on what's actually happening in the present. None of that meaning really feels like it's there until very late in the film though, the beginning is more like some generic off-brand fantasy adventure, and though the two ends fit together they don't seem like they belong together.
The mix of characters is fun but we don't get a proper introduction to who, or what, many of them are. It's a shame that with such a varied selection of creatures that most are just relegated to being quirky looking with no real function. There were at least things to appreciate from some of them, Colt counting I thought was a fun touch, and I loved Corey the Manticore, her whole transition through the film was funny and very entertaining.
Chris Pratt as Barley was the only spot on bit of casting for me, his happy-go-lucky demeanour fits the character and we're treated to some of that Starlord adventure. (My favourite Barley scene was definitely the bridge). Everyone else kind of felt a little... meh? I wasn't wowed, I wasn't hooked in trying to work out who the voices were, it all felt a little bland. Partly I think that's because I never felt like I learned anything about them. Sure, some bits were fun, but through most of the film I wasn't really bothered what happened to any of them.
The journey that brothers Ian and Barley go on is full of twists and turns, they're amusing but nothing we haven't really seen before. As I mentioned, the emotional payoff doesn't appear until very late, and it did reduce me to tears, but it could have been so much more. The build-up to it had no real substance, especially when you consider how meaningful it's conclusion is.
In fact, the build-up could have offered up so many different things. For a fantasy story with magic and mythical creatures it holds little to no magical feeling. There's no real spectacle or pizzazz to anything. When I think of magic in other films I get wonder and joy, but in Onward it's done more for jokes. Even at the climax of the film it takes on so much humour that it detracts from the emotions.
Dan Scalon's story is partly based on his own experiences (I'm assuming with less mythical creature though)... and that story is peak Pixar... but the world created around it isn't strong enough for the sentiment it portrays. Taking such a powerful message about family and bundling it up in something that doesn't have the usual Pixar strength and heart feels like a travesty to me.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/03/onward-movie-review.html
It's Ian's 16th birthday and things aren't exactly going to plan. To cheer him up his mum gives him and his brother a present left for them by their late father. In a world that has forgotten magic, their father had still believed, and he's leaving them a way that will allow them to see him again. When the only way to complete the spell means finding something long forgotten the brothers must embark on a quest, one that older brother Barley has been preparing for his whole life.
Onward starts with a great potted history of magic in their world and how it's been replaced by modern amenities. It feels like they made a very quick change but I liked it over the sped-up timeline over many years, it actually summed up a more modern way of abandoning things that aren't convenient. It also allows you to have fun little moments of thinking about how things changed when you see flashes of their past during the film.
With Pixar you know that you're going to get that sentiment and deeper meaning that induces bucketloads of tears and in Onward it's a strong message about family and how the past weighs down on what's actually happening in the present. None of that meaning really feels like it's there until very late in the film though, the beginning is more like some generic off-brand fantasy adventure, and though the two ends fit together they don't seem like they belong together.
The mix of characters is fun but we don't get a proper introduction to who, or what, many of them are. It's a shame that with such a varied selection of creatures that most are just relegated to being quirky looking with no real function. There were at least things to appreciate from some of them, Colt counting I thought was a fun touch, and I loved Corey the Manticore, her whole transition through the film was funny and very entertaining.
Chris Pratt as Barley was the only spot on bit of casting for me, his happy-go-lucky demeanour fits the character and we're treated to some of that Starlord adventure. (My favourite Barley scene was definitely the bridge). Everyone else kind of felt a little... meh? I wasn't wowed, I wasn't hooked in trying to work out who the voices were, it all felt a little bland. Partly I think that's because I never felt like I learned anything about them. Sure, some bits were fun, but through most of the film I wasn't really bothered what happened to any of them.
The journey that brothers Ian and Barley go on is full of twists and turns, they're amusing but nothing we haven't really seen before. As I mentioned, the emotional payoff doesn't appear until very late, and it did reduce me to tears, but it could have been so much more. The build-up to it had no real substance, especially when you consider how meaningful it's conclusion is.
In fact, the build-up could have offered up so many different things. For a fantasy story with magic and mythical creatures it holds little to no magical feeling. There's no real spectacle or pizzazz to anything. When I think of magic in other films I get wonder and joy, but in Onward it's done more for jokes. Even at the climax of the film it takes on so much humour that it detracts from the emotions.
