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Dana (24 KP) rated The Girl of Fire and Thorns (Fire and Thorns, #1) in Books

Mar 23, 2018

This book was very good. I enjoyed listening to it when I had a free chance. I gave it a four out of five because there were a few moments, especially in the beginning, where I found it hard to connect to the characters. Elisa seemed like she was just self-deprecating for a lot of the book and that got tiresome after a while. When she started to grow as a character, I started to like it more. I wish there wasn't that love triangle in the story, but I understand why it had to be there. I just feel like these love triangles are in most books and I want there to be more without it (That's just a personal note) There were even some relationships between characters that I thought were going to pan out to be romantic, but didn't. But who knows, there are other books in the series after all! Some of the puzzles that the characters had to solve I felt were kind of predictable but others were genuinely surprising. I fell in love with so many side characters and I wish we had been able to see more of them throughout the story. While Elisa is a compelling narrator, I felt like the other characters had more to them. This was a great break from the myriad of historical or classic novels that I have had to read recently. If you like fantasy and adventure stories, pick this up. I really recommend it.

Kudos

BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated A Sparrow in Terezin in Books

Jan 2, 2019

A Sparrow in Terezin

Kristy Cambron | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry

10.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

I am apparently a glutton for punishment and decide to read all the books that will rip out my heart and stomp on it back to back. Story SHOULD move you though. As you read the words of the author's heart poured out on the page...If you finish unchanged...What was the point? These characters, these stories, may be fictional, but they represent many people who had to live through one of the darkest times in history. Ask yourself, what can we learn from them? What are they trying to tell us? Fiction CAN and WILL challenge you to grow, to learn, to thrive...

Multiple times I wanted to cry (and there were times tears escaped) while listening to this story. Knowing that the horrors depicted in this book were lived out in reality during WWII. Kristy Cambron...I tip my hat to you...You have found BEAUTY in the ashes of a history that is riddled with sorrow and death. You have brought redemption to life on the page. You have spoken TRUTH and LIFE and LOVE into the hearts of any who lay a hand on your books. But none more so than this one*. Thank you. A Sparrow in Terezin truly is a masterpiece.

*Revision: And The Lost Castle

I won a print copy of this book from the author. This review is based on the audio version which I borrowed from my public library. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

Kudos

Apollo (2 KP) rated The Lion King (2019) in Movies

Jul 27, 2019

The Lion King (2019)

2019 | Adventure, Animation, Family

7.1

(82 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

Contains spoilers, click to show

So I'm gonna start this off at the very beginning. The fact that they used the original opening singing to circle of life made my day. Its iconic and you cant replace it. The CGI throughout the entire movie was extremely well done and detailed which doesn't surprise me from Disney but as someone who studies animals I was extremely pleased with the inaccuracies of all the native species spotted into the movie (especially ones not seen in the original such as aardvarks, bat eared foxes and elephant shrews). The storyline did not stray from the original and I was still a blubbing mess when Mufasa died *insert quiet sobbing here*. The new voices for timon and pumba made this movie for me. I could not stop laughing whenever they were on and the improvisation was amazing.
The only downside for me was the new takes on songs whenever Beyonce sang. I'm a huge fan of her music but in the end when I was listening to her sing 'Can you feel the love tonight' all I could hear was Beyonce and not Nala. She made the song very 'poppy' and ruined the disney vibe for me. After that it was hard to listen to Nala's character. In my personal opinion I feel like she was brought in as she was a big name and not because she was necessarily right for the role of Nala.
However, would gladly watch again for all the moments I did enjoy.

Kudos

Lenard (726 KP) rated A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019) in Movies

Nov 22, 2019

Based on a magazine article written by an Esquire investigative reporter assigned a profile on Fred Rogers, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is the Tuesdays With Morrie adaptation of the man who guided generations of children through the perils of childhood. Opening in the style of the famed PBS series Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, we begin by learning the story of journalist Lloyd Vogel, a man very much in need of a change in attitude. He harbors a lot of father issues. The editor of Esquire wants him to write one of the articles for an issue on Heroes, but everyone has read his work and is afraid to talk to him. That is,except for the one man in the world who never judges others until he has walked in his shoes. In other words, you need to know a person in order to really be able to know someone. Tom Hanks is a national treasure and perfectly captures the heart and soul of a man who exuberates compassion and willing teaches everyone the most important lesson of life. Matthew Rhys capably plays Lloyd as he comes to grips with all the buried feelings of the childhood he had which turned him into the man he is. Chris Cooper stands out as Jerry, the father who abandoned his family when life became too rough. Overall, the movie is good, and the movie achieves its goal: telling the story of how one person can make a huge difference in the lives of others just by listening.