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Cryptid
6.0
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Cryptozoologist Mike Kellogg studies the creatures of folklore and legend: cryptids. Some are well...
young-adult
The Women of Troy
9.0
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Following her bestselling, critically acclaimed The Silence of the Girls, Pat Barker continues her...
Mythology Greek Mythology Folk Tales Myths and Fairy Tales
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Empress of All Seasons in Books
Mar 20, 2019
Characters (2 more)
World-building
Japanese mythology
I am so torn on this book. I'm really tired of the trope of "batch of girls competing to win a dude" that seems to be so popular lately. But this is an Asian take on the trope, so I don't want to come down too hard on it for that. I attended a panel at the last Baltimore Book Festival about old tropes being resurrected by minority authors, and I agree that just because a trope might seem old and played out, putting a new spin on it with minority characters and themes deserves its own time. That is definitely valid. But they were talking about tropes like vampires and zombies and retold classics like Pride and Prejudice and Alice in Wonderland. I'm not sure the trope of "girls competing to win a dude" deserves more time in any form. (To be fair, I kind of equally hate guys competing to win the hand of the princess. No one should be obligated to marry someone just because they won an arbitrary competition. There are all kinds of consent issues there.)
Despite that, I really enjoyed this book. I loved the characters, the variety of yõkai, the bits of myth interspersed throughout the book. I do question Akira being trained to be a master of shuriken in a matter of days - like, really? And I wish instead of summarizing a ton in the epilogue, she'd just written a sequel, because I think there's enough material to do it. You'd think, with so much I didn't like about the book, that my overall opinion would be negative - but it's not. Even with all of those bad points, this book was enthralling and kept me reading right to the end.
Empress of all Seasons is a great Japanese-inspired fantasy that relies a little too much on old tropes. Set your inner critic to the side and just enjoy the ride, because the story is fantastic.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
Despite that, I really enjoyed this book. I loved the characters, the variety of yõkai, the bits of myth interspersed throughout the book. I do question Akira being trained to be a master of shuriken in a matter of days - like, really? And I wish instead of summarizing a ton in the epilogue, she'd just written a sequel, because I think there's enough material to do it. You'd think, with so much I didn't like about the book, that my overall opinion would be negative - but it's not. Even with all of those bad points, this book was enthralling and kept me reading right to the end.
Empress of all Seasons is a great Japanese-inspired fantasy that relies a little too much on old tropes. Set your inner critic to the side and just enjoy the ride, because the story is fantastic.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
Cyn Armistead (14 KP) rated and Falling, Fly (Harrowing #1) in Books
Mar 1, 2018
[a:Sam Chupp|11847|Sam Chupp|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1219698183p2/11847.jpg] has been after me to read this book for weeks, so as soon as I finished [b:All Clear|7519231|All Clear (All Clear, #2)|Connie Willis|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1267552735s/7519231.jpg|9735628], I started it. This book is different from anything else I've read in years. I hesitate to say it's more literary than most fantasy, because I don't like "literary" books - they're usually stuffy, dry, and presumptuous.
After the first few chapters, there's no slowing down, because you're as caught up in what's happening as the characters are. I was transfixed by White's descriptions, which can make even ugliness fascinating.
<blockquote>We are traveling into time, burning two hours for every one I endure beside this babbling, cursed child of Greece. I see them all the time, these bastard half children of stories and mortals, trapped between worlds, the genetic lineage of myth reasserting itself across the inextricable ages. Helen of Troy is born the socialite child of a partial Zeus mated to half of a swan-loving Leda, the mythic DNA in each of them dormant until they breed and damn their offspring with its expression.</blockquote>
White's vampire mythos is like no other I've encountered. I found it far more believable than most of what's being printed over and over and over again. Another refreshing thing about the book is that there's no feeling of a set up for a series. Oddly, though, I'm now seeing the book identified as the first of a series called Harrowing, at least on GoodReads, but as far as I can tell, the second book has no characters in common with the first. Perhaps it's simply set in the same universe?
In any case, I've added [b:In Dreams Begin|7850577|In Dreams Begin|Skyler White|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1269478625s/7850577.jpg|10971303] to my to-read stack, and I'll be keeping an eye on [a:Skyler White|2977214|Skyler White|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1290046039p2/2977214.jpg].
After the first few chapters, there's no slowing down, because you're as caught up in what's happening as the characters are. I was transfixed by White's descriptions, which can make even ugliness fascinating.
<blockquote>We are traveling into time, burning two hours for every one I endure beside this babbling, cursed child of Greece. I see them all the time, these bastard half children of stories and mortals, trapped between worlds, the genetic lineage of myth reasserting itself across the inextricable ages. Helen of Troy is born the socialite child of a partial Zeus mated to half of a swan-loving Leda, the mythic DNA in each of them dormant until they breed and damn their offspring with its expression.</blockquote>
White's vampire mythos is like no other I've encountered. I found it far more believable than most of what's being printed over and over and over again. Another refreshing thing about the book is that there's no feeling of a set up for a series. Oddly, though, I'm now seeing the book identified as the first of a series called Harrowing, at least on GoodReads, but as far as I can tell, the second book has no characters in common with the first. Perhaps it's simply set in the same universe?
In any case, I've added [b:In Dreams Begin|7850577|In Dreams Begin|Skyler White|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1269478625s/7850577.jpg|10971303] to my to-read stack, and I'll be keeping an eye on [a:Skyler White|2977214|Skyler White|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1290046039p2/2977214.jpg].
