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The Coffinmaker's Garden (Ash Henderson #3)
The Coffinmaker's Garden (Ash Henderson #3)
Stuart MacBride | 2021 | Crime, Thriller
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I realise that starting to read a series on book 3 is probably not the best idea but having previously read and enjoyed some of Stuart MacBride's Logan McRae series, I thought what the heck and I certainly wasn't disappointed in the slightest and would definitely say this works as a standalone.

What we have here are 2 investigations that are equally disturbing and upsetting - a serial killer who has gone undetected for decades and a child killer who is refining his modus operandi with each innocent life he takes. Ash, in his role as consultant, is involved in both.

The characters are great - Ash, Alice, Mother, Shifty, DS Franklin and even Henry - all of them in fact, some may be a tad OTT or stereotypical but all had their place and their own little quirks which made them believable. The various settings were really well written with the scenes being so well written that they invoked sounds and smells that put me right there.

The book is written mainly from Ash's point of view. He can be a cynical and grumpy so-and-so and definitely doesn't do things by the books and does have questionable decision-making skills at times, but he definitely grew on me; I think it was his dark sense of humour that did it but also his aversion to authority who have been so far removed from the job that they haven't got a clue helped a bit ... oh and the fact that he certainly gets put through the wringer by Mr MacBride during his investigation and from what has obviously gone on in the previous books in the series, which might have had something to do with it too!

With the story lines being as dark as they are, you might think this is a dark and depressing read but fear not, this is not the case at all. Yes, as you can imagine, it's not a laugh a minute and there is quite a lot of violence throughout but there are plenty of lighter moments that will have you laughing out loud. You do have to suspend reality for some parts of the book as there are bits that are a little unbelievable but if you can't do this in a work of fiction, when can you? and it certainly didn't spoil my reading experience.

All in all, a really great book and one I would highly recommend to those of you who love their crime thrillers dark both in the plot and the humour.

Thanks to HarperCollins / HarperFiction and NetGalley for my copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
  
On July 21, 2017, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets came out in theaters the U.S. After watching the movie I found myself intrigued by the characters, world, and the passion shown by the director and writer Luc Besson showed for the project. I took this interest and decided to start reading the comic books. Thus far I have been able to read three of the volumes, as they are French comics they are not usually kept in stores and I have to order them.

The Valerian and Laureline comics follow Valerian, a handsome and cocky time and space traveler, and Laureline, his stubborn and beautiful partner. They travel together across space and time on missions for Galaxity, the capital of the Terran Empire in the 28th century. They explore strange worlds with fascinating creatures, deal with complicated political situations, and take the reader through rewritten history.

I immediately fell in love with the comics for the same reasons I enjoyed the film. The first is that the world that author Pierre Christin and artist Jean-Claude Mezieres created is truly fantastical. It falls under the same sci-fi mixed with fantasy genre that Star Wars is under. The great space galaxy is full of planets that are home to a wide range of alien species, each with complicated politics, cultures, and aesthetics.

The second reason is that I love the relationship between Valerian and Laureline. I am a very character driven person in both my reading and writing so I am a sucker for a good relationship, romantic, familial, or friendship. Valerian and Laureline start the first comic playing chess. Valerian is cocky and does not like to lose, but he is kind and smart and works hard to make the world a better place. Laureline is funny, stubborn, and unlike Valerian, she does not feel the same sense of loyalty to the Terran Empire and therefore is okay with bending the rules to save the most people. They make for a great team, and their fun banter adds to the overall charm of the story.

7810429The first issue of the series was released in 1967 and ran till 2010. Initially, all were written in French but has since been translated into English and several other languages. This series plays with a lot of the sci-fi/fantasy tropes that make you fall in love with stories in the genre, and has even been compared to Star Wars as the basis for several of the ideas used in the Star Wars films, such as the look of some of the characters and situations characters find themselves in.

This is a fun and exciting comic series that got me into reading101694 comics in the first places. I will certainly be continuing my reading of these books so that I can continue being apart of the Valerian and Laureline story. I also enjoyed the film and hope that the passion the Luc Besson showed will be enough to allow him to make another film in the series.

I would highly recommend this series!
  
