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Lilyn G - Sci-Fi & Scary (91 KP) rated The Sick House in Books
Feb 9, 2018
Gory fun with fun dialogue
The Sick House was a delight to read. I had just finished the first novel of Richard Fox’s Terra Nova series, so I was searching for a horror novel to flip to when I came across a friend’s review of this on Goodreads. Her review, along with the fact that it was on Kindle Unlimited, meant that it was an instant grab for me with little thought required. Especially because I’ve previously read Strand’s The Haunted Forest tour and loved it.
My favorite part of The Sick House was without a doubt the family’s dialogue and relationships. The bonds between them felt so real and the quips were exactly the type of thing you’re liable to hear at my house. It made me instantly get attached to all of the characters, and that carried me easily through the book. On the flip side, though, I didn’t like that Gina was also very mouthy. I felt like it would have made the family feel a bit more special if Strand had restrained the banter to just them.
I did like Gina, though. She reminded me very much of the character Gina Silvers from the Amazon series Just Add Magic. (Yes, that’s a kid show, but if you’ve ever watched Just Add Magic, you could totally see her pulling the stunts that happen in The Sick House.) I won’t say more because I don’t want to spoil any of it for readers.
A family that I can root for, a house that’s got a serious ‘something’s fishy’ vibe, and the grossness that ensues almost as soon as they move in makes for a lovely read. Well, lovely in an aspect that horror fans will understand at least. Jeff Strand has a talent for descriptions that set the scene perfectly without going into unneeded oodles of detail. It also has perfect pacing, tons of violence, and reads so quickly and easily that it’s an afternoon treat.
Highly recommend horror fans check out The Sick House. Great, fun read.
My favorite part of The Sick House was without a doubt the family’s dialogue and relationships. The bonds between them felt so real and the quips were exactly the type of thing you’re liable to hear at my house. It made me instantly get attached to all of the characters, and that carried me easily through the book. On the flip side, though, I didn’t like that Gina was also very mouthy. I felt like it would have made the family feel a bit more special if Strand had restrained the banter to just them.
I did like Gina, though. She reminded me very much of the character Gina Silvers from the Amazon series Just Add Magic. (Yes, that’s a kid show, but if you’ve ever watched Just Add Magic, you could totally see her pulling the stunts that happen in The Sick House.) I won’t say more because I don’t want to spoil any of it for readers.
A family that I can root for, a house that’s got a serious ‘something’s fishy’ vibe, and the grossness that ensues almost as soon as they move in makes for a lovely read. Well, lovely in an aspect that horror fans will understand at least. Jeff Strand has a talent for descriptions that set the scene perfectly without going into unneeded oodles of detail. It also has perfect pacing, tons of violence, and reads so quickly and easily that it’s an afternoon treat.
Highly recommend horror fans check out The Sick House. Great, fun read.
Ariel Pink recommended Shaggs' Own Thing by The Shaggs in Music (curated)
BobbiesDustyPages (1259 KP) rated Pokémon GO in Apps
Dec 30, 2017
Just as addicting as the original show but got pretty repetitive really fast
Okay I was into this when it first came out just like everybody else was the amount of hours and him out of walking I did trying to catch Pokemon is frankly ridiculous but it was just so much fun and something you can honestly say you've been waiting since being a kid in the 90s to be able to do. It was such a original and fun idea but quickly I grew bored with it you can only catch so many zubats before the game started feeling repetitive and just plain boring I didn't really play too much after the first few updates the game stopped working for me I was never finding Pokemon and all that pretty boring so I can honestly say I gave up pretty fast.
I really do think in the future that I can by myself playing this again if there's a really big surge interest but I don't really feel like I'm missing out on much while not playing anymore.
I really do think in the future that I can by myself playing this again if there's a really big surge interest but I don't really feel like I'm missing out on much while not playing anymore.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019) in Movies
Jun 18, 2019
Better than expected
I'll happily admit to expecting to really hate this film, I wasnt expecting much and didnt particularly like the first film, but actually this wasnt that bad. I'd even go as far as saying I preferred it to the first.
The reason why I didnt like the first film much is because they tried too hard to have a cohesive storyline when really, I'd have preferred a random mash up of silly clips making fun of all the silly things pets do. And whilst this second film doesn't quite get there either, it gets a lot closer! It's basically just 3 random stories tied in together, a bit ridiculous but there are some funny humorous moments and I laughed a lot more than I did with the original.
