Search
Search results
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated 22 July (2018) in Movies
Oct 22, 2018 (Updated Oct 22, 2018)
Good Direction (1 more)
Well Acted
An Important, If Terrifying Recent Tragedy
22 July is a Netflix film directed by Paul Greengrass about a brutal 2011 terrorist attack in Oslo.
This film is hard to watch.
I'm a guy that loves gory action flicks and intense horror movies, but something like this is far more disturbing to me. The film is so well made on a technical level, that at some points it actually feels like you are watching the real life massacre play out, which to me felt a little bit too real. Thankfully, I have never been affected by an act of terrorism, nor has anyone that I know, but if I had, I'm not sure how I would feel about someone making a movie like this retelling the trauma that those people went through.
I appreciate that this is an important event in recent history and shouldn't be something that is easily forgotten, but the brutal realism of this film is hard to stomach at times. It really puts you in the shoes of the victims and let's you imagine the terror and crippling fear that they must have felt.
The actor that plays the perpetrator of the attack, Anders Behring Breivik, (played by Anders Danielsen Lie,) has to be commended. He was so believable in the role that I ended up getting really angry every time that he appeared in a scene. I don't even want to know what an actor has to do to get into that headspace, but he put in an absolutely sublime performance as a deplorable scumbag.
The other standout role was Jonas Strand Gravli as Viljar Hanssen, one of the victims of the attack. He is the audience's main conduit into this horrific event and he is brilliant throughout the film.
The main criticism that I have is that we are shown this horrific attack in brutal detail and the aftermath of the event, with no real purpose. I am not sure what the point of this movie was other than to retell a gut wrenching, terrifying story of a real life terrorist attack. I guess, if you were to do some reaching, you could say that the fact that the film has no point echoes the fact that this brutal act of mass violence also had no point and sometimes these horrific things just happen with no real reason.
Overall, this is a very well made movie. It is full of heavy emotions and will make you think about the nature of the human mind. This is if you can get through it though, the movie is very hard to watch and I can see a good amount of folks turning off because they can't handle it, which I can totally understand.
This film is hard to watch.
I'm a guy that loves gory action flicks and intense horror movies, but something like this is far more disturbing to me. The film is so well made on a technical level, that at some points it actually feels like you are watching the real life massacre play out, which to me felt a little bit too real. Thankfully, I have never been affected by an act of terrorism, nor has anyone that I know, but if I had, I'm not sure how I would feel about someone making a movie like this retelling the trauma that those people went through.
I appreciate that this is an important event in recent history and shouldn't be something that is easily forgotten, but the brutal realism of this film is hard to stomach at times. It really puts you in the shoes of the victims and let's you imagine the terror and crippling fear that they must have felt.
The actor that plays the perpetrator of the attack, Anders Behring Breivik, (played by Anders Danielsen Lie,) has to be commended. He was so believable in the role that I ended up getting really angry every time that he appeared in a scene. I don't even want to know what an actor has to do to get into that headspace, but he put in an absolutely sublime performance as a deplorable scumbag.
The other standout role was Jonas Strand Gravli as Viljar Hanssen, one of the victims of the attack. He is the audience's main conduit into this horrific event and he is brilliant throughout the film.
The main criticism that I have is that we are shown this horrific attack in brutal detail and the aftermath of the event, with no real purpose. I am not sure what the point of this movie was other than to retell a gut wrenching, terrifying story of a real life terrorist attack. I guess, if you were to do some reaching, you could say that the fact that the film has no point echoes the fact that this brutal act of mass violence also had no point and sometimes these horrific things just happen with no real reason.
Overall, this is a very well made movie. It is full of heavy emotions and will make you think about the nature of the human mind. This is if you can get through it though, the movie is very hard to watch and I can see a good amount of folks turning off because they can't handle it, which I can totally understand.
Sam (74 KP) rated Welcome to Night Vale: A Novel in Books
Mar 27, 2019
I had really mixed feelings for this. I was really excited to start it because of how much I enjoyed listening to the podcast, and I hoped it would be exactly the same as the podcast. And it was, which turned out to be my first problem with it. The format and themes of Welcome to Night Vale are perfect for a podcast, but not so much for a book. I just felt that it didn’t quite work right.
You have to keep an open mind when you’re reading this. Similarly to the podcast, you have to keep an open mind and you can’t take anything literally. To me, that wasn’t so much of a problem and I quite liked the metaphors throughout the book, but I know that for others it makes the storytelling more confusing than it needs to be.