Dan Scalon's story is partly based on his own experiences (I'm assuming with less mythical creature though)... and that story is peak Pixar... but the world created around it isn't strong enough for the sentiment it portrays. Taking such a powerful message about family and bundling it up in something that doesn't have the usual Pixar strength and heart feels like a travesty to me.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/03/onward-movie-review.html
After the Flood
8.5
Rate It
Book
A little more than a century from now, our world has been utterly transformed. After years of slowly...
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Through the White Wood in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<b><i>I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>
<h2><em><strong>Through the White Wood</strong></em><strong> was interesting to read.</strong></h2>
Although there were some things I didn't like about this one, I enjoyed many aspects of Jessica Leake's latest novel. <em>Through the White Wood</em> is the companion novel to <em>Beyond a Darkened Shore</em>, following Katya as she journeys to the palace of Kiev after losing control of her powers. But as she enters palace life, she learns the country she calls home is threatened by outside forces.
We learn from the beginning Katya is feared since childhood due to her ability to freeze anything she touches. Throughout the book, Katya is constantly struggling with the question, "am I a monster?"
<h2><strong>Elements of History and Folklore.</strong></h2>
Although Leake mentions in the author's note she took liberties with certain elements, I loved seeing how they would come together in <em>Through the White Wood</em>. There's a good blend of history, folklore and fantasy that nothing seems out of place and sparks a curiosity to do my own research outside of the book.
<h2><strong>I wanted more from <em>Through the White Wood</em>.</strong></h2>
I enjoyed going back into the Byzantine Empire and seeing some of the Slavic folklore coming to life. However, I really felt there's something missing from the novel. As I got further into the story, I found myself somewhat disappointed with a few aspects:
~ Katya - I wanted more from her. Sometimes I feel she is going through actions because she feels she has to and eventually it morphs into wanting.
~ Prince Sasha - I also wanted more from him, particularly his backstory and the rumors surrounding him before Katya meets him. Also, Prince Sasha's real name is Vladimir, which kind of struck me as odd? The novel mentions Sasha is a childhood name, but I don't recall going into the particulars of <em>why</em>.
~ The romance - it just felt out of place and a little rushed. I found the world far more interesting.
Most of the novel dives into this struggle as Katya learns about her history and power, and she struggles with accepting her ability as part of who she is. There is little action up until the final battle, where everything feels a little rushed to get to victory. (Little action may just be me - at a certain time of day, lots of telling exhausts me and my goal is to stay awake.)
<h2><strong>Overall</strong></h2>
I enjoyed <em>Through the White Wood</em>! I liked seeing Katya's constant struggle of whether or not she's a monster and her journey to discover who she is. The world is interesting enough for me to continue reading Katya's story, and I liked seeing the various elemental powers being a part of it. Jessica Leake's latest novel is a solid story for those who enjoy a slower-paced book with historical and folklore elements woven together.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/through-the-white-wood-by-jessica-leake/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
<h2><em><strong>Through the White Wood</strong></em><strong> was interesting to read.</strong></h2>
Although there were some things I didn't like about this one, I enjoyed many aspects of Jessica Leake's latest novel. <em>Through the White Wood</em> is the companion novel to <em>Beyond a Darkened Shore</em>, following Katya as she journeys to the palace of Kiev after losing control of her powers. But as she enters palace life, she learns the country she calls home is threatened by outside forces.
We learn from the beginning Katya is feared since childhood due to her ability to freeze anything she touches. Throughout the book, Katya is constantly struggling with the question, "am I a monster?"
<h2><strong>Elements of History and Folklore.</strong></h2>
Although Leake mentions in the author's note she took liberties with certain elements, I loved seeing how they would come together in <em>Through the White Wood</em>. There's a good blend of history, folklore and fantasy that nothing seems out of place and sparks a curiosity to do my own research outside of the book.
<h2><strong>I wanted more from <em>Through the White Wood</em>.</strong></h2>
I enjoyed going back into the Byzantine Empire and seeing some of the Slavic folklore coming to life. However, I really felt there's something missing from the novel. As I got further into the story, I found myself somewhat disappointed with a few aspects:
~ Katya - I wanted more from her. Sometimes I feel she is going through actions because she feels she has to and eventually it morphs into wanting.