But that said, it still isnt great. Some of the characters just dont fit with their voices and I found some of the new characters (Daisy) ridiculously annoying. This is just one of those films that's not bad but not good, and mainly just alright.
The reason why I didnt like the first film much is because they tried too hard to have a cohesive storyline when really, I'd have preferred a random mash up of silly clips making fun of all the silly things pets do. And whilst this second film doesn't quite get there either, it gets a lot closer! It's basically just 3 random stories tied in together, a bit ridiculous but there are some funny humorous moments and I laughed a lot more than I did with the original.
But that said, it still isnt great. Some of the characters just dont fit with their voices and I found some of the new characters (Daisy) ridiculously annoying. This is just one of those films that's not bad but not good, and mainly just alright.
starwarsluvr (236 KP) rated #Hater (Hashtag, #2) in Books
Jan 30, 2018
holy wow.. this was amazing.. It does have a cliffhanger for an ending so if you don't like those you may want to stay away.. but honestly the 3rd one is out so it's not like you have to keep it a cliffhanger lol. These two are just simply amazing.. I love romeo.. and how much he loves rim.. i love rimmel.. and how much she stays true to herself while trying to change just a little bit. they are amazing.. and zach is a bad guy that annoys me yet i find intriquing right now lol. Very good story and I'm off to start the next book :D
Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated Life in the Sloth Lane: Slow Down and Smell the Hibiscus in Books
Jul 12, 2018
I received this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book was just what I was needing. I have been reading many dark and depressing novels so when I had a chance to read this book, I knew it was fate. Life in the Sloth Lane is a book that has adorable sloths and some good inspirational quotes. It was almost like I wasmeditating when I was reading. It calmed me down, made me smile and I even learned new facts about sloths.
If you enjoy sloths, need some time just to breathe, and like learning something new, this is the book for you. Seriously, it is adorable.
This book was just what I was needing. I have been reading many dark and depressing novels so when I had a chance to read this book, I knew it was fate. Life in the Sloth Lane is a book that has adorable sloths and some good inspirational quotes. It was almost like I wasmeditating when I was reading. It calmed me down, made me smile and I even learned new facts about sloths.
If you enjoy sloths, need some time just to breathe, and like learning something new, this is the book for you. Seriously, it is adorable.
Cynthia Erivo recommended The Devil Wears Prada (2006) in Movies (curated)
Dean (6927 KP) rated The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018) in Movies
Jul 31, 2020
Not Wanted
Well I like Westerns, Anthology films and some of Coen brothers films are great. So surely this was going to be a sure hit. Much like one of the stories you're hoping for gold but left with barely a glimmer.
6 stories of which a couple were good, a few just average and a dud. The biggest disappointment was that there appeared to be little point to stories, individually or collectively. Halfway through and it was becoming boring and just hoping the next story would be a big improvement. Only to fail. A real shame.
6 stories of which a couple were good, a few just average and a dud. The biggest disappointment was that there appeared to be little point to stories, individually or collectively. Halfway through and it was becoming boring and just hoping the next story would be a big improvement. Only to fail. A real shame.
Roxanne (13 KP) rated Chimera Book Two in Books
Nov 14, 2018
<i>ARC received from Netgalley</i>
___ <b>3 Star Rating</b> ___
Like the first part this was a very fast paced and action filled read, however, I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the first. Although the writing had improved, there were less errors and you were drawn further into the story, it just got way too complicated and messy for me.
It got to the point where I just thought that even the characters don't even know whose side they are on, they just swapped sides continuously, so many times I lost count and everything just started to confuse me. There were new characters being introduced all the time with bizarre names that within a page I had forgotten who they were.
All of those points are a shame as <i>Chimera</i> has <b>great</b> potential!
I thought the way every chapter ended was really good in the way that it held my attention and made me want to know what happens next.
I just hope the 3rd book will be less messy.
___ <b>3 Star Rating</b> ___
Like the first part this was a very fast paced and action filled read, however, I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the first. Although the writing had improved, there were less errors and you were drawn further into the story, it just got way too complicated and messy for me.
It got to the point where I just thought that even the characters don't even know whose side they are on, they just swapped sides continuously, so many times I lost count and everything just started to confuse me. There were new characters being introduced all the time with bizarre names that within a page I had forgotten who they were.
All of those points are a shame as <i>Chimera</i> has <b>great</b> potential!
I thought the way every chapter ended was really good in the way that it held my attention and made me want to know what happens next.
I just hope the 3rd book will be less messy.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated The Thousand Year Curse 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> towards the end of September).
