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    Free hot drinks! Birthday treats! Prize draws! These are just a few starters to the main course of...

A Court of Thorns and Roses
A Court of Thorns and Roses
Sarah J. Maas | 2015 | Young Adult (YA)
10
8.7 (108 Ratings)
Book Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
Oh my goodness.

I absolutely adored this book! I am a huge sucker for any kind of fairy tale retelling and this one did not disappoint!

Through about the first half of the book, I had this warm, floaty kind of feeling in my chest. The writing actually made me feel like I was in love (or what I assume it to feel like). The way the characters talked to each other and interacted just made me feel so good about this book.

Speaking of the characters, can I say well written? Because, wow! I felt really connected to the characters (especially Feyre's sassy-ness and care for her family). They were very well written and drawn out. I didn't feel like they were flattened or abused in any way, even when they were being beaten up on the pages. There was a great deal of respect that was shown to all of the characters in this book. I really enjoyed the strength that Maas gave to each of her characters. It was as if they had their own way to deal with their weaknesses and strengths. They felt so real! I think what helped with creating this reality was making some of the characters seem super awkward at times. I mean, everyone gets awkward, but the way it was done was to show how the characters really were, not necessarily how the narrator was seeing them.

The plot was amazingly paced. I didn't feel like I was waiting for something exciting to happen because it was always happening. Even down to the smallest of parts in this novel were exciting. But even then, it didn't feel too over the top in excitement. There was a great balance between pacing and excitement (I have said that word too many times in this review, but who cares!)

I didn't feel like there was much missing from this book except for more pages. I didn't want it to end!!

If I could, I would give this a higher rating than a 5 star because it was just that amazing!!

I recommend this to anyone who adores fairy tale retellings, fantasy, fairies, or just a damn good read. Honestly, if you haven't picked this book up, I really recommend that you do. I am kind of kicking myself for not picking up this book sooner!

******Also, spoiler-ish thing ahead:*******
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I just want to know, did anyone else guess that riddle when they first read it, because I did. I started yelling and cheering at the end part when she figured it out!!
  
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The Craggus (360 KP) rated Shazam! (2019) in Movies

Apr 6, 2019 (Updated Apr 6, 2019)  
Shazam! (2019)
Shazam! (2019)
2019 | Action, Sci-Fi
The Shazam! (2019) movie is the Billy Batson of the DCEU
The movie comes properly into focus when it becomes clear that thematically, the movie itself is echoing Billy Batson’s character arc. Just as SHAZAM derives his power from the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas; the energy bolts of Zeus, the courage of Achilles and the speed of Mercury, so “Shazam!” inherits potent traits from its forebears. Like “Man Of Steel”, it’s perhaps a little too fond of fight scenes featuring flying people being flung through skyscrapers. Like “Aquaman”, it suffers the curse of a conspicuously ropey special effects moment. Like “Suicide Squad”, it’s trying a little too hard with its soundtrack choices and like “Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice” it relies too heavily on YouTube clips for exposition. And just as Billy Batson has to battle his own mean-spirited, selfish and angsty urges to become the hero Shazam is meant to be, so too does “Shazam!” push back against the DCEU grimdark tropes to forge a bright new pathway to fun, adventure and a hopeful tone without sacrificing the superhero action...

FULL REVIEW: http://bit.ly/CraggusShazam
  
    Loser

    Loser

    Jerry Spinelli

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    Book

    From renowned Newbery-winning author Jerry Spinelli comes a powerful story about how not fitting in...

Beauty and the Beast (1946)
Beauty and the Beast (1946)
1946 | Fantasy, Romance
6.4 (5 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"La belle et la bête by Jean Cocteau. It’s the movie that made me want to be an actress. I was four-years-old and my dad had it on laser disc. I was being annoying and bratty or whatever, I was a child, and my dad said, “Hey, watch this movie.” This is when we lived in LA and we had this great giant striped couch and I was wearing — I remember this so well — this corduroy dress with red trim, and I lay there and started watching it. I had a really vivid imagination as a child but I had never seen anything like this in my life. Do you remember the scene where she faints and the Beast carries her and he has that incredible cloak that looks like it is actually the night sky? It’s insane. And he carries her and all the arms — we had these arms in our house, these giant arms that hold the candles — all the arms move and he’s carrying her and walks into her bedroom, and as he goes through the door with her, her clothes go from rags to riches. I remember that being the specific scene where I was like, “I wanna do that. How does that happen? I wanna be a part of that.” That was the day I knew I wanted to be an actress. Also, the way that the Beast smokes, when he looks at her and his skin smokes; and when he takes off the glove and his hand’s just smoking. The whole ending… it’s this weird, twisted ending."