~ Prince Sasha - I also wanted more from him, particularly his backstory and the rumors surrounding him before Katya meets him. Also, Prince Sasha's real name is Vladimir, which kind of struck me as odd? The novel mentions Sasha is a childhood name, but I don't recall going into the particulars of <em>why</em>.
~ The romance - it just felt out of place and a little rushed. I found the world far more interesting.
Most of the novel dives into this struggle as Katya learns about her history and power, and she struggles with accepting her ability as part of who she is. There is little action up until the final battle, where everything feels a little rushed to get to victory. (Little action may just be me - at a certain time of day, lots of telling exhausts me and my goal is to stay awake.)
<h2><strong>Overall</strong></h2>
I enjoyed <em>Through the White Wood</em>! I liked seeing Katya's constant struggle of whether or not she's a monster and her journey to discover who she is. The world is interesting enough for me to continue reading Katya's story, and I liked seeing the various elemental powers being a part of it. Jessica Leake's latest novel is a solid story for those who enjoy a slower-paced book with historical and folklore elements woven together.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/through-the-white-wood-by-jessica-leake/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Los Angeles - Portrait of a City
Book
Rise and sprawl: A pictorial history of the City of Angels From the first known photograph taken in...
Never Alone: Ki Edition
Games and Education
App
A worldwide App Store Editors’ Choice. “Stunningly poignant - and quite brilliant. 10/10.” -...
Gail (4 KP) rated All Tyed Up in Books
Jun 4, 2018
All Tyed Up by Julia Harlow
The story follows Isabella Beachwood and Ty Griffin. Their Journey Begins a little bit shaky. Isabella has this attitude and it’s just like no he might be a player, he’s hot, he’s sexy and he’s got this charisma that she knows women are all over him. Then there’s Ty he’s just like wow this voluptuous woman is just too hot I need her. I got the feeling that he was just going to take over and commander her.
Ok I enjoyed this book. I laughed and even got a little teary eyed. At first I was in love with Isabella. She is a independent woman doing her thing. But as the book progressed she became snobbish to me. For instance the part where she misjudged him and thought that he was married and had a baby. How in the world did he end up apologizing to her when she jumped to conclusions? Then she had the nerve to say that she needed to think about it for a couple days. I was like girl get over yourself this man did nothing wrong and yet you're punishing him. And then there’s Tiberius Griffin( AKA Ty). Man he is delicious sounding everything about him just sounded so perfect. Until he let her basically boss him around I mean what alpha male let’s the woman boss him around? I understand let her take control every now and then but you know he basically gave in to her every demand. I like that she wrote about body image because so many women have body image issues and it’s something that affects us everyday. But anyways on a good note I really love the authors writing. I thought she wrote the characters well and from her perspective they were perfect the way they are. I really enjoyed the funny parts and don’t let me forget the sex. It was hot! hot! hot! So if you’re looking for a book that’s sweet, tempting and fun this is definitely for you.
The story follows Isabella Beachwood and Ty Griffin. Their Journey Begins a little bit shaky. Isabella has this attitude and it’s just like no he might be a player, he’s hot, he’s sexy and he’s got this charisma that she knows women are all over him. Then there’s Ty he’s just like wow this voluptuous woman is just too hot I need her. I got the feeling that he was just going to take over and commander her.
Ok I enjoyed this book. I laughed and even got a little teary eyed. At first I was in love with Isabella. She is a independent woman doing her thing. But as the book progressed she became snobbish to me. For instance the part where she misjudged him and thought that he was married and had a baby. How in the world did he end up apologizing to her when she jumped to conclusions? Then she had the nerve to say that she needed to think about it for a couple days. I was like girl get over yourself this man did nothing wrong and yet you're punishing him. And then there’s Tiberius Griffin( AKA Ty). Man he is delicious sounding everything about him just sounded so perfect. Until he let her basically boss him around I mean what alpha male let’s the woman boss him around? I understand let her take control every now and then but you know he basically gave in to her every demand. I like that she wrote about body image because so many women have body image issues and it’s something that affects us everyday. But anyways on a good note I really love the authors writing. I thought she wrote the characters well and from her perspective they were perfect the way they are. I really enjoyed the funny parts and don’t let me forget the sex. It was hot! hot! hot! So if you’re looking for a book that’s sweet, tempting and fun this is definitely for you.