I loved that it had all of the usual characters from the podcast in it. I was half worried with this that it would follow new people and that would have spoilt it for me. The fact that the podcast and the book flow together works nicely and really helped me get into the book.
I felt like the plot needed more though. I think this goes back to what I said about the format of a podcast being wrong for a book. In the Night Vale podcast, you have all of the different characters and forms of entertainment meaning that a major plot isn’t needed so desperately. However, the lack of action in the plot in the book really held it back.
I could see myself enjoying the audiobook of this, but I feel like that would defeat the point. I got it because I liked the idea of a change in format from the podcast, but I found myself wishing I’d gotten the audiobook because it would have flowed better.
I suppose if you usually read more in this sort of genre, you may like this a lot more than I did. I think the major jump in genre also didn’t aid my enjoyment of the book. I’ll let you make your mind up for yourself.
You have to keep an open mind when you’re reading this. Similarly to the podcast, you have to keep an open mind and you can’t take anything literally. To me, that wasn’t so much of a problem and I quite liked the metaphors throughout the book, but I know that for others it makes the storytelling more confusing than it needs to be.
I loved that it had all of the usual characters from the podcast in it. I was half worried with this that it would follow new people and that would have spoilt it for me. The fact that the podcast and the book flow together works nicely and really helped me get into the book.
I felt like the plot needed more though. I think this goes back to what I said about the format of a podcast being wrong for a book. In the Night Vale podcast, you have all of the different characters and forms of entertainment meaning that a major plot isn’t needed so desperately. However, the lack of action in the plot in the book really held it back.
I could see myself enjoying the audiobook of this, but I feel like that would defeat the point. I got it because I liked the idea of a change in format from the podcast, but I found myself wishing I’d gotten the audiobook because it would have flowed better.
I suppose if you usually read more in this sort of genre, you may like this a lot more than I did. I think the major jump in genre also didn’t aid my enjoyment of the book. I’ll let you make your mind up for yourself.
Jordan Binkerd (567 KP) rated The Kid Who Would Be King (2019) in Movies
Aug 15, 2019 (Updated Aug 15, 2019)
The script is excellent and a clever take on the classic mythology, with some good allusions to previous incarnations. (2 more)
The cast is amazing all around
The effects are stellar, with the undead warriors hitting the right balance between too scary and not threatening enough
Merlin's hand magic pulled me right out of the story and made me think "That's the stupidest thing I've seen in quite a while...." (1 more)
Pacing was a bit off; the runtime was a bit long and there was a false climax with about half an hour to go in the film.
Surprisingly good family-friendly fantasy
I'm not sure why this bombed, aside from the fact that I barely remember seeing it advertised. It's a good film, well-executed on nearly every level. It was a bit long, perhaps, dragged a bit in the middle, but otherwise the only thing I have to complain about is the hand-waving tomfoolery they gave Merlin to execute his magic - that crap looked dumb as @#$&. I've seen lots of complaining about young Merlin, but for me it was just that his magic looked dumb - he was weird, but Merlin's supposed to be like that. The acting was top-notch across the board, though Patrick Stewart and Rebecca Ferguson were under-utilized. What set it apart for me, though, was that it refused to dumb itself down for its audience as so many kids' movies do. This film references obscure versions of the legend and makes them integral to the story without feeling they have to over-explain everything. For example, Merlin ages backwards. It's not that he looks like Patrick Stewart and is in disguise as a sixteen-year-old, but that he looks like a sixteen-year-old and occasionally puts on the guise of Patrick Stewart to prove a point or gain credibility. (I think in the original take it's less that he ages backwards and more that he lives backwards, but close enough.) I'd have loved this as a kid, and one day I'm sure my kids will love it as well.
ClareR (6037 KP) rated The Searcher in Books
Nov 15, 2020
The Searcher is, much like the Wych Elm, a slow burner. This is always a positive where I’m concerned. It gave me the opportunity to look around the Irish village of Ardnekalty, get to know the inhabitants, what the countryside and the landscape looked like (beautiful, by the way)and above all, to build a full picture of Cal Hooper and Trey.
