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Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Sniper Elite 4 in Video Games

Oct 10, 2017 (Updated Oct 10, 2017)  
Sniper Elite 4
Sniper Elite 4
2017 | Shooter
Satisfying gameplay. (2 more)
X-Ray camera.
Neat settings.
Generic characters and plot. (1 more)
Sub par graphics.
Hits It's Target
The fourth game in the third person WW2 shooter series, this game expands on the groundwork laid by it's predecessors. If you are coming off of a story driven game and are just looking for something satisfying and fun, then this is perfect for you. The story and characters are paper thin and the voice acting is all over the place in terms of quality, but that's not why you come to Sniper Elite, you come to watch a Nazi's brains explode from the sheer impact of your well placed bullet.


This is definitely the best game in the series in terms of it's gameplay systems. The control given to the player is clear and specific and if you miss a shot, you have no one to blame but yourself. The infamous X-ray cam makes a glorious return and it is even more detailed and brutal than in previous entries. No matter how many times you make a pair of Nazi testicles go pop from across a beautiful Italian town, it never gets old.


The other great thing about this game is it's various settings. There is an array of different maps that you work your way through during the game's campaign and each is unique and well thought out enough to give you a challenge, but also make you feel like a total bad-ass when you land a near impossible shot, in equal measure.


Although the landscapes are nice to run around in and function well in terms of matching with the game's gameplay style, the quality of the graphics itself isn't going to astonish anyone. We are around halfway through the PS4's life-cycle and this looks at best, like a late generation PS3 game. Again though, it doesn't really matter here, no one is buying Sniper Elite 4 for it's graphical quality.


Overall, there is a ton of fun to be had here. Don't think too much about the story and just enjoy systematically working your way through each various map, popping Nazi skulls as you go.
  
Beating Ruby (Spotless Series Book 2)
Beating Ruby (Spotless Series Book 2)
Camilla Monk | 2016 | Crime, Romance, Thriller
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I have been putting off this review for a long time because once I write it, I must accept that I have finished the novel and the wait for book 3 begins. If I loved Spotless, I don’t think there are words for how I feel about Beating Ruby. I don’t think I could love this series more if I tried. It is utter perfection in every way and has everything you could ever want in a novel whether that be action, romance, or humor. Monk (and her leading lady Island) has a unique voice that gives her life all her own. I didn’t think it was possible for an author to fit so much personality into a fictional character, but I feel as if Island and I are old friends, that she is flesh and blood instead of words on paper. Not to mention she is far more relatable than the plethora of heroines I read about.

I will be honest and say that Beating Ruby was a bit hard to get into. Mainly because, like Island, I was still too hung up on March to give Alex, or the plotline itself, a chance. I am so glad I hung in there though. Monk likes to torture her readers with what ifs and maybes, but at least in the instance, she wasn’t a complete sadist.

While I enjoyed Spotless, I definitely feel that Beating Ruby surpassed the bar its prequel raised. It still had the same sassy humor and brains that Spotless had. However, I feel Beating Ruby brought more emotions that Spotless just didn’t touch. Of course, there was plenty of leftover turmoil from secrets revealed in Spotless to fuel the emotional fire as well as questions that still needed answers.

Again, Monk ends her sequel with what I would consider a cliffhanger. I should be furious that I have to suffer yet again until she graces us with the third in the series. However, I think I can forgive her since Beating Ruby surpassed its predecessor. Even if the third is only half as good as the first two, I will content.
  
Wild: A Journey from Lost to Found
Wild: A Journey from Lost to Found
Cheryl Strayed | 2013 | Biography
10
8.2 (10 Ratings)
Book Rating
<i>I won this book through Goodreads First Reads</i>

Recently brought to the big screen starring Academy Award Winner Reese Witherspoon, <i>Wild</i> is a true account of Cheryl Strayed's epic hike along the Pacific Crest Trail. Over the course of three months Cheryl treks from Mojave, California, through Oregon before finishing at the Bridge of the Gods.

