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Throne of Glass
Throne of Glass
Sarah J. Maas | 2012 | Children, Fiction & Poetry
9
8.7 (91 Ratings)
Book Rating
Badass female (1 more)
Mystery
The King (0 more)
She's beauty and grace. She's not sorry at all about your face.
There are quite a few people who look down on Celaena Sardothien as a character because she is a badass woman who is confident in her appearance. She thinks about how she presents herself to the world and has no qualms about declaring her beauty. She comes off as vain, but I found it as a relief after reading so many books where a female character did not realize her worth for whatever reason. It was a nice change to go from a mousy girl who does not believe in herself to Celaena, who does not always believe in herself, but at least knows she is on top of the world.
Throne of Glass has an array of characters who have a purpose. Each one mentioned plays a part in some manner. It may not be in this first book of the series, but they all play a part at some point. No one is unimportant. They weigh on the events unfolding even if it is the smallest of details. They aren't there are fillers, which is wonderful.

As for the very obviously love triangle between Celaena, Chaol, and Dorian I was fine with it. Even if it was a focus, their triangle did not keep from the plot. It was not a distraction and thrown in their for "romance". It actually plays a part for later in the series. In a way, I felt it helped progress the story along and did not keep us from the main focus: rid the kingdom of evil.
  
Left (Reflections #12)
Left (Reflections #12)
Dean Murray | 2016 | Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Left is about Jess, simple as that. We've had Isaac's side of the story in Lost, so I was happy to read Jess' side, even though I'm not her biggest fan.

Jess lost her memories when Oblivion got his hands on her. Since then, she has had to deal with other people's memories of her, trying to fit her back into a box that she no longer remembers. She reacted by pushing those that knew her away, and going with Wyatt on an 'adventure'.

Now, I've already said that I'm not her biggest fan. I thought she came across as incredibly self-centred, petty and selfish. The best bit about this book is when Jess realised that for herself! To acknowledge your faults takes courage. To try and better yourself is hard work, but Jess is prepared to try her best. Wyatt - there's more to this playboy than meets the eye, but I just couldn't warm to him. I won't give spoilers, but I will say that I'm not disappointed with how his story turned out.

There is an awful lot of information in this book, from descriptions of their surroundings to the history of the Graves line, to politics within the pack. It does feel a bit heavy during these parts, but stick with it as there is information in there that you need to know.

This is an exceptional series that I have thoroughly enjoyed. I am wondering where Dean will take it next! For this book as a whole, I will give it 4-stars. However, for the ending, that is definitely 5-stars! This is part of a series, so I would definitely recommend that you start from the beginning and immerse yourself in this world.

* 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!
Feb 24, 2016
  
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David McK (3632 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Assassin's Creed: Origins in Video Games

Mar 10, 2019  
Assassin's Creed: Origins
Assassin's Creed: Origins
2017 | Action/Adventure
The visuals (1 more)
Photo mode
Endless grinding needed to level up (0 more)
Ubisoft's 2017 entry in their Assassins Creed series; a series that, as time goes on, has seemingly become further and further disconnected from its original template - the whole animus concept (that allows a user to relive the memories of their ancestor), for instance, is now little but a side thought.

This particular entry is set in ancient Egypt, and introduces the character of Bayek the Medjay, who becomes responsible for the birth of the Assassins Brotherhood. Combat has been overhauled, with the series moving more into RPG territory than before and, at least to my mind, losing part of its identity as a result. I'm also not a fan of the endless grinding needed in order to advance levels with most of the main quests requiring Bayek to be at a certain level to have any chance of succeeding.
  
Prison Break  - Season 1
Prison Break - Season 1
2005 | Action
No Escaping The High Ratings
I've never been so into a show as this one. My binge-watching addiction commenced with this series. Truly addicting and irresistible. If I had to choose between all the shows I've watched, this is one of the BEST! Innovative and creative. It contains clever inventions of escape that never fail to amaze. I'm not a nail-biter, but this is the show that can cause one to start. It keeps you on the edge of your seat. I didn't watch this show as it aired, I watched it on NETFLIX, I cannot imagine the viewers who actually had to wait years for the upcoming seasons because each episode has cliffhangers that leave you itching for more. It contains a great story line. Sharp plotting. It's excellent, suspenseful, and intriguing. Overall, an unpredictable thrill ride.
  