As in most small villages, word of a new, exotic inhabitant spreads fast, and this is why Trey turns up on Cal’s doorstep. He wants Cal to help him find his older brother, Brendan, who has disappeared. The local police seem to be completely disinterested - mainly due to the family’s reputation. It seems to be no surprise to people that Trey’s 19 year old brother would want to leave the small village. With the family’s reputation being that of ‘wasters’ who live on the poverty line (or probably below it), it strikes people as unremarkable that he would leave to try and make his life better elsewhere. But Trey doesn’t believe this. He believes that he has been kidnapped, and he wants Cal to find him. The problem is that Cal just doesn’t want to get involved. He has left the Chicago police force because of the frustration he feels at not making a difference. And this decency is what ends up drawing him in to helping Trey.
It did surprise me that Cal becomes involved with Trey, and he clearly realises that such a relationship could be seen as problematic. He makes the effort to keep Trey’s presence a secret from his nosy neighbour, Mart. The fact that everyone seemed to know everyone else’s business did create a claustrophobic atmosphere, almost a touch of horror especially as the book progresses.
This also touches on some of the current issues in the USA surrounding policing and BLM protests, so it does make this a very current novel. I have to say though, that the end of the book came as a complete surprise to me, and left me feeling ultimately disappointed in the characters. It didn’t make me like the book any less though!
Many thanks to Penguin UK and NetGalley for my copy of this book to read and review.
As in most small villages, word of a new, exotic inhabitant spreads fast, and this is why Trey turns up on Cal’s doorstep. He wants Cal to help him find his older brother, Brendan, who has disappeared. The local police seem to be completely disinterested - mainly due to the family’s reputation. It seems to be no surprise to people that Trey’s 19 year old brother would want to leave the small village. With the family’s reputation being that of ‘wasters’ who live on the poverty line (or probably below it), it strikes people as unremarkable that he would leave to try and make his life better elsewhere. But Trey doesn’t believe this. He believes that he has been kidnapped, and he wants Cal to find him. The problem is that Cal just doesn’t want to get involved. He has left the Chicago police force because of the frustration he feels at not making a difference. And this decency is what ends up drawing him in to helping Trey.
It did surprise me that Cal becomes involved with Trey, and he clearly realises that such a relationship could be seen as problematic. He makes the effort to keep Trey’s presence a secret from his nosy neighbour, Mart. The fact that everyone seemed to know everyone else’s business did create a claustrophobic atmosphere, almost a touch of horror especially as the book progresses.
This also touches on some of the current issues in the USA surrounding policing and BLM protests, so it does make this a very current novel. I have to say though, that the end of the book came as a complete surprise to me, and left me feeling ultimately disappointed in the characters. It didn’t make me like the book any less though!
Many thanks to Penguin UK and NetGalley for my copy of this book to read and review.
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) in Movies
May 29, 2019
Oh my God...
#godzillakingofthemonsters is overlong, overstuffed, bland & lacks the one thing that at bare minimum I expected from a movie about big #monsters #fighting, EXCITEMENT. Now I quite liked the first #godzilla movie & yes it was to focused on the human element but visually it was really sticking & I found its slow build up to the reveal of Godzilla intense & exciting so that when he's finally introduced fully his presence became that more intimidating & thrilling. Sadly although in this sequel the monsters are given way more screen time at around 2hours the human element is still far to overpowering. That would be fine but its all so #boring & only serves as exposition to move the plot along. Dialog is sloppy/bellow basic & repetitive, acting is average at best & no one is likeable. Story wise its incredibly weak/bare bones which makes me wonder why it takes so long to play out considering we are only all here really to see monsters #fight. Cgi is really dodgy in places & I'm not sure if this is a throwback to past films but it feels odd & disjointed because at times its also impressive like it suddenly found its budget again. For an hour & a half I found this movie terrible with nothing setting it apart from stuff like #sanandreas or #geostorm. There are big set pieces upping the pace but like those movies they are a hollow mess of washed out cgi/badly framed fights that just weren't exciting at all. Why a 3? something changes in the last half hour & things do get a little cool for a bit, the score becomes epic, cgi looks great, theres some nice visual touches, #animation has weight & #action invokes some thrill but by then its all a just a bit to late. Theres also some #beautiful artsy establishing shots at times too throughout the movie & the subtle metaphors about the effects of #nuclear #weapons/war & looking after our #planet are well implemented too but thats about it. Im still #excited for #GodzillavsKong but just hoping this is a case of middle film itis but for now there are way better monster movies out there as i cant recomend seeing this one at all to be honest which is such a shame. #shingodzilla #godzillamovie #kong #japan #anime #gojira #kaiju
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Rumpelstiltskin in Tabletop Games
Jun 12, 2019
You know the story: the imp (gnome?) that tricked that one lady into promising him her firstborn child in return for spinning hair into gold? You remember? And then she can get her child back if she can guess his true name? Well this game has nothing to do with most of the story. But, it does center around the name guessing part, so there IS a tie back to the original fable. Guessing names is what it’s all about. But do we like it?
