Smashbomb

Search

Search results

All (4995)

Content

Anne (15117 KP) rated Tiger Queen in Books

Nov 4, 2019

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read and review this ARC.

This book was amazing and well written. I loved it. It was a fabulous 5 star read that you don't want to miss out on. It reminded me of The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson and of The Remnant Chronicles by Mary Pearson.
It is also a retelling of a short story called "The Lady, or the Tiger?" by Frank Stockton, which I didn't know until after I read it, but regardless, I really enjoyed this story and am now curious about the original short story as well.
In this story, Princess Kateri is the heir to the kingdom of Achra, but she has to fight in the arena to prove herself to her father the King and to be able to take over and rule the kingdom and also to keep her promises to her late mother about taking care of the people who are suffering in the drought. She always is trying to figure out how to prove herself to her father and feeling like she's failing and unworthy of love, wanting him to love her.
When it comes down to her last fight and she finds out who she's supposed to defeat, she knows she needs help to win and seeks it out in the desert where the Desert Boys are hiding for refuge with the drought. After things seem dark, Princess Kateri finds the strength she needs to face her last opponent, also finds hope and love that she didn't think existed or she would ever find or be deserving of in the desert.
I highly recommend this. Everyone should make sure to read this, it's a wonderful story that no one should miss out on.

Kudos

Debbiereadsbook (1424 KP) rated Heart Bandit (Gargoyle Night Guardians #1) in Books

Feb 7, 2020

wonderful new series!

*purchased copy Jan 2020*

I have a *thing* for the more obscure paranormal creatures, and gargoyles are at the top of that list, since so few are written. Add in an author who is a firm favourite, and really, you can't go wrong!

And I LOVED this gargoyle book!

It has twists and turns, new additions to the folklore of gargoyles. It has a feisty young lady, with an old head on her shoulders. It has an old solider, with a hardened heart. It has a scorned witch, and some bad as sin fae folk who want nothing more than to destroy all the gargoyles!

Beaumont (not ever shortened to Beau, so many Brownie points!) is old, and actually has had enough. Faced with his little pickpocket stealing his most precious stone, he knows that he will die if he doesn't get it back. But since meeting the feisty little thief, his attitude is changing, and maybe, just maybe, he can find it, and be happy with Sadie.

I loved that Beaumont only calls Sadie her given name but once in the whole book. She's his little thief, his pickpocket, all those sorts of names. Why? He doesn't like that Sadie contains the word SAD! I was like, "oh thats so sweet!"

I liked that Sadie's sister will play a huge part in another gargoyle's life, in book 2. And I wonder if the scorned witch will be making another appearence in a later book to redeem herself.

Ms Redd has started a new series with a bang, and I hope to get to read them all!

5 full and shiny stars!

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**

Kudos

Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Bag Man (2014) in Movies

Aug 6, 2019

The Bag Man (2014)

2014 | Drama

5.5

(2 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Sometimes it sucks to be a delivery guy when you don’t know what you are
carrying in a tightly sealed leather bag. Anything can happen when too many
people are interested in what The Bag Man is carrying when it gets a
limited theatrical run starting Feb 28th.

When Jack (John Cusack) is a fixer/hitman under the employ of Dragna
(Robert De Niro), a crime lord — tasked to bring a leather bag to a seedy
hotel — the people he runs into are more shadier than he is. All he has to
do is to wait for the arrival of this gangster and not look at what’s
inside.

Both the movie and night is long while Jack fends for himself. His dealings
with the motel manager (beautifully played by Crispin Glover) is far more
interesting than the lady of the night, Rivka (Rebecca Da Costa), he meets.
Together what they end up in is a cat and mouse game of nearly everybody
from this sleepy hole-in-the-wall after them. Everyone is interested in
what the bag contains, and this Macguffin never strays far from the plot.

Even though the concept of what’s in the bag is hardly original, this
narrative device will keep some people — characters included — invested
in wondering what’s so important about it. When the contents are revealed,
will what’s revealed be King Midas’ gold or the evils from Pandora’s Box?
This loose thriller has its moments where viewers will be glued to the
suspense but ultimately, it’s this movie’s pacing that slows the action
down. Losing 10-15 minutes might help in keeping the tale tight.

That can help everyone, audience included, from not losing interest. Sooner
or later, the cat has to be let out of the bag.