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Zombie Kidz Evolution
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Tabletop Game
Zombie Kidz Evolution is the first "legacy"-style game for kids, with basic gameplay similar to the...
Merissa (12066 KP) rated Shadows & Starstone (The Immortals #1) in Books
Apr 14, 2023
To start off a new fantasy world within a novella is a very brave thing to do. So often, you need an epic novel due to the amount of world-building that you need to do. Somehow, Cheryl Mackey has managed to build a world, complete with history, within a very short space that is not lacking in any way!
Our four heroes battle against evil and their memories. You get glimpses of their pasts which will intrigue you and leave you wanting more. A lot is answered in this novella but it is Part One so you are left with teasers for the next book, none of which I will mention so as not to spoil it for anyone.
If you are dipping your toe into the genre of Fantasy, or want an atypical fast Fantasy read, then I can definitely recommend this book. In fact, I would recommend it to all Fantasy fans.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jul 5, 2015
Our four heroes battle against evil and their memories. You get glimpses of their pasts which will intrigue you and leave you wanting more. A lot is answered in this novella but it is Part One so you are left with teasers for the next book, none of which I will mention so as not to spoil it for anyone.
If you are dipping your toe into the genre of Fantasy, or want an atypical fast Fantasy read, then I can definitely recommend this book. In fact, I would recommend it to all Fantasy fans.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jul 5, 2015
Left You Dead: (Roy Grace)
Book
Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, creation of the CWA Diamond Dagger award-winning author Peter...
Becky is a retelling of Vanity Fair - which I haven’t read - so I only really know what other people have said about it, really. Regardless of my lack of background knowledge, I can safely say that you will be able to enjoy this novel without any Regency or Victorian novel reading background.
I tore through this. When you realise that for the meteoric rise of the main character, Becky, there will be a plummet, it’s a case of morbid fascination!
And like the original, this is a story without a hero. None of the men are particularly “dashing”, or nice, in fact. Becky isn’t a likeable character either. She knows what she wants, and will do anything in the dirty world of tabloid “news” to get it.
I couldn’t stop reading this, and I closed the book after the last page thinking: “Well THAT was a good job!”
So hopefully I haven’t given too much away, and if you’ve read any of my other reviews, you’ll know that I love to hate a character, and Becky has this particular trait in spades!
It’s a cracking read!
I tore through this. When you realise that for the meteoric rise of the main character, Becky, there will be a plummet, it’s a case of morbid fascination!
And like the original, this is a story without a hero. None of the men are particularly “dashing”, or nice, in fact. Becky isn’t a likeable character either. She knows what she wants, and will do anything in the dirty world of tabloid “news” to get it.
I couldn’t stop reading this, and I closed the book after the last page thinking: “Well THAT was a good job!”
So hopefully I haven’t given too much away, and if you’ve read any of my other reviews, you’ll know that I love to hate a character, and Becky has this particular trait in spades!
It’s a cracking read!
Merissa (12066 KP) rated Dalysian Hope (Dalysia #1) in Books
Jun 7, 2023
If you like Fantasy with an Urban twist, then this is definitely one for you. Sophie is living a 'normal' life until one evening when weirdness erupts and two guys show up in her life. One may be there to help, and one may be there to hinder, but until Sophie figures out what the heck is going on, then she will be none the wiser!
This is the author's debut novel and I am already in love with her intimate and descriptive writing style. It doesn't feel like it was written for the masses, but rather just for "you" alone. This means that you are drawn right into the story and care about the characters, some more than others!
With layer upon layer woven together in a thrilling elemental story, this book will sweep you away and definitely leave you wanting more.
Oh, one thing more I need to say - TEAM REN!!!
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Apr 30, 2016
This is the author's debut novel and I am already in love with her intimate and descriptive writing style. It doesn't feel like it was written for the masses, but rather just for "you" alone. This means that you are drawn right into the story and care about the characters, some more than others!
With layer upon layer woven together in a thrilling elemental story, this book will sweep you away and definitely leave you wanting more.
Oh, one thing more I need to say - TEAM REN!!!
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Apr 30, 2016
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Fantastic Four (2005) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
About As Memorable As My Last Poop
Based on the long-running comic book, four people are given superpowers when they come in contact with cosmic energy out in space.
Acting: 7
Beginning: 5
Not exactly how you start a movie. Definitely could have scored this lower, but there was at least a glimmer of hope shown in the first ten minutes that told me this movie wouldn’t be a total waste of space. Still, my hopes weren’t high.
Characters: 3
I had some issues here, but I struggled with my scoring. Reason being, I LOVE the comic book characters and appreciate their depth. Yeah, none of that is shown in this movie. The characters aren’t layered, rather they have mere personality types, none of which I was really in love with. They made Johnny Storm (Chris Evans) an over-the-top dick while Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd), the brains of the group, can’t understand the concept of normal social interaction to save his life. I won’t even waste time profiling the other lame-duck characters. You get the point.
Cinematography/Visuals: 2
Conflict: 2
Entertainment Value: 0
At no point during Fantastic Four did I ever say, “Ok, we might have something here.” It was bad on top of bad from beginning to end. Just an unapologetic dumpster fire. Sitting through this movie again is what I envision Hell to be like.
Memorability: 5
Pace: 4
Talk about a slow-moving film. Not only does it take forever for scenes to get to the point, but they divert off into random tangents that ultimately amount to nothing. This is a don’t-pause-when-you-go-to-the-bathroom movie. Drove me crazy.
Plot: 2
There is a scene that happens on a bridge where people need saving. Not only do all four of the superheroes magically end up on the bridge at the same time (they weren’t together previously), but Thing’s wife shows up as well just to walk away in shame because of how gross he’s become. I laughed my ass off! And that should tell you enough about what I think of the plot.