When I first found out about this book, I was very interested. I couldn't wait to read it! Luckily, it totally delivered.
Ryder is a 17 year old high school student who isn't very popular. Her ex-best friend makes her life a living hell at school. When Ollie arrives, he takes an immediate interest. Ryder is thrilled and feels as if Ollie is her soul mate. Not much later, Ari turns up, and Ryder can't help but feel as if she's known him. There's also some kind of attraction there. Ryder must choose between the two boys. As if that wasn't hard enough, Ryder has just found out her mother is a Greek goddess. Ryder wants to find her mother but doing so may put everyone in danger.
The title is definitely interesting. It does go with what the books about, and I think it's an awesome choice.
To be honest, I'm not really a fan of the cover. I think it's just a personal thing simply because I'm not a big fan of symbolism. I do like the whole pretty flower in the midst of dead things, but I just don't like it for this book. It doesn't really say much about the book.
The world building is alright. There's a few things that hurt the world building. For example, it seemed to me that Ryder just accepted everything she was told at face value. Sure, a few weird things are happening to her, but it's like she's told by a boy she just met, and she believes it all. Her best friend is even worse. He's told that Ryder is a half-goddess, and he just believes it with no questions asked. Also, I don't really think this whole curse is explained well enough. In fact, I'm still a little confused about the curse. So if both guys find her, even if she chooses one, she'll die a horrible death and be reincarnated? I'm just wondering how long she has before she dies because it just seemed like the curse wasn't that imminent. There's also Ryder's powers. She's had super strength since the beginning of the book, yet later on she has another super strength episode, and she acts like it's the first one she's had and is all shocked. Another thing that I found confusing was the whole reincarnation thing. She's been reincarnated by Hades for a thousand years. This life, she is a half goddess which makes things a bit difficult for Hades. Surely if Hades is the one that put the curse on her, then he should've been able to make her human. Saying that, I don't want people to think the world building is horribly written. It's far from it actually. The world is very interesting, but I just tend to over think things, I think. (See what I mean)?
The pacing is great in this book. The pacing really picks up during the Hell scenes, I thought. These were the scenes that held my attention the most although the whole book held my attention. The Hell scenes just made me want to read faster to find out what would happen next!
The plot is definitely an interesting one. I love the infusion of Greek mythology, and Ms. Lavati does an excellent job of making mythology work in her book. I've read a few books where the author tried to use some sort of mythology, and the book was just too boring. However, The Thousand Year Curse is by no means boring! There is a love triangle, and I usually hate them, but this one works in this story. I also like the fact that the plot involved going into Hell. That was definitely a good move on Ms. Lavati's part to include it in her book. There's no cliff hangar ending, but there are questions left unanswered to make way for the second book in the series. I, personally, am looking forward to the next book in the series.
The characters were written really well. I liked Ryder, and I liked how she dealt with her problems. At times, I did get annoyed with her because I just wanted her to choose one guy. However, I would have to remind myself that without this problem, there'd be no series. Ryder felt like a real girl and not just words on a paper. Ollie was written really well, but I just didn't like him. For one, I felt like he was just too serious. I also felt like he was too distant with Ryder a lot of the time. I also wanted to see more about Ollie in the book. My favorite character was Ari. I swooned over Ari! He had enough of that bad boy personality without being too much of an annoying character. I liked how he liked to take chances, and it seemed like he knew how to have fun. I'm Team Ari all the way! I'm hoping that Ryder ends up with Ari in the long run. I can actually feel the chemistry between those two.
There are quite a lot of grammar errors in this book. I feel that it does affect the quality of the book a little bit, but not so much so that it makes it unreadable. However, the dialogue in this book is fantastic especially in the scenes that Ari is in. (Okay, so I'm a bit biased). The characters all speak like they're from this time period even though two of them are gods. I was super thankful the characters spoke like normal people. I've read a book before where the character who is a god spoke rather strangely hence why I was so happy with the dialogue in this book.
Overall, The Thousand Year Curse by Taylor Lavati is an enjoyable read. Sure, it could do with some better editing and the world building could've used a little bit of work, but it's still really interesting. Plus, I've learned that Ms. Lavati wrote this book in 30 days for the NaNoWriMo competition. After learning that, my respect for Ms. Lavati went up a lot! To write a book as good as The Thousand Year Curse in 30 days is no small feat. After saying that, I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next book in the series!
I'd recommend this book to those aged 17+ who are after a fantastic book with Greek mythology infusions.
(I was provided with a free paperback copy of this title from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review).
