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ashezbookz (32 KP) rated All the Crooked Saints in Books
Jul 5, 2018
This book was alright - it was an interesting read but the writing was strange. The Stiefvater books I've read have all been audiobook style (Raven Cycle) so it was strange to read a book on paper like this and it was rough at times to pick apart the context of the book.
The whole Saint aspect was well thought out I think and quite unique to things I have read in the past as far as magical realism goes. There was also a plethora of great characters to choose from to be your favourite from the start. The book doesn't generally focus on any one in particular even though it's about the three cousins I feel equal play time was given to the pilgrims so it was a joy in that aspect.
If it weren't for the difficult shift in head space, going from one character straight into another's thoughts I think this book would have been utterly joyful! But a solid 3.5 stars anyway!
The whole Saint aspect was well thought out I think and quite unique to things I have read in the past as far as magical realism goes. There was also a plethora of great characters to choose from to be your favourite from the start. The book doesn't generally focus on any one in particular even though it's about the three cousins I feel equal play time was given to the pilgrims so it was a joy in that aspect.
If it weren't for the difficult shift in head space, going from one character straight into another's thoughts I think this book would have been utterly joyful! But a solid 3.5 stars anyway!
Steve Fearon (84 KP) rated Escape From Tomorrow (2013) in Movies
Sep 26, 2018
Not a magical movie...
I don't like writing negative reviews, but this confusing story about a family visiting disney world is...well its a mess.
Its a Lynchian dreamscape of a film, which hints at a lot but doesn't really every explain much, other than to suggest there is a dark undercurrent to Disney.
The fact is though that the narrative is untidy and weirdly paced, and can't ever really settle on what it is that it wants viewers to feel.
You can argue thats the point of this sort of film, but there doesn't feel like there is any cleverness to the confusion, just a movie that deliberately tries to unbalance you for no other reason than to have you unbalanced.
I don't really want to say much more other than that there are many better films out there than this, so only watch this if you really fancy a challenge.
Its a Lynchian dreamscape of a film, which hints at a lot but doesn't really every explain much, other than to suggest there is a dark undercurrent to Disney.
The fact is though that the narrative is untidy and weirdly paced, and can't ever really settle on what it is that it wants viewers to feel.
You can argue thats the point of this sort of film, but there doesn't feel like there is any cleverness to the confusion, just a movie that deliberately tries to unbalance you for no other reason than to have you unbalanced.
I don't really want to say much more other than that there are many better films out there than this, so only watch this if you really fancy a challenge.
BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated The Night Voyage: A Magical Adventure and Coloring Book in Books
Jan 2, 2019
From the creative story to the detailed artwork, Daria Song has brought us another fantastic coloring book. Continuing with the dream style story and beautiful pages, this book is sure to keep me occupied for hours. Coloring has becoming a peaceful and quiet outlet for me over the past year or so. Expressing creativity on paper through color is one of my favorite things to do. If you have not experienced the joy of putting your pencil to page, Daria's series is an excellent place to start. I enjoy the intricate detail of her work. I have always had an obsession with stars and Daria's stars have a very unique personality which I love. Purchase your copy today and be whisked into a magical world of dreams and color.
I received a free copy of The Night Voyage from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
I received a free copy of The Night Voyage from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
KatyShubo (75 KP) rated Beauty and the Beast (2017) in Movies
Jan 5, 2019 (Updated Jan 5, 2019)
A Dismal Disappointment from Disney
This film has all the right ingredients to be a magnificent reimagining of a Disney Classic but unfortunately it never quite hits the mark.
The supporting cast bring a host of beloved characters to life with charm and whimsy but they aren’t enough to carry the shambolic leads who just do not embody Beauty and The Beast.
I had been so excited about this movie but unfortunately it was a fail. It isn’t able to quite capture the magical enchantment of the original animation instead we are left with a love story between two characters who seem far more engrossed with themselves than they do with each other.
This movie will not grow to be a tale as old as time because it will not stand the test of time but we still have the original and that will never disappoint.