Resolution: 4
I give it a four because it ended. No, the ending wasn’t any better than the rest of the movie, but damnit, it ended and the fact that it finally came to a close put me out of my misery.
Overall: 34
There are bad movies that make me want to stop watching and reviewing movies altogether because of how horrible they are. And then there’s Fantastic Four. This movie is torture to the millionth degree.
Acting: 7
Beginning: 5
Not exactly how you start a movie. Definitely could have scored this lower, but there was at least a glimmer of hope shown in the first ten minutes that told me this movie wouldn’t be a total waste of space. Still, my hopes weren’t high.
Characters: 3
I had some issues here, but I struggled with my scoring. Reason being, I LOVE the comic book characters and appreciate their depth. Yeah, none of that is shown in this movie. The characters aren’t layered, rather they have mere personality types, none of which I was really in love with. They made Johnny Storm (Chris Evans) an over-the-top dick while Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd), the brains of the group, can’t understand the concept of normal social interaction to save his life. I won’t even waste time profiling the other lame-duck characters. You get the point.
Cinematography/Visuals: 2
Conflict: 2
Entertainment Value: 0
At no point during Fantastic Four did I ever say, “Ok, we might have something here.” It was bad on top of bad from beginning to end. Just an unapologetic dumpster fire. Sitting through this movie again is what I envision Hell to be like.
Memorability: 5
Pace: 4
Talk about a slow-moving film. Not only does it take forever for scenes to get to the point, but they divert off into random tangents that ultimately amount to nothing. This is a don’t-pause-when-you-go-to-the-bathroom movie. Drove me crazy.
Plot: 2
There is a scene that happens on a bridge where people need saving. Not only do all four of the superheroes magically end up on the bridge at the same time (they weren’t together previously), but Thing’s wife shows up as well just to walk away in shame because of how gross he’s become. I laughed my ass off! And that should tell you enough about what I think of the plot.
Resolution: 4
I give it a four because it ended. No, the ending wasn’t any better than the rest of the movie, but damnit, it ended and the fact that it finally came to a close put me out of my misery.
Overall: 34
There are bad movies that make me want to stop watching and reviewing movies altogether because of how horrible they are. And then there’s Fantastic Four. This movie is torture to the millionth degree.
Ross (3284 KP) rated The Shadow Man in Books
Feb 19, 2021 (Updated Feb 19, 2021)
Good thriller, but not a patch on Fields' other books
This standalone (as far as I know) book sits beside Fields' Luc Callanach (Ava Turner) series, again set in Edinburgh. Other than the brash Chief Superintendent Overbeck, none of those characters are introduced here. Instead, because of the workload of Edinburgh's Major Incident Team, DI Baarda has been called in from London to assist in a murder/kidnapping. Along with him is Dr Connie Woodwine, a brash American criminal psychologist. They are looking into the disappearance of one woman, and quickly link it to the death of another and find that they are on the hunt for someone with issues.
Connie is a fairly stereotypical academic, clinical type as she has virtually no people skills on the surface, issuing demands and attacking conversations head-on in a very un-British way. And yet when we see her interviewing witnesses, such as a young girl who saw a schoolmate be abducted, she is suddenly very tactful and sensitive. In this way, she is both an interesting, complex character, but also a much seen cliched one. She has a tendency to do an awful lot of telling during interviews, explaining to all in the room the theory of her approach to the interview. While this was interesting, it took me right out of the book as something completely unnatural, and read more as a brain dump of the author's research for the book. A little more show, less tell as usual would have worked well here.
Baarda is similarly familiar, a dedicated career cop with marital problems (his wife having an open affair with another officer).
Together, the pair piece together few clues and start to evolve something of a profile for the man who has been kidnapping people. However, I felt this aspect didn't yield results until quite late on, all progress up to that point (next to none) was through standard police work/luck.
The antagonist here was interesting, but nowhere near as dark and mysterious as the blurb makes him sound. We're not talking Hannibal Lecter here, just a confused man with a fairly typical upbringing. Fields essentially cottoned on to an interesting medical/psychological condition and pieced together a plot based on it. While this was enjoyable, it made it somewhat crime-by-numbers.
A good book, but left me longing for Ava Turner's more likable policing style.
Advance reading copy received from the publishers and netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Connie is a fairly stereotypical academic, clinical type as she has virtually no people skills on the surface, issuing demands and attacking conversations head-on in a very un-British way. And yet when we see her interviewing witnesses, such as a young girl who saw a schoolmate be abducted, she is suddenly very tactful and sensitive. In this way, she is both an interesting, complex character, but also a much seen cliched one. She has a tendency to do an awful lot of telling during interviews, explaining to all in the room the theory of her approach to the interview. While this was interesting, it took me right out of the book as something completely unnatural, and read more as a brain dump of the author's research for the book. A little more show, less tell as usual would have worked well here.
Baarda is similarly familiar, a dedicated career cop with marital problems (his wife having an open affair with another officer).
Together, the pair piece together few clues and start to evolve something of a profile for the man who has been kidnapping people. However, I felt this aspect didn't yield results until quite late on, all progress up to that point (next to none) was through standard police work/luck.
The antagonist here was interesting, but nowhere near as dark and mysterious as the blurb makes him sound. We're not talking Hannibal Lecter here, just a confused man with a fairly typical upbringing. Fields essentially cottoned on to an interesting medical/psychological condition and pieced together a plot based on it. While this was enjoyable, it made it somewhat crime-by-numbers.
A good book, but left me longing for Ava Turner's more likable policing style.
Advance reading copy received from the publishers and netgalley in exchange for an honest review.