When I first found out about this book, I was very interested. I couldn't wait to read it! Luckily, it totally delivered.
Ryder is a 17 year old high school student who isn't very popular. Her ex-best friend makes her life a living hell at school. When Ollie arrives, he takes an immediate interest. Ryder is thrilled and feels as if Ollie is her soul mate. Not much later, Ari turns up, and Ryder can't help but feel as if she's known him. There's also some kind of attraction there. Ryder must choose between the two boys. As if that wasn't hard enough, Ryder has just found out her mother is a Greek goddess. Ryder wants to find her mother but doing so may put everyone in danger.
The title is definitely interesting. It does go with what the books about, and I think it's an awesome choice.
To be honest, I'm not really a fan of the cover. I think it's just a personal thing simply because I'm not a big fan of symbolism. I do like the whole pretty flower in the midst of dead things, but I just don't like it for this book. It doesn't really say much about the book.
The world building is alright. There's a few things that hurt the world building. For example, it seemed to me that Ryder just accepted everything she was told at face value. Sure, a few weird things are happening to her, but it's like she's told by a boy she just met, and she believes it all. Her best friend is even worse. He's told that Ryder is a half-goddess, and he just believes it with no questions asked. Also, I don't really think this whole curse is explained well enough. In fact, I'm still a little confused about the curse. So if both guys find her, even if she chooses one, she'll die a horrible death and be reincarnated? I'm just wondering how long she has before she dies because it just seemed like the curse wasn't that imminent. There's also Ryder's powers. She's had super strength since the beginning of the book, yet later on she has another super strength episode, and she acts like it's the first one she's had and is all shocked. Another thing that I found confusing was the whole reincarnation thing. She's been reincarnated by Hades for a thousand years. This life, she is a half goddess which makes things a bit difficult for Hades. Surely if Hades is the one that put the curse on her, then he should've been able to make her human. Saying that, I don't want people to think the world building is horribly written. It's far from it actually. The world is very interesting, but I just tend to over think things, I think. (See what I mean)?
The pacing is great in this book. The pacing really picks up during the Hell scenes, I thought. These were the scenes that held my attention the most although the whole book held my attention. The Hell scenes just made me want to read faster to find out what would happen next!
The plot is definitely an interesting one. I love the infusion of Greek mythology, and Ms. Lavati does an excellent job of making mythology work in her book. I've read a few books where the author tried to use some sort of mythology, and the book was just too boring. However, The Thousand Year Curse is by no means boring! There is a love triangle, and I usually hate them, but this one works in this story. I also like the fact that the plot involved going into Hell. That was definitely a good move on Ms. Lavati's part to include it in her book. There's no cliff hangar ending, but there are questions left unanswered to make way for the second book in the series. I, personally, am looking forward to the next book in the series.
The characters were written really well. I liked Ryder, and I liked how she dealt with her problems. At times, I did get annoyed with her because I just wanted her to choose one guy. However, I would have to remind myself that without this problem, there'd be no series. Ryder felt like a real girl and not just words on a paper. Ollie was written really well, but I just didn't like him. For one, I felt like he was just too serious. I also felt like he was too distant with Ryder a lot of the time. I also wanted to see more about Ollie in the book. My favorite character was Ari. I swooned over Ari! He had enough of that bad boy personality without being too much of an annoying character. I liked how he liked to take chances, and it seemed like he knew how to have fun. I'm Team Ari all the way! I'm hoping that Ryder ends up with Ari in the long run. I can actually feel the chemistry between those two.
There are quite a lot of grammar errors in this book. I feel that it does affect the quality of the book a little bit, but not so much so that it makes it unreadable. However, the dialogue in this book is fantastic especially in the scenes that Ari is in. (Okay, so I'm a bit biased). The characters all speak like they're from this time period even though two of them are gods. I was super thankful the characters spoke like normal people. I've read a book before where the character who is a god spoke rather strangely hence why I was so happy with the dialogue in this book.
Overall, The Thousand Year Curse by Taylor Lavati is an enjoyable read. Sure, it could do with some better editing and the world building could've used a little bit of work, but it's still really interesting. Plus, I've learned that Ms. Lavati wrote this book in 30 days for the NaNoWriMo competition. After learning that, my respect for Ms. Lavati went up a lot! To write a book as good as The Thousand Year Curse in 30 days is no small feat. After saying that, I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next book in the series!
I'd recommend this book to those aged 17+ who are after a fantastic book with Greek mythology infusions.
(I was provided with a free paperback copy of this title from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review).