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Ross (3284 KP) rated The Iron Circlet in Books
Nov 13, 2017
Wowsers. I was a little tentative starting this the fourth book in the Chronicles of the Black Gate series, as I found the third book to drag somewhat, though it ended well.
That proved unfounded. This book gets straight back in the swing of things right from the off and the pace just does not let up. Other that a little bit of re-gouping and re-organising at the outset, the plot continues with chapter after chapter offering excitement and plot/character development aplenty.
Tharok is still up to no good, running amok with his massive army of orc-like kragh, backed by trolls and a medusa and looking to capitalise on his victory at the end of book 3.
Tiron finds himself deep behind enemy lines and totally out of his depth but finding ways to adapt.
Asho looks to lead the defence of Ennoia against the kragh invasion, while Kethe tries to do the same in Nous.
And Audsley finds himself in an assassination plot and getting a potted history of the real background of the empire.
This is simply fantasy fiction at its best: an epic world created, full of wonderful creatures and characters with an intricate plot which, while covering numerous threads never becomes untenable, with exciting and surprising battle scenes and twists.
Simply put one of the best fantasy books I have ever read, and I am now greedily wolfing down the final book in the series.
That proved unfounded. This book gets straight back in the swing of things right from the off and the pace just does not let up. Other that a little bit of re-gouping and re-organising at the outset, the plot continues with chapter after chapter offering excitement and plot/character development aplenty.
Tharok is still up to no good, running amok with his massive army of orc-like kragh, backed by trolls and a medusa and looking to capitalise on his victory at the end of book 3.
Tiron finds himself deep behind enemy lines and totally out of his depth but finding ways to adapt.
Asho looks to lead the defence of Ennoia against the kragh invasion, while Kethe tries to do the same in Nous.
And Audsley finds himself in an assassination plot and getting a potted history of the real background of the empire.
This is simply fantasy fiction at its best: an epic world created, full of wonderful creatures and characters with an intricate plot which, while covering numerous threads never becomes untenable, with exciting and surprising battle scenes and twists.
Simply put one of the best fantasy books I have ever read, and I am now greedily wolfing down the final book in the series.
Fractured Moon (Aurelia Fridell #1)
8.0
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Aurelia Fridell is a freak amongst her own kind, the only werewolf who can't shift. Her family...
Paranormal Erotic Romance
The Red Dragon of Oxford (Wings over Albion #1)
8.0
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Dragons aren't real. Or so I used to think. Oxford isn't exactly what I'd imagined. Sure, the...
MM Paranormal Romance Dragons
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Sky in the Deep in Books
Jul 31, 2018
Sky in the Deep came out in April to a LOT of hype. It's mostly deserved. The plot is a little odd; the two clans come together every five years to fight in a blood feud between their gods. But they only fight every five years in a designated place - if you really hated each other, why wouldn't you try to wipe out the other tribe all the time, instead of letting them rebuild their strength for five years? And then this third, mysterious tribe shows up and is enough for you to set aside all your anger at each other? I don't know. It's a little weird.
That oddness aside, I loved this story! I loved Eelyn's fierceness, and also her willingness to see the Riki as people too. Eventually, of course. In Eelyn we have the definition of a strong female character. (She's not the only one, either!) She is admired for her fierceness and strength, but not seen as any less female. Women are warriors in her culture too.
It's a pretty straightforward book, with a few graphic scenes of violence in the fights. Everything happened pretty much as I expected it to, but I still enjoyed seeing Eelyn grow and change throughout the book. It's also very atmospheric; I could almost hear the snow crunching beneath boots, the rushing roar of the mountain river, the quiet creaking of the frozen lake. Young's writing style pulls you right into the book and doesn't let you go.
Set aside your questions about the plot's logic and just enjoy this book. It's wonderful.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
That oddness aside, I loved this story! I loved Eelyn's fierceness, and also her willingness to see the Riki as people too. Eventually, of course. In Eelyn we have the definition of a strong female character. (She's not the only one, either!) She is admired for her fierceness and strength, but not seen as any less female. Women are warriors in her culture too.