<i>Wild</i> is a compelling story that reveals a young woman's determination and bravery to complete her impulsive walk of eleven hundred miles. Ill-prepared and still struggling with the death of her mother a few years earlier, Cherly sets off unknowing of the strength she would need to complete her challenge.

As Cheryl writes the reader learns how she survey the severe changes in weather conditions, her lack of food and money as well as her damaged feet and missing toenails.

Cheryl Strayed's story is an inspiration to readers as she proves that a human being can go above and beyond expectation in extraordinary circumstances. Despite having the truth laid out on paper, it is impossible to imagine the emotions and physical exertion Cheryl must have gone through.

A good thing about this biographical tale is that Cheryl's narrative does not solely focus on the PCT but refers back to events of the past that have made Cheryl who she is today and influenced her decision to begin the trail. The reader begins to know the real Cheryl and understand what she is feeling and thinking at different points in the book.

Split into five parts, Cheryl has used famous quotes to reflect the content of the following chapters. This takes the book to a higher intellectual level than just having the narrative.

Even if reading about someone going for a long walk sounds unappealing, it is so beautifully written, full of raw emotion that it will be enjoyed by many different readers whether male or female, old or young.

Having not yet seen the film it is impossible to pass comment on it, however the book is definitely worth making the time to read.
  
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Olivia (102 KP) rated Girls of Paper and Fire in Books

Aug 13, 2018 (Updated Aug 13, 2018)  
Girls of Paper and Fire
Girls of Paper and Fire
Natasha Ngan | 2018 | LGBTQ+, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
9
8.9 (9 Ratings)
Book Rating
I'm still trying to process all my feelings about his book, but right now I'm going to give it an 8.5

Girls of Paper and Fire is an incredibly addicting read. Within picking it up, I finished reading it in under 24 hours. Every minute that I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it. It was like an impossible earworm chanting "Read me. Read me!".

Ngan's writing style and character development left me in awe at times. She somehow managed to write this imaginative tale whilst keeping it grounded, a combination that I haven't seen successfully executed very often. The romance in this book is perhaps one of my new all-time favorites. The love is believable. It wasn't a case of "Oh, I like this person a lot and so now I'm gonna make out with them for 80 pages straight and forget about everything else." there was actual chemistry between the two and it made the story all the more intense.

In the seemingly effortless way Ngan could create palpable romantic chemistry, she could also create absolute revulsion.
My problem with so many villains is that the writer will have them have done something terrible, and that's it. They don't truly explore how vile this villain is; they rely on one or two things that all of decent humanity can agree is unforgivable and let that be the reason why they're evil. Sure, anyone would be repulsed by a man who rapes and murders people; it's not like you have to convince people to hate that guy. But Ngan doesn't just throw those two things onto the character and call it a day. She made the king an absolute vile creature with words that made me physically gag, actions that made me have to put the book down and walk away.

Ngan's descriptions are extremely rich; whether that is a good or bad thing will vary from reader to reader. Personally, I found myself sometimes skimming over all the imagery; not because it wasn't good, but because I just really wanted to get back to the main plot and character interactions.

I'm not usually a huge fan of series, but this is one that I heavily look forward to continuing.
  
Living the life of nobility can be oppressive and demanding. There are restrictions for every aspect of life. Lady Miranda longs to be free of the expectations placed on her, but will she have the courage to stand up to her mother and her "lady lessons"?

"A lady never posted letters to an unrelated male. But the very writing of his name made her feel dangerous."

Lady Miranda Hawthorne has been raised to be the epitome of poise and grace, but everything inside of her screams to rebel. She pours her heart out on paper, in letters she never sends, to her brother's childhood friend, the Duke of Marshington. She is approaching her fourth London season when Marlow, the handsome new valet to Lady Miranda's brother, accidentally mails one of these letters. She is mortified, until she receives a reply. Conflicted with her growing attraction for two men, her life is quickly changing in ways she never thought possible. She soon realises however, that there is more at stake than her heart. Miranda has had to hide behind the mask she have been expected to wear for so long. Hiding her true personality and identity. But the time has come for her to become the person she was created to be.