During a game of Rumpelstiltskin the players will be attempting to guess the true name of their opponent. The first one to guess correctly will receive a victory cube. The first player to win three of the five victory cubes is the winner! Each player begins the game with the exact same deck of cards to be shuffled. Place the deck face down in front of you, secretly peek at the card on the bottom of the deck and that is your true name to be guessed. On your turn you will play a card and hopefully be able to guess your opponent’s name. Some cards let you guess when played and some cards let you switch up the cards in your deck or your opponent’s. That’s the game.
Components. So it’s like 20 cards and 5 wooden cubes in a small box. The components are all great, as AEG usually has great components. Nothing super amazing (but that art is pretty pretty pretty good).
Ok so here’s the rub. It’s a game that’s just more of an activity than a game. I see what it’s trying to do, but it’s just not much fun. You can win the game with one card. Or it can drag on for like 3 or even 7 cards… It’s just not any fun for me. I only gave it a 2 rating because the art is great and I chuckle when I hear some people try to pronounce the names on the cards. Other than that I don’t think I will want to play this any more. Let me know if you want to take it off my hands.
Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a woeful 5 / 12.
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/05/02/rumpelstiltskin-review/
During a game of Rumpelstiltskin the players will be attempting to guess the true name of their opponent. The first one to guess correctly will receive a victory cube. The first player to win three of the five victory cubes is the winner! Each player begins the game with the exact same deck of cards to be shuffled. Place the deck face down in front of you, secretly peek at the card on the bottom of the deck and that is your true name to be guessed. On your turn you will play a card and hopefully be able to guess your opponent’s name. Some cards let you guess when played and some cards let you switch up the cards in your deck or your opponent’s. That’s the game.
Components. So it’s like 20 cards and 5 wooden cubes in a small box. The components are all great, as AEG usually has great components. Nothing super amazing (but that art is pretty pretty pretty good).
Ok so here’s the rub. It’s a game that’s just more of an activity than a game. I see what it’s trying to do, but it’s just not much fun. You can win the game with one card. Or it can drag on for like 3 or even 7 cards… It’s just not any fun for me. I only gave it a 2 rating because the art is great and I chuckle when I hear some people try to pronounce the names on the cards. Other than that I don’t think I will want to play this any more. Let me know if you want to take it off my hands.
Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a woeful 5 / 12.
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/05/02/rumpelstiltskin-review/
Saerie_Faerie (18 KP) rated Downsizing (2017) in Movies
Jan 27, 2018
Contains spoilers, click to show
When I saw the trailer for this movie I was very intrigued by the premise and I still am if I am honest. I also really like Matt Damon as an actor and was expecting to see him in a more serious role, though The Martian was fairly serious. It started out fine and made sense but as soon as his wife leaves him small and stays big nothing is ever resolved after that. The movie even ends on an odd note that, to me felt like they ran out of time and literally could not cut any more and it was mildly necessary for the story so left it. I do believe the reactions to "downsizing" is realistic though in my opinion which was really nice.
Spoilers from here forward.
Ngoc Lan's prosthetic is never mentioned again after her and Paul have sex. Really? Walking around on a peg leg and having really bad chafing but doesn't mention it? Unrealistic.
Paul takes a random pill from a girl at a party and has crazy visions of his wife and friends but never has to do anything about his underlying feelings.
Paul's neighbor has some weird career supplying the small people with "luxury" items, but no one ever actually talks about them or uses them? Like huge bottles of vodka just exist and don't get used and get left out from the safe underground bunker? Just a convenient plot device for them to go to Norway.
Ngoc Lan illegally enters America and the only thing that happens to her is she goes to the hospital to get treated? Absolutely completely unrealistic.
Also I don't think any women have a conversation besides once without Paul or without it being about a dude. Not sure how I feel about that; or about Ngoc Lan being a house cleaner because of course she is a house cleaner, probably with a side of being a nail artist.