It's a pretty straightforward book, with a few graphic scenes of violence in the fights. Everything happened pretty much as I expected it to, but I still enjoyed seeing Eelyn grow and change throughout the book. It's also very atmospheric; I could almost hear the snow crunching beneath boots, the rushing roar of the mountain river, the quiet creaking of the frozen lake. Young's writing style pulls you right into the book and doesn't let you go.
Set aside your questions about the plot's logic and just enjoy this book. It's wonderful.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
From The Ashes (Redwood Bay Fire #2)
10.0
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Love is never lost COLT Walking away from Zahir Delacroix was the worst mistake I ever made....
Darren (1599 KP) rated A Monster Calls (2016) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Story – The story here is clear for everyone watching, this is one family a son, mother, grandmother and dad dealing with the impending death of a loved one. We get to see how Conor the son deals with everything in his own way that means he doesn’t get punished for anything, we get to see how the mother must stay strong for her son until the very end and how the grandmother must deal with the upcoming death of her daughter while being the only one there for grandson. This will make you cry it is as simple as that because his is one of the hardest hitting emotional punches you will ever receive.
Fantasy – We are thrown into a fantasy world that Conor creates to help him deal with the tragic events that are happening within his life, we are left to decide for ourselves which side of the story is real or not with the fantasy element too.
Characters/Performance – Conor is a character that we could see in so many situations when a parent is terminally ill, he struggles to find his place when he knows his future but can’t face it. When we look at the adults we get to see the struggling mother with her health, the father who isn’t around and the grandmother who doesn’t really know how to act because she will be losing her daughter but needing to be strong for her grandson. The tree monster is a great character in its own right, even if it is created to help Conor deal with the problems in his life.
When you look at the performance youngest Lewis MacDougall is brilliant in this role going through the full range of emotions while the bigger name actors let him take the centre stage.
Settings – The settings used make us feel like this is just a normal family that has had to deal with its ups and downs but now it will be taking on the biggest down. We don’t get any iconic settings but we get everything we need to feel the pain the characters go through.
Special Effects – The special effects here are brilliant making us fully believe there is in fact a monster with Conor helping him through this difficult time.
Final Thoughts – This is easily one of the most heart-breaking films of the year but shows just how difficult the situation would be for a young boy.
Overall: Bring your tissues to this film that will leave you emotional exhausted by the end.
https://moviesreview101.com/2017/01/26/a-monster-calls-2016/
Fantasy – We are thrown into a fantasy world that Conor creates to help him deal with the tragic events that are happening within his life, we are left to decide for ourselves which side of the story is real or not with the fantasy element too.
Characters/Performance – Conor is a character that we could see in so many situations when a parent is terminally ill, he struggles to find his place when he knows his future but can’t face it. When we look at the adults we get to see the struggling mother with her health, the father who isn’t around and the grandmother who doesn’t really know how to act because she will be losing her daughter but needing to be strong for her grandson. The tree monster is a great character in its own right, even if it is created to help Conor deal with the problems in his life.
When you look at the performance youngest Lewis MacDougall is brilliant in this role going through the full range of emotions while the bigger name actors let him take the centre stage.
Settings – The settings used make us feel like this is just a normal family that has had to deal with its ups and downs but now it will be taking on the biggest down. We don’t get any iconic settings but we get everything we need to feel the pain the characters go through.
Special Effects – The special effects here are brilliant making us fully believe there is in fact a monster with Conor helping him through this difficult time.
Final Thoughts – This is easily one of the most heart-breaking films of the year but shows just how difficult the situation would be for a young boy.
Overall: Bring your tissues to this film that will leave you emotional exhausted by the end.
https://moviesreview101.com/2017/01/26/a-monster-calls-2016/
Neil Hannon recommended Dare by The Human League in Music (curated)