"'A Lady never sits on the floor.' A lady probably wasn't supposed to crawl on her belly through the dirt either."

A Noble Masquerade is a fabulous story from beginning to end! Kristi Ann Hunter has done a marvelous job with her debut novel! I was completely captivated by the intrigue and espionage. I was surprised more than once when the story line went in a different direction than I anticipated. The faith was natural and the romance genuine and clean. Kidnappings, traitors, witty humour and masquerades will keep you turning the pages of this remarkable story. This is a book that I will enjoy reading over and over again. I can not wait for Mrs. Hunter's next book!

I received a free advanced reading copy of A Noble Masquerade from Bethany House Publishers through Library Thing in exchange for my honest review.
  
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019)
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019)
2019 | Action, Crime, Thriller
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum picks up where chapter 2 left off, with young Johnathan running for his life as the clock ticks down until the $14 million bounty on his head is activated. With man’s best friend in tow, he searches for a place to patch himself up before he is finally made excommunicado – flipping a gold coin as a rite of passage.

It seems funny that we have got to this point in the story which involved a murdered puppy and a stolen car, but we needn’t dwell on that for too long before the carnage starts to unravel at a frenetic pace. Not since the Raid 2 has there been fight sequences choreographed with such vicious aplomb, it leaves you breathless.

The stunt coordinators give us a range of unique locations for John Wick to dispatch his enemies; including a room packed full of antique ceremonial knives and a glass room displaying a variety of crystal skulls – it isn’t just bones getting shattered here. Not forgetting a horse chase that is simply spectacular.

On paper the action genre might be one of the simplest to execute, add some elaborate set pieces, crazy stunts and a pumping score and you have a recipe for success – you can even drop the odd plot hole without notice.

Director Chad Stahelski has helmed all three films and is able to give Wick the tools needed to off anyone he comes into close contact with. Is there no end to his talents – as he uses a library book to kill off a 7ft assassin and handle weaponry around a Moroccan bazaar with seamless precision.

He is aided in his quest to reach the High Table (a place to atone for his sin of killing on Continental grounds) by Sofia (Halle Berry) who begrudgingly agrees to help him. Despite her minimal screen time she does more than enough to leave a lasting impression – if not her, then most definitely the pair of vicious K-9s complete with snug fitting Kevlar vests that accompany her.

As an action film this is what I crave, something that is relentless from start to finish – I can only lick my lips in anticipation of the inevitable Chapter 4!
  
Paper Towns (2015)
Paper Towns (2015)
2015 | Drama
As a teenager, you are always trying to discover who you truly are. You are constantly surrounded by images of what you are supposed to be and the cliques that define who you are and who you are not. What is normal? What is real? What is it about this time of our lives that makes us so susceptible to the pressures of adolescence and the need to stand out while also being accepted for who we are? In Paper Towns, Quinten (Nat Wolff), a very shy and quiet teenage boy is enthralled with his mysterious neighbor Margot (Cara Delavigne), whom he had become estranged with over the years.
He has his future laid out before him Graduation is on the horizon. He is headed to Duke University in the Fall where he will be a premed student before settling down and creating a family of his own. His plans are disrupted when Margot comes back into his life one night seeking his help to enact revenge on her friends. However, after this night of hijinks, she has gone missing which throws Quinten’s life into flux.
He skips school and begins an obscure scavenger hunt in order to locate Margot. He becomes obsessed with finding her and in the process discovers more about himself than he had ever planned. The film breaks from many of the tropes that we are accustomed to with teen films. This is by far, much more mature storytelling, offering even the ancillary characters some depth and a sense that they too have an identity.
The film, although is about Quinten and his seemingly love for Margot is much more than that. It is about the sense of reality that we have constructed. It forces us to question what is real and what is imagined. Who are we at the core? What matters to us when we are the only ones who are allowed to judge the circumstances and our actions? This is by far more than just a “Boy meets girl” tale. This is a film that makes its characters reflect on who they are and who we want to be seen and will leave audiences doing the same.
  
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