This movie was totally disappointing to me and it could have been awesome. They tried too hard to have it make sense, address all the possible problems with it, have it be funny, and have it be serious at the same time that it just turned muddy. Will probably write a fic to fix it for myself at a later.
Spoilers from here forward.
Ngoc Lan's prosthetic is never mentioned again after her and Paul have sex. Really? Walking around on a peg leg and having really bad chafing but doesn't mention it? Unrealistic.
Paul takes a random pill from a girl at a party and has crazy visions of his wife and friends but never has to do anything about his underlying feelings.
Paul's neighbor has some weird career supplying the small people with "luxury" items, but no one ever actually talks about them or uses them? Like huge bottles of vodka just exist and don't get used and get left out from the safe underground bunker? Just a convenient plot device for them to go to Norway.
Ngoc Lan illegally enters America and the only thing that happens to her is she goes to the hospital to get treated? Absolutely completely unrealistic.
Also I don't think any women have a conversation besides once without Paul or without it being about a dude. Not sure how I feel about that; or about Ngoc Lan being a house cleaner because of course she is a house cleaner, probably with a side of being a nail artist.
This movie was totally disappointing to me and it could have been awesome. They tried too hard to have it make sense, address all the possible problems with it, have it be funny, and have it be serious at the same time that it just turned muddy. Will probably write a fic to fix it for myself at a later.
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated The Intern (2015) in Movies
Jun 6, 2018
In a word...charming
Like most of you, I did not make it to the movie theaters in September, 2015 to catch the Nancy Meyers "fish-out-of-water" comedy THE INTERN about a 70-ish man (Robert DeNiro) who goes to work at an Internet Start-up company headed by a a driven Millennial (Anne Hathaway). It seemed that this film was just going to be another Robert DeNiro phone-it-in "paycheck" comedy and not worth our time.
Boy, was I wrong.
In a word, I would call this film...charming. Hathaway is charming, the other workers and Interns at the start-up are charming and DeNiro (believe it or not) is the most charming of all.
Starring as Ben - a widower who is just withering away with inactivity and boredom who decides to go back to work - DeNiro shows he "still has it". His Ben is a strong character, as nuanced as one can be in this type of film and...yes...EXTREMELY charming. DeNiro most definitely is NOT phoning this one in - he gives it a very good effort (maybe not A+, but...) and it shows. He is on screen for almost every scene and holds our attention throughout.
Proving to be a worthy partner in this film is Anne Hathaway's driven Internet sensation, Jules. She spars with DeNiro throughout and the two make a fun pairing.
Also joining in on the fun is Rene Russo as a masseuse (and love interest for DeNiro and Andrew Rannels as Jules' ass't. But it is the trio of Adam Devine, Zack Pearlman and Jason Orley that almost steals this film as 3 knuckleheads that work with - and are mentored by - DeNiro's Yoda-like Intern. I almost would have preferred to see a film about these 4.
Nothing in this film is revolutionary or new and Director/Writer Meyers keeps it that way. It's like pulling on an old, comfortable sweater or a really well worn-in pair of shoes. It won't win any awards, but it is fun..and, yes...charming just the same.
THE INTERN is now streaming on NETFLIX and AMAZON PRIME, if you are looking for a...I'll say it one more time...charming...way to spend an evening - look no further than here.
Letter Grade: B+
7 1/2 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Boy, was I wrong.
In a word, I would call this film...charming. Hathaway is charming, the other workers and Interns at the start-up are charming and DeNiro (believe it or not) is the most charming of all.
Starring as Ben - a widower who is just withering away with inactivity and boredom who decides to go back to work - DeNiro shows he "still has it". His Ben is a strong character, as nuanced as one can be in this type of film and...yes...EXTREMELY charming. DeNiro most definitely is NOT phoning this one in - he gives it a very good effort (maybe not A+, but...) and it shows. He is on screen for almost every scene and holds our attention throughout.
Proving to be a worthy partner in this film is Anne Hathaway's driven Internet sensation, Jules. She spars with DeNiro throughout and the two make a fun pairing.
Also joining in on the fun is Rene Russo as a masseuse (and love interest for DeNiro and Andrew Rannels as Jules' ass't. But it is the trio of Adam Devine, Zack Pearlman and Jason Orley that almost steals this film as 3 knuckleheads that work with - and are mentored by - DeNiro's Yoda-like Intern. I almost would have preferred to see a film about these 4.