Anne (15117 KP) rated The Killing Fog (The Grave Kingdom, #1) in Books
Nov 4, 2019
Thanks to NetGalley and 47North for letting me read and review this incredible story. I'm already anxiously awaiting the next book in this series! I love and have read most of Jeff Wheeler's works and he never disappoints with his stories full of adventure, intrigue, romance, life lessons and so much more. It's always one wild rollercoaster ride with my emotions when I read one of his books, but I always learn or take away something and enjoy the stories immensely.
I always find myself easily lost and immersed in the worlds he creates and invested in the characters and the stories they have to tell. This story is very unique and different from others that Jeff Wheeler has written and just as amazing and engrossing as the others I have read.
In this story, we find ourselves following along with this story of an orphaned girl named Bingmei, who is with a group of mercenaries that serve a local ruler. They are sent on a mission to find and retrieve what treasures they can that are in a lost palace buried and preserved in ice. But when they get there, they find more than they bargained for and when they upset the tomb, they unknowingly cause havoc.
Bingmei unknowingly brings Echion, Dragon of the Night back to life, waking him from his tomb and now is meant to fulfill her part in the legendary prophecy. She has to destroy Echion before he takes over all the kingdoms and he has to stop her from destroying him. Bingmei knows what she has to do, but she doesn't know if she can do it.
This is in a world of ancient myth, legend, magic and is a story about love, loss, grief, balance, duty, honor and what people do when faced with difficult choices in heart-rending situations and so much more. You definitely want to have this one on your list, preorder it and read it as soon as you can.
I always find myself easily lost and immersed in the worlds he creates and invested in the characters and the stories they have to tell. This story is very unique and different from others that Jeff Wheeler has written and just as amazing and engrossing as the others I have read.
In this story, we find ourselves following along with this story of an orphaned girl named Bingmei, who is with a group of mercenaries that serve a local ruler. They are sent on a mission to find and retrieve what treasures they can that are in a lost palace buried and preserved in ice. But when they get there, they find more than they bargained for and when they upset the tomb, they unknowingly cause havoc.
Bingmei unknowingly brings Echion, Dragon of the Night back to life, waking him from his tomb and now is meant to fulfill her part in the legendary prophecy. She has to destroy Echion before he takes over all the kingdoms and he has to stop her from destroying him. Bingmei knows what she has to do, but she doesn't know if she can do it.
This is in a world of ancient myth, legend, magic and is a story about love, loss, grief, balance, duty, honor and what people do when faced with difficult choices in heart-rending situations and so much more. You definitely want to have this one on your list, preorder it and read it as soon as you can.
Dale Lawson (13 KP) rated Missing Link (2019) in Movies
Feb 29, 2020
Animation Style (3 more)
Character development
Voice Acting
Hilarity
An adventurous, family-friendly animation.
After winning the BAFTA for best animated feature, my interest in seeing this film rose. As it is conveniently found on Netflix, we watched it as a family for a ‘movie night’. I was prepared for a mediocre adventure in search of a missing link between man and ape. What you actually get is a heartfelt, quintessentially British, global adventure in search of a home for a lonely Sasquatch. The journey each character goes through is wonderful as they learn about family, friendships and individuality before conquering the villain.
With a high calibre cast, this film is full of seasoned voice actors. So much so that it is actually difficult to identify the owner of each voice until the credits roll. This, for the most part, makes the film even more enjoyable as you aren’t left guessing actors or imagining them in the role.
Beginning with two characters on a quest for the Loch Ness Monster, the story is full of mystery and myth. It then becomes a predictable one, when it gets into its flow. For an adult, this can make the film a little expected. However, for a child this film is filled with hilarity. When watching with my three kids, there was non-stop laughter. From the naming of the Sasquatch to him forgetting swimwear, the room was full of joy.
Animation has always been a passion of mine, since I was young: from hand drawn to computer generated. My favourite had always been stop motion. Missing Link is primarily filmed in stop motion, using new techniques that allow for smoother facial transitions. The film’s adventurous nature encourages for exciting sets and explosive additional CGI that makes the film feel incredibly polished.
Captivating the attention of adults and children, alike, Missing Link provides an animated, family friendly adventure that teaches morals and respect. I can see why it won so many awards and challenges Toy Story 4 for the top place.
With a high calibre cast, this film is full of seasoned voice actors. So much so that it is actually difficult to identify the owner of each voice until the credits roll. This, for the most part, makes the film even more enjoyable as you aren’t left guessing actors or imagining them in the role.
Beginning with two characters on a quest for the Loch Ness Monster, the story is full of mystery and myth. It then becomes a predictable one, when it gets into its flow. For an adult, this can make the film a little expected. However, for a child this film is filled with hilarity. When watching with my three kids, there was non-stop laughter. From the naming of the Sasquatch to him forgetting swimwear, the room was full of joy.
Animation has always been a passion of mine, since I was young: from hand drawn to computer generated. My favourite had always been stop motion. Missing Link is primarily filmed in stop motion, using new techniques that allow for smoother facial transitions. The film’s adventurous nature encourages for exciting sets and explosive additional CGI that makes the film feel incredibly polished.
Captivating the attention of adults and children, alike, Missing Link provides an animated, family friendly adventure that teaches morals and respect. I can see why it won so many awards and challenges Toy Story 4 for the top place.
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