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Woof (Bowser and Birdie #1)
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Bowser is thrilled when Birdie and her Grammy pick him to be their new dog. The trio has just returned from the shelter when they discover that Grammy’s prize marlin is missing. The stuffed fish was only worth sentimental memories. Or was it? Rumors of a treasure map spark Bowser and Birdie’s interest. Can they solve the mystery?

Like Spencer Quinn’s series for adults, this middle grade novel is narrated by Bowser the dog. That part of the story is cute and feels right, although it can get over done, especially as the good reaches the end. The human characters are just as well drawn and lovely. Unfortunately, the plot is very uneven with a slow start and a rush to wrap things up that leaves a major plot thread unanswered.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/02/book-review-woof-by-spencer-quinn.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
I created a video explaining my slow decent into hating this series, book by book, for your viewing pleasure:




Well, this one is better than book 4 at least... But is that really a compliment? Honestly, if you read books 1-3, this one should slip by you just fine. As a matter of fact, the ending of this book left me with a lot of hope for the series. It seemed like the author had noticed that things were getting a bit boring- that the story needed more than just the Baudelaires hopping from place to place. So he gave us something to really motivate the story, and to really leave it on a high note, making us anticipate the next book with excitement. There'd be something new in the next one, something exciting!

Ha.
  
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Amy Curtis (49 KP) rated The Hobbit in Books

Jan 11, 2019 (Updated Jan 12, 2019)  
The Hobbit
The Hobbit
J.R.R. Tolkien | 1937 | Children
7
8.4 (144 Ratings)
Book Rating
Plot (1 more)
Description
Child-like (0 more)
Regret not reading earlier
Now I love a fantasy novel as much as the next person and I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy this novel. I just wish I had read it when I was younger. Tolkien's description is elegant and beautiful. However, the only thing I found was that sometimes a bit of information is just thrown in there at a convenient time. Such as when Bilbo needs to do something, he suddenly has the necessary skill for the task. I know this is going to be an unpopular opinion but some of the language was also a bit childish for me. Of course, it is aimed at a younger audience which is why I wish I had read this earlier. I loved the story-line and found that it flowed well. I'm now going to try Lord of the Rings.
  
Banishing the Dark (Arcadia Bell, #4)
Banishing the Dark (Arcadia Bell, #4)
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
4.25 stars.

I liked it, just not as much as the previous books. Don't get me wrong, I love this series. Lon and Cady together as a couple is genius. Jupe is cool. The demons and world these guys live in is really thought out.

I just had one issue with it and that was the spell they used on Cady. It felt a lot like reliving the last 3 and a half books all over again with her not remembering the relationship with Lon and sort of falling for him all over again

The ending also wasn't as in-your-face/kill-that-biatch intense as I was expecting but I'm so glad that Cady managed to overcome her demons.<br/><br/>I have to mention the epilogue! I loved it! The way the author wrote it... *sigh* I wish there was going to be more.
  
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Kurt Vile recommended Ptah, The El Daoud by Alice Coltrane in Music (curated)

 
Ptah, The El Daoud by Alice Coltrane
Ptah, The El Daoud by Alice Coltrane
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I got it and I burned it and listened to it on the plane a lot. That one, for her, it goes back to trying to play more old-style jazz and she's playing incredible piano on it and the drummer's incredible. It's just a sick record. When you listen to an incredible jazz record, it's just undeniable, nobody else can touch it, no white dude - and if they can, it's too schooled. That's why I like that one - I can reference the later, freer ones, but I listen to a lot of older records. There's obviously Love Supreme, but that's obviously a transitional record from [John Coltrane's] earlier ones, Soul Train and Giant Steps. This is more advanced than that: they're definitely alluding to older jazz and taking it to another place, but they never go too apeshit, they never start squealing, but that's a special record."

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