Back to the Future Part II (1989)
Back to the Future Part II (1989)
1989 | Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Continues the story very well
Not many sequels not only continue right where the first film ended, but at such a fever pitch. Seems like from the moment this film starts with Doc, Marty and Jennifer going to see "their kids" in 2015, the story never really stops.

It's funny now to look at the film since we are already well past the "future" time of what filmmakers got correct (Cubs winning the World Series against "Miami" and video chatting) and what they had incorrect (flying cars, fax machines, Hover Boards). They still has mailboxes on the city streets!



Since parts 2 and 3 were filmed back to back (one of the first times this was done) the screenplay does a ton of foreshadowing of what is to come which is really cool. When Doc talks about trying to conquer "women" or how he would like to visit the Old West.

As with most time travel films, if you start to think about some of the nuances or small details too much some of them don't really jive, but this is a small detail.

I love how the last third of the film really weaves in between the events of the original Back to the Future film trying hard not to change any of those events to keep the narrative and "timeline" going as best as possible.

I remember sitting there when it ended really mad I had to wait until May of 1990 (6 whole months later) to find out what happened to Marty and Doc. Not quite as bad as having to wait 3 years to find out what happened to Han Solo after he was frozen in Carbonite, but that's another story.

  
Thrawn Ascendancy Book I: Chaos Rising
Thrawn Ascendancy Book I: Chaos Rising
Timothy Zahn | 2020 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Grand Admiral Thrawn

Mitth'raw'nuruodo.

The blue-skinned, red-eyed Imperial antagonist of Timothy Zahn's 'Heir to the Empire' series of Star Wars novels from the early 90's, and one of - if not [i]the[/i] breakout characters from that book.

Yet to make his appearance in live action (as an aside, I imagine maybe someone like Benedict Cumberbatch in the role), although he is one of the few characters to survive the 'great purge' when Disney bought out Lucasfilm and re-branded the old Expanded Universe as 'Legends', appearing in the later seasons of the animation 'Star Wars: Rebels'.

This is the first in a new trio of novels, with the opening text reading something along the lines of: 'A long time ago beside a galaxy far far away ...' which, in itself, helps set the scene. Beside a galaxy. So we're not in the realms of the Empire/The Rebellion here, or even in the realm of the Clone Wars, although we are - as the novel later makes clear when Thrawn encounters a key character from that period of time - in that particular era.

So, a prequel then? Maybe, but - I have to say- to me, this particular version of Thrawn just somehow *feels* different than that from the old EU. There's a certain Je Ne Sais Qua about that - I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's like meeting the identical twin brother of your best friend: they may look alike, sound alike and even dress alike but there's a certain indefinable *something* that's not quite right ...

Is it this version of Thrawn's political naivety? His seemingly not-quite-so-ruthless tactical genius? I don't know, but I will probably read more to see if/how the character evolves into that I am more familiar with.
  
Another fantastic, captivating, cowboy novella from the talented hands of the wonderful Dana Mentink. She takes suspense and swoon worthy cowboys, a touch of romance and lots of inspiring messages and wraps them up in an unforgettable plot line.

Ms. Mentink’s Ella and Owen are beautifully chiseled into characters that will steal your heart instantly. I loved their story. Watching Owen and Ella come to terms with not only their feelings for each other, but also with who’s behind framing Ella, was an intense ride! I love when a book will do that to you!

This second installment in the Gold Country Cowboys series is definitely one that I recommend with a high flying 4 star praise. This book will keep you up late, turning page after page, biting nail after nail, as you fly through the book to get to the last page and see how the story ends. You’ll be dying for more from this talented author! I can’t wait for the next one. Well done, Ms. Mentink!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
  
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Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Taken Girls in Books

Mar 24, 2019  
The Taken Girls
The Taken Girls
G.D. Sanders | 2018 | Crime, Mystery
6
6.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
A good debut
The Taken Girls is a unique take on the usual abduction stories in that girls are being taken but returned seemingly unharmed a short while later. It is down to DI Edina Ogborne (Ed) to find out just what the heck is going on.

Ed is a complex character and I have to admit that I found her frustrating and quite difficult to like particularly because of some of the decisions she makes in her personal life but she did end up growing on me by the end however, I'm not going to lie ... it was hard going. Having said that, this makes her all the more believable and if this is a start of a series, I am really interested to see how she develops and grows.