The supporting cast bring a host of beloved characters to life with charm and whimsy but they aren’t enough to carry the shambolic leads who just do not embody Beauty and The Beast.
I had been so excited about this movie but unfortunately it was a fail. It isn’t able to quite capture the magical enchantment of the original animation instead we are left with a love story between two characters who seem far more engrossed with themselves than they do with each other.
This movie will not grow to be a tale as old as time because it will not stand the test of time but we still have the original and that will never disappoint.
Alina Diaconescu (2 KP) rated Six of Crows in Books
Dec 13, 2018
Loved the story (2 more)
Loved that every character comes from very different backgrounds
The plot and intrigue
Awesome!!
Six of Crows is taking place in the magical universe created by Leigh Bardugo, the Grishaverse.
It follows the story of a crew hired to kidnap the creator of a very powerful and very dangerous drug from a fortress that's never been breached before.
Kaz, the leader of the crew, selects five people, each with a particular set of skills designed for completing this impossible heist.
I liked the complexity of the characters, the way they all have they're background stories and different relation with the people in the crew, which influences every action and the way they react to the others.
I also enjoyed the fact that this is not your usual superhero story where good wins over evil. Instead the powers come with a lot of complications and internal struggles and the line between good and evil is blurred out.
Definitely recommend this book!!
It follows the story of a crew hired to kidnap the creator of a very powerful and very dangerous drug from a fortress that's never been breached before.
Kaz, the leader of the crew, selects five people, each with a particular set of skills designed for completing this impossible heist.
I liked the complexity of the characters, the way they all have they're background stories and different relation with the people in the crew, which influences every action and the way they react to the others.
I also enjoyed the fact that this is not your usual superhero story where good wins over evil. Instead the powers come with a lot of complications and internal struggles and the line between good and evil is blurred out.
Definitely recommend this book!!
David McK (3369 KP) rated The Painted Man (the Demon Cycle, Book 1) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
First in "The Demon Cycle", this is very much what I would term a dark fantasy novel: not urban fantasy (like The Dresden Files), not heroic fantasy (David Gemmell) and not high fantasy (Lord of the Rings).
This is set in a world where Demons rise through the ground every night to terrorise/slowly cull the few remaining humans, the novel follows three seperate survivors of such attacks. It's pretty obvious that they are, eventually, going to meet up, which only happens in the latter porion of the book, by which stage one of the survivors has become The Painted Man (i.e. covered in magical wards, which the demons can't stand) of the title.
An enjoyable enough read, but I did find this to be occassionally hard going. I also picked it up when Waterstones had it on sale for about £3: for that price, I'm happy enough, but I also wouldn't be looking for the sequels at full price either.
This is set in a world where Demons rise through the ground every night to terrorise/slowly cull the few remaining humans, the novel follows three seperate survivors of such attacks. It's pretty obvious that they are, eventually, going to meet up, which only happens in the latter porion of the book, by which stage one of the survivors has become The Painted Man (i.e. covered in magical wards, which the demons can't stand) of the title.
An enjoyable enough read, but I did find this to be occassionally hard going. I also picked it up when Waterstones had it on sale for about £3: for that price, I'm happy enough, but I also wouldn't be looking for the sequels at full price either.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Grand Grimoire of Cthulhu Mythos Magic in Tabletop Games
Oct 18, 2019
Magic doesn't play quite the role in CoC it does in most other fantasy RPGs - its tendency to either kill wizards or drive them permanently insane is probably the reason why - but it's still an important and evocative part of the 'classic' setting for the game. This book, despite the slightly silly title, probably contains everything most players will need on the topic - over 550 spells, from the relatively innocuous 'Embrace of Yog-Sothoth' to the terrifying and unspeakable 'Attract Fish', plus ideas for elaborating on things like spell components and ambient magical areas.
You could probably get by just using the material in the Keeper's Book, but if you want characters to have a wider and more varied repertoire, this book is well worth the asking price. Needless to say, there is also material here to inspire dozens of scenarios for any self-respectingly twisted and inventive Keeper, so it scores heavily in that department too.