Nothing in this film is revolutionary or new and Director/Writer Meyers keeps it that way. It's like pulling on an old, comfortable sweater or a really well worn-in pair of shoes. It won't win any awards, but it is fun..and, yes...charming just the same.
THE INTERN is now streaming on NETFLIX and AMAZON PRIME, if you are looking for a...I'll say it one more time...charming...way to spend an evening - look no further than here.
Letter Grade: B+
7 1/2 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky, #1) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
Original Review posted on <a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/2013/09/review-under-the-never-sky-by-veronica-rossi.html">Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Note: Formatting may be lost due to copy and paste.
When there's a bit of hoopla and excitement going about a book (even it's the sequel), I always tend to be curious as to why everyone loves the book. I'm literally asking, “What's so great about it? I want to know!”
And then my TBR list grows by a book.
But Under the Never Sky is about a girl named Aria who lives in a futuristic world of Pods and Realms. In that world, she's never seen what's outside the Pods aside from the stories she heard – everything is basically in virtual time. She gets kicked out one day and meets an Outsider named Perry who teaches her the basics to surviving the outside world and needs her help as well.
I like the concept and general idea of the book. Pods? Realms? No one gets hurt in the Realms and you can see your friends without even moving at all with a cool gadget called Smarteyes? Sounds great.
But... I didn't really like it. I was pretty bored from the end of Chapter One and probably would have stopped reading the book from then on out. But there was something there, and I decided to read on to see if my boredom status changed by a magnitude. I was hoping that between the end of Chapter One and the end of the book, my opinions would be a whole lot better.
It didn't change that much, unfortunately. It was just... insipid.
Another thing that I didn't really like? The romance between Aria and Perry. It was too fast.
No, scratch that. Actually, allow me to backtrack by two sentences, before “It was too fast.”
It was perfectly paced for about 80% of the book. But then about 7% or 4 chapters later away from their first kiss, it was just simply too fast for my taste. Much too fast.
Overall, I liked the concept, but Veronica Rossi's debut novel just isn't very right for me and I don't think I'll be continuing on with the next book in the series, Through the Ever Night.
Though I am a bit tempted to.
Convince me well enough to do so and I'll think about it? But the cover is pretty.
Note: Formatting may be lost due to copy and paste.
When there's a bit of hoopla and excitement going about a book (even it's the sequel), I always tend to be curious as to why everyone loves the book. I'm literally asking, “What's so great about it? I want to know!”
And then my TBR list grows by a book.
But Under the Never Sky is about a girl named Aria who lives in a futuristic world of Pods and Realms. In that world, she's never seen what's outside the Pods aside from the stories she heard – everything is basically in virtual time. She gets kicked out one day and meets an Outsider named Perry who teaches her the basics to surviving the outside world and needs her help as well.
I like the concept and general idea of the book. Pods? Realms? No one gets hurt in the Realms and you can see your friends without even moving at all with a cool gadget called Smarteyes? Sounds great.
But... I didn't really like it. I was pretty bored from the end of Chapter One and probably would have stopped reading the book from then on out. But there was something there, and I decided to read on to see if my boredom status changed by a magnitude. I was hoping that between the end of Chapter One and the end of the book, my opinions would be a whole lot better.
It didn't change that much, unfortunately. It was just... insipid.
Another thing that I didn't really like? The romance between Aria and Perry. It was too fast.
No, scratch that. Actually, allow me to backtrack by two sentences, before “It was too fast.”
It was perfectly paced for about 80% of the book. But then about 7% or 4 chapters later away from their first kiss, it was just simply too fast for my taste. Much too fast.
Overall, I liked the concept, but Veronica Rossi's debut novel just isn't very right for me and I don't think I'll be continuing on with the next book in the series, Through the Ever Night.
Though I am a bit tempted to.
Convince me well enough to do so and I'll think about it? But the cover is pretty.
Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated The Figment Wars: Through the Portals in Books
Jan 9, 2020
The Figment Wars: Through The Portals by David R. Lord is a book that I hope to see a sequel to in the coming years. In fact, the ending of the book suggests at least a sequel if not an entire series. I just wonder how such stories can continue without becoming too far fetched or simplified by the childrens stabilizes in this book, but without giving too much away I have to stop there.