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CKD (37 KP) rated Still Me in Books

Dec 7, 2018  
Still Me
Still Me
Jojo Moyes | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry, Romance
10
8.7 (31 Ratings)
Book Rating
Full Disclosure - this was an unedited, pre-release Goodreads win.

This is book 3 in the "Me Before You" trilogy. Not sure if there will be another one in the series. This book picks up Louisa's (Lou) story after she stops caring for Will Traynor and dealing with her emotions and feelings afterward. It continues with her relationships built from the previous book, "After You". In this book, Louisa reunites with Nate in New York working for a wealthy family as an assistant to the wife. She discovers that, while this life in NY is totally different than her life in England, she really enjoys it but misses home and her family. She is seeing everyone around her (both in NY and England) moving on with their lives and, by the end of the book, it is her time to move on.
  
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Awix (3310 KP) rated 3 Faces (2018) in Movies

May 19, 2019 (Updated May 19, 2019)  
3 Faces (2018)
3 Faces (2018)
2018 | Comedy, Drama
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Low-octane comedy-drama from Iran, as a film director and an actress (both playing themselves) set off to learn the fate of a teenage girl who has sent them a series of troubling messages. And... they drive around a lot, meet various locals, hear a lot of stories not strictly relevant to their investigation, and so on.

I went to see this with a friend of Iranian extraction and at the end I asked him if there was some kind of subtle cultural subtext going on I wasn't picking up on. And he said no, this is just a film with not much going on in it. The pace is ambling, at best, the tone curiously laid-back (the closest thing to a plot twist comes when a prize stud bull hurts its leg); there may be something going on about cultural and generational divides within Iran, but if so it's very obliquely presented. Not unpleasant to watch, but the entertainment value is ambient.
  
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Awix (3310 KP) rated Worzel Gummidge in TV

Jan 3, 2020  
Worzel Gummidge
Worzel Gummidge
2019 | Comedy, Fantasy
Writer-director-actor-everything Mackenzie Crook's new take on the famous scarecrow draws much more from the original books than the first TV series with Jon Pertwee forty years ago. It certainly sounds like the stuff of classic children's literature: two children visiting the countryside discover Worzel Gummidge, a walking, talking scarecrow.

What makes it special is that, firstly, it is genuinely very funny, with strong performances from all concerned, and, secondly, when it's not trying to be funny, it is actually quite eerie: as the Unthanks' soundtrack played and the scarecrows of Albion stirred into awkward life, I felt a genuine shiver down my spine. It's not quite folk horror for kids, but there is a mystical atmosphere to the whole thing which suits the story extremely well. All of this is handled with a surprising but very welcome lightness of touch. One of the best things I saw on TV in 2019 (not that this is necessarily saying much).
  
Undeniable (Undeniable, #1)
Undeniable (Undeniable, #1)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I liked a lot of things about this but there were also things I didn't like, like Frankie. What the hell was wrong with him?

Not sure how I feel about biker books; I don't like some of the things they do: sleeping with "club whores" while they have wives at home. Doesn't make them very likeable, especially Deuce in this, though he pulled through in the end but not without me wanting to punch him in the face a few times.

Cox, I could forgive because he did the right thing in the end and he always remembered Kami.

I also kinda liked Dorothy, too, so I really hope the guy (who's name I cant quite remember at the minute. Jace?) does the right thing by her because he seems to really care about her and she loves him, whether they're both married or not.

I'll certainly be reading the other books in the series, especially book 4, since that's Dorothy's book.
  
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Dean (6927 KP) rated Fast & Furious 9 (2021) in Movies

Jun 25, 2021 (Updated May 22, 2023)  
Fast & Furious 9 (2021)
Fast & Furious 9 (2021)
2021 | Action, Adventure, Crime
Big cast (1 more)
Good chase locations
Unbelievable stunts (1 more)
Space?!
Good if not in top gear
Another decent entry which ticks the Fast & Furious check list set by the recent entries. Good to see more of the Fast cast of previous films on show here. There are some good chase scenes in various locations around the globe. We also get a peak at Dom's early life.
On the down side some of the cast deserve more screen time, also feels quite different not having the Rock in this entry.
The franchise in recent entries has had crazy stunts and this has some again which seem far fetched even by the usual standards. Even sending cars into space now.
It will satisfy fans of the series as a whole, even if it's not quite as good as some of the other films. Hopefully Fast 10 will combine the best elements of the franchise altogether to get back on track.