You could probably get by just using the material in the Keeper's Book, but if you want characters to have a wider and more varied repertoire, this book is well worth the asking price. Needless to say, there is also material here to inspire dozens of scenarios for any self-respectingly twisted and inventive Keeper, so it scores heavily in that department too.
What a story
Lyra and Pan's journey, and the characters they meet along the way, ranks as one of my favourite works of fiction. The descriptions, the details and varied points of view, make this an engaging and compelling read. I have to say, it was not easy to put down.
The changes the first film made were not good (as proved by the lack of sequels) though it had some great casting. The new series looked promising, but since I read the books bacķ in 2010, I think I will have to revisit them soon!
This magical coming of age story was so lovely, I gave the hardback trilogy to my 9 year old niece who loved it, and has been loving fantasy since!
I recommend this for the hitting puberty audience, since that is a strong theme throughout, but an adult with a love of the genre would love it too!.
The changes the first film made were not good (as proved by the lack of sequels) though it had some great casting. The new series looked promising, but since I read the books bacķ in 2010, I think I will have to revisit them soon!
This magical coming of age story was so lovely, I gave the hardback trilogy to my 9 year old niece who loved it, and has been loving fantasy since!
I recommend this for the hitting puberty audience, since that is a strong theme throughout, but an adult with a love of the genre would love it too!.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Krampus (2015) in Movies
Dec 18, 2019 (Updated Dec 18, 2019)
A Dark Twisted Fantasy Tale
Krampus- is based on the eponymous character from Austro-Bavarian folklore adds more of a dark and twisted tale to it. The one only problem that this movie was PG-13, but remember Gemlins was PG and that came out in 1984 and that movie was dark and twisted. So the PG-13 was good, but could of done more with it.
The Plot: While the holiday season represents the most magical time of year, ancient European folklore warns of Krampus, a horned beast who punishes naughty children at Christmastime. When dysfunctional family squabbling causes young Max (Emjay Anthony) to lose his festive spirit, it unleashes the wrath of the fearsome demon. As Krampus lays siege to the Engel home, mom (Toni Collette), pop (Adam Scott), sister (Stefania LaVie Owen) and brother must band together to save one another from a monstrous fate.
You Better Watch out for Krampus.
The Plot: While the holiday season represents the most magical time of year, ancient European folklore warns of Krampus, a horned beast who punishes naughty children at Christmastime. When dysfunctional family squabbling causes young Max (Emjay Anthony) to lose his festive spirit, it unleashes the wrath of the fearsome demon. As Krampus lays siege to the Engel home, mom (Toni Collette), pop (Adam Scott), sister (Stefania LaVie Owen) and brother must band together to save one another from a monstrous fate.
You Better Watch out for Krampus.
Erika (17788 KP) rated The Ten Thousand Doors of January in Books
Jan 11, 2020
I have NO IDEA as to why I thought this YA book may be different from all of the other recent ones I've read, and subsequently sworn off.
There was way too much about race in this, it was so distracting. The main character, vanilla-boring January's physical appearance was mentioned at least every few pages. It's just bizarre to me, this book needed an edit.
The description promises a fantasy, well, there was a lot of fantasy that was talked about, but none that I saw. Show me, don't tell me.
Then, there was the introduction of a story within a story. I stopped reading, then thought to myself, wow, this is pretty crappy, but I'll keep on. After ten minutes, I officially returned the digital copy to the library.
This book was not magical, it was boring, and there was too much exposition. I am NEVER reading another YA book, unless it's a Star Wars one. I've learned my lesson, yet again.
There was way too much about race in this, it was so distracting. The main character, vanilla-boring January's physical appearance was mentioned at least every few pages. It's just bizarre to me, this book needed an edit.
The description promises a fantasy, well, there was a lot of fantasy that was talked about, but none that I saw. Show me, don't tell me.
Then, there was the introduction of a story within a story. I stopped reading, then thought to myself, wow, this is pretty crappy, but I'll keep on. After ten minutes, I officially returned the digital copy to the library.
This book was not magical, it was boring, and there was too much exposition. I am NEVER reading another YA book, unless it's a Star Wars one. I've learned my lesson, yet again.