Lonely Planet USA's National Parks
Lonely Planet, Amy C. Balfour, Sandra Bao and Christopher Pitts
Book
Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher Lonely Planet USA's National Parks is your...
Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated Ten Minutes On Mars in Books
Jan 10, 2020
Honest Review for Free Copy of Book
Ten Minutes on Mars by Jonathan Fisher is a small collection of eighteen short stories. Some, or rather, most of these stories are a bit on the twisted side so reader be warned. On a deeper level this book appears to explore the darker side of humanity and how we are monsters to each other and to animals.
Keeping with more of a horror theme this book starts off with a ghost in a graveyard although the ghost doesn't make another appearance until the end of the book. Readers are then taken on a hunting trip through the eyes of the prey. A truly scary experience. During the course of this book, the people who live in the cracks in the pavement or as it seemed to be the down and out or homeless are brought to light as well. Basically these are the people that the majority of society pretends don’t exist.
This journey takes readers to the far reaches of space abroad The Ascension. It is on The Ascension where tattoos can be used to control people and others are able to shapeshift. In our technologically advanced society, many wonder about what will happen when AI becomes so advanced that it sees itself as human or tries to take over. That is what happens in another one of the stories to a worker on another planet. Finally, readers see the lengths that a mother will go to in order to avenge a close friend and protect her own child. So sit back and relax as you are taken on a creepy trip deep into the monstrous world that we call humanity, in a town where monsters are normal.
What I liked best was that many of the stories overlapped with one another in some way. While they all take place in the same town the connections go deeper than just that. This book could almost read as each story being just a chapter instead of a stand-alone story. What I did not like was how often this book was confusing to me. I had to reread areas to clear up and be sure what I just read was correct. Some of the confusing points were just because of me misunderstanding the wording. On the other hand, some areas such as when it talks about a decapitated dolphin head being sentient and a vampire still confuse me.
The target readers for this book are adults and young adults. Specifically, those who like fantasy and horror should enjoy this book the most. There is cussing, murder, and the overall tone was not for children to read, even if it wasn’t that long. A high school student should be able to handle this book if they wanted to read it. I rate this book 2 out of 4. After reading this book a second time I might increase my score but for now, this is the best I can offer it. I found this book to be enjoyable yet at the same time, I did not really like it. On the surface I found some of the stories to be confusing or even pointless. When I looked deeper I found it had more depth about the nature of humans than I previously thought, although I do not know if this was the author’s intention.
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Keeping with more of a horror theme this book starts off with a ghost in a graveyard although the ghost doesn't make another appearance until the end of the book. Readers are then taken on a hunting trip through the eyes of the prey. A truly scary experience. During the course of this book, the people who live in the cracks in the pavement or as it seemed to be the down and out or homeless are brought to light as well. Basically these are the people that the majority of society pretends don’t exist.
This journey takes readers to the far reaches of space abroad The Ascension. It is on The Ascension where tattoos can be used to control people and others are able to shapeshift. In our technologically advanced society, many wonder about what will happen when AI becomes so advanced that it sees itself as human or tries to take over. That is what happens in another one of the stories to a worker on another planet. Finally, readers see the lengths that a mother will go to in order to avenge a close friend and protect her own child. So sit back and relax as you are taken on a creepy trip deep into the monstrous world that we call humanity, in a town where monsters are normal.
What I liked best was that many of the stories overlapped with one another in some way. While they all take place in the same town the connections go deeper than just that. This book could almost read as each story being just a chapter instead of a stand-alone story. What I did not like was how often this book was confusing to me. I had to reread areas to clear up and be sure what I just read was correct. Some of the confusing points were just because of me misunderstanding the wording. On the other hand, some areas such as when it talks about a decapitated dolphin head being sentient and a vampire still confuse me.
The target readers for this book are adults and young adults. Specifically, those who like fantasy and horror should enjoy this book the most. There is cussing, murder, and the overall tone was not for children to read, even if it wasn’t that long. A high school student should be able to handle this book if they wanted to read it. I rate this book 2 out of 4. After reading this book a second time I might increase my score but for now, this is the best I can offer it. I found this book to be enjoyable yet at the same time, I did not really like it. On the surface I found some of the stories to be confusing or even pointless. When I looked deeper I found it had more depth about the nature of humans than I previously thought, although I do not know if this was the author’s intention.
https://www.facebook.com/nightreaderreviews