Thomas and his little brother Isaac are visiting their cousin Emily at her house and they are not exactly having a good time. At Emilys house, the boys dont even have a TV to watch and they are extremely bored. Then one afternoon when Thomas goes to the woods behind the house to get Emily for lunch something amazing happens. The trees themselves bend and move, forming a portal that all three children fall into. The portal transports the children into the Realm of Imagination, a place where all the things humans imagine come to life.
https://nightreaderreviews.blogspot.com/2019/07/review-figment-wars-through-portals-by.html
https://www.austinmacauley.com/book/figment-wars-through-portals
Almost as soon as the children arrive they are attacked by Monsters but luckily they are saved by Heroes and are taken to the Library in the Impossible City. It is here that they meet Belactacus who believes that the children are Real and not just confused imaginary friends. Sadly the Council who is in charge of the portals that allow beings in the Realm of Imagination to go to the Realm of Reality is corrupted and the children are denied a portal back home. Shortly after this decision Monsters attack the Impossible City and even overwhelm the Heroes. Now the children must find a way to stop the corrupted council member from bringing all the Monsters from human imagination to life in the Realm of Reality, home of the humans.
What I liked best might not seem like much but for a story such as this one, it makes a big difference. I liked how not only was the idea of the Realm of Imagination a great concept but the creation of the Realm was well explained. Also, some of the main people in the Realm were explained to be the result of collective consciousness in humans such as the standard idea of a mother figure which was a very nice touch. What I didnt like was the budding relationship between Thomas and Emilys old imaginary friend. I actually thought it was a little creepy. At times I found myself hoping that she would be able to become real and then I thought that it would be way too much like Thomas having a relationship with his cousin.
This book falls solidly into the YA or young adult group of readers. I know this is a broad group ranging from middle school and older, but this book is actually really good and I saw nothing that would make in inappropriate for young readers. The only thing to be careful about is if an advanced reader in elementary school wanted to read this book. I dont know how well they would take to the idea that monsters such as the Boogeyman are real and just living in a different dimension so to speak. With all that being said I rate this book a 3 out of 4. Everything is extremely well thought out in this book. The idea of the Library and the collective consciousness of humans was amazing. The only reason why this book did not get a perfect rating is that I still felt like it was missing something that gave it that wonderful ability to really stand out, but few books have that.
Thomas and his little brother Isaac are visiting their cousin Emily at her house and they are not exactly having a good time. At Emilys house, the boys dont even have a TV to watch and they are extremely bored. Then one afternoon when Thomas goes to the woods behind the house to get Emily for lunch something amazing happens. The trees themselves bend and move, forming a portal that all three children fall into. The portal transports the children into the Realm of Imagination, a place where all the things humans imagine come to life.
https://nightreaderreviews.blogspot.com/2019/07/review-figment-wars-through-portals-by.html
https://www.austinmacauley.com/book/figment-wars-through-portals
Almost as soon as the children arrive they are attacked by Monsters but luckily they are saved by Heroes and are taken to the Library in the Impossible City. It is here that they meet Belactacus who believes that the children are Real and not just confused imaginary friends. Sadly the Council who is in charge of the portals that allow beings in the Realm of Imagination to go to the Realm of Reality is corrupted and the children are denied a portal back home. Shortly after this decision Monsters attack the Impossible City and even overwhelm the Heroes. Now the children must find a way to stop the corrupted council member from bringing all the Monsters from human imagination to life in the Realm of Reality, home of the humans.
What I liked best might not seem like much but for a story such as this one, it makes a big difference. I liked how not only was the idea of the Realm of Imagination a great concept but the creation of the Realm was well explained. Also, some of the main people in the Realm were explained to be the result of collective consciousness in humans such as the standard idea of a mother figure which was a very nice touch. What I didnt like was the budding relationship between Thomas and Emilys old imaginary friend. I actually thought it was a little creepy. At times I found myself hoping that she would be able to become real and then I thought that it would be way too much like Thomas having a relationship with his cousin.
This book falls solidly into the YA or young adult group of readers. I know this is a broad group ranging from middle school and older, but this book is actually really good and I saw nothing that would make in inappropriate for young readers. The only thing to be careful about is if an advanced reader in elementary school wanted to read this book. I dont know how well they would take to the idea that monsters such as the Boogeyman are real and just living in a different dimension so to speak. With all that being said I rate this book a 3 out of 4. Everything is extremely well thought out in this book. The idea of the Library and the collective consciousness of humans was amazing. The only reason why this book did not get a perfect rating is that I still felt like it was missing something that gave it that wonderful ability to really stand out, but few books have that.