Written at a pretty good pace, although a little slow at times, with a few twists along the way, this book is a decent debut and G D Sanders is yet another author to put on my radar.

My thanks go to the publisher, Avon Books UK, and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review of which this is.
  
RF
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Penny and Antonia have been invited up to Napa County to look at a wine train. The owner is thinking about creating one and wants to use some of their land for the track. The trip on the train turns deadly when one of the investor’s wives is murdered, and the only logical suspect is Antonia’s daughter. Penny might not like Chantal, but she knows Chantal isn’t a killer. Can she prove it?

While I enjoyed the first in this series, I liked this one even better. The book does a great job of setting up the new characters, and once we got to know them, we were off and running with a mystery. The plot was fantastic, and I had missed the clues until they were pointed out at the end. The returning characters are strong, and I enjoyed spending time with them again as well. Pour yourself a glass of wine, pick up this book, and enjoy.

NOTE: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/03/book-review-ripe-for-murder-by-carlene.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
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Awix (3310 KP) rated Captain America: Civil War (2016) in Movies

Mar 30, 2018 (Updated Feb 14, 2020)  
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
2016 | Action, Sci-Fi
Thirteenth MCU movie is a supremely confident and accomplished piece of entertainment. Attempts to bring the Avengers under political control cause tensions within the group; these are only exacerbated when the Winter Soldier resurfaces and apparently commits a deadly attack on an international summit.

Despite the title, this is basically the third Avengers movie, and possibly the best one yet, with great performances and superbly staged action built around a solid script. The directors marshal a big story with lots and lots of characters and make it look very easy; no wonder they were signed up for the next (proper) Avengers film. On the other hand, despite the exhilarating thrills of sequences like the stunning airport battle, this is ultimately quite a dark and introspective film about guilt, loyalty, responsibility, and friendships stretched to breaking point, and this and the fact it is so dependent on having seen many of the previous films in the series means it is probably not the most accessible of Marvel pictures. For those who've been following along, however, this is one of the best film in what's currently the most consistently impressive film franchise in the world. Plus, Black Panther's in it, too.
  
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Dean (6927 KP) Feb 14, 2020

Confused looks like 2 reviews and ratings for the same film?

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Awix (3310 KP) Feb 14, 2020

Goldurn it. You're right. I'll flag it up.

The Cabin (Close Proximity #2)
The Cabin (Close Proximity #2)
Erin M. Leaf | 2018 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Cabin (Close Proximity #2) by Erin M. Leaf
The Cabin is the second book in the Close Proximity series, and we meet Flynn who has just been jilted at the altar, and Beau, an artist from LA with a reservation gone wrong. Flynn offers his couch for the night, due to the weather conditions and the mix up, but finds more than he bargained for in Beau.

Whilst not as quick as The Elevator, this story is nevertheless a quick one, fast-paced and punchy, just like I would expect from this author. It is well written, with no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. The bulk of the story with Flynn and Beau is set over one night, although there is a time lapse at the end.

I am thoroughly enjoying these books, even if the cynical side of me is snorting at the insta-love! Definitely recommended by me.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
WENDIGO
WENDIGO
Erik Henry Vick | 2018 | Horror, Paranormal, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
MYTHICAL CREATURE EVOLVED (0 more)
AMAZING horror novella that introduces Blood of the Ysir saga.
In this book "Wendigo" is a term used by the indigenous inhabitants for demonic creatures who eat human flesh and are always ravenous. In other folklore the wendigo nature is a curse visited as a punishment on human cannibals when they first taste human flesh.
In this fictional world that we enter with Erik,
the curse is triggered by the same crime, but there are genetic requirements and the cursed can transform into powerful werebeasts. At one time, these creatures were treated as gods and fed by their neighbors, but the native peoples abandoned this practice and the creatures, who had human intelligence, shape shifting powers and massive strength and could not be killed, turned in anger to preying extensively on humans.
This book is well worth the read as a standalone novella if you prefer but if like me it snags from the beginning and you to continue following the journey so remember to check out the Blood of the Ysir saga to continue on the path. Highly anxious for the third in series now!!