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Loz Hughes (80 KP) rated The 100 in TV

Jul 17, 2018  
The 100
The 100
2014 | Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Raises interesting morality questions in a post apocalyptic environment (earth)/in space. (1 more)
Subsequent series develop and enrich the storyline
Very young adult based to start with and quite predictable. (0 more)
Quite teeny to start with in the first series but the second and third start to get more gripping.
I was recommended this series by my best friend and to start with it appeared a bit budget and awkward in parts, but as the episodes and series progressed you developed a feel for the different characters and gained more enjoyment from the storyline itself.
For me I found the morality aspect interesting. Who do you pick to explore a potentially deadly planet? Who gets to survive in space when theres limited oxygen levels etc?
Still following the series since the first one, so I guess its pretty good if im still watching it three years later or so :).
If you like survival, sci fi, and lord of the flies it should appeal.
  
Transcendence (2014)
Transcendence (2014)
2014 | Drama, Sci-Fi
Johnny Depp as a scientist pushing the boundaries of Ai. (1 more)
The concept of uploading a digital version of your brain
The plot could have been more engaging, more along the lines of Lucy film (0 more)
Interesting concept.
Contains spoilers, click to show
The plot is an interesting concept. Basically a scientist successfully manages to upload the brain of a Monkey in digital format and presents these findings to the scientific community, he comes into conflict with a group of Anti technology, animal activists and gets shot and slowly poisoned as the bullet is laced with a radioactive material. The film then follows Will (the scientist), and his partner, who struggling with his premature imminent death decides to upload his brain as the first human trail. Afterwards comes the questions of how much meddling is too much meddling in human evolution.
I think they could have done much more with the film than they did but overall it was a decent watch.
  
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Mo (66 KP) rated Bonded in Blood in Books

Jul 25, 2018  
Bonded in Blood
Bonded in Blood
L. Gene Brown, L. Ann | 2017 | Paranormal, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
8.5 (8 Ratings)
Book Rating
exciting plot (3 more)
subtle twists
Not cheesy
Not- teen drama heavy
some points in the book are unexplained (1 more)
contradicts itself in a big way
A really good book
This book was actually a good read. I was a bit skeptical when I found out it was a vampire story. However, it was very well done. It did not go over the top with the focus on vampires, it did not totally steer away from the plot like other vampire based books recently. It is not some cheesy teen drama with vampires book. It was a book with a bit of romance in places, a bit of vampire-centricity in others, and a lot of action, and a nice concise story. It did leave some questions hanging which really ruins the immersion, but you can look past them and enjoy the book. The next one looks really cool, and I will be reading that in the future.
  
Westworld - Season 2
Westworld - Season 2
2018 | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Often brilliant, frequently confusion
Much like with season 1, I frequently found myself completely confused with what was going on in Westworld season 2. I struggled with the interwoven timelines, and usually wound up reading those online articles with titles such as '5 burning questions I have after watching episode x of Westworld' or 'Explaining that ending in Westworld'. There are occasions though where I can watch an entire episode and fully understand it! They tend to be the episodes that focus on a very small number of characters, telling their side of the story, and making me realise overall just what an incredible show this is. Despite my frequent confusion, I love the bold direction the story has headed in throughout the season, building on the groundwork laid in season 1. It's also clear from the finale that there are even more elaborate directions left to explore. I just hope that I manage to understand them!
  
Heart of Iron
Heart of Iron
Ashley Poston | 2018 | Romance, Young Adult (YA)
6
7.6 (8 Ratings)
Book Rating
Honestly thought I would DNF this book in the beginning - but about 1/4-1/2 way through it really picked up the pace - I loved Di and his story, I didn't care for Ana and the story between Jax and Robb was amazing - I think i'd be down for a story of Jax and his life before he got where he was. And I'd really love a story about Di - but I don't think I'll continue the series after this. I really have words for Erik - I had words for some of the others too but he really got in my head. I must have misread some part of the book because I thought something horrible had happened and I wanted to throw the book a little, but alas - I kind of want to know about the end - like, did she really have what she says she does - it doesn't make sense to me - hmmmm - questions
  
The Keepers - Season 1
The Keepers - Season 1
2017 | Crime, Documentary
This was a decent, interesting yet harrowing series. It initially looked at the disappearance and then death of a young nun teacher, and another young woman within days if each other in 1960s Baltimore. Thereafter the story unfolded covering abuse in the catholic school, repressed memories and a cast of very unusual characters from the city, all of whom appear to have been involved.
While the series is interesting, and the stories being told are truly horrific, the series itself seems to get distracted and is at times all over the place. The first few episodes were quite focused, but the last 2 episodes were a frantic rush to close off aspects of the story, but a number of other avenues suddenly appeared out of nowhere, leading to quite a confusing, tiring conclusion.
One of these days there will be a true crime series on Netflix that ends with all questions answered.
  
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Flynn (6 KP) rated Lizard Radio in Books

Sep 18, 2018  
LR
Lizard Radio
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
<spoiler>Kind of disappointed there weren't actual lizard people, and we never learned what vaping actually was, or if blight was as bad as they made it out to be,</spoiler> so the book left me wanting a lot more answers to my questions in a fairly unsatisfying way. A lot of terms thrown at you to with no explanation, and the context makes it hard to actually figure out what stuff means.

Pretty good rep of non-binary and trans folk though and how confusing and hard it can be to be yourself in a strict binary world, but for people who haven't experienced anything really related to being gender non-conforming, it might be a bit hard to understand Kivali's perspective.

As a kid who legit thought they weren't human because they were different and wished I was picked up by my fellow aliens, having actual aliens get Kivali would've been a lot more satisfying than them not being real.
  
Murder Notes (Lilah Love #1)
Murder Notes (Lilah Love #1)
Lisa Renee Jones | 2018 | Thriller
10
8.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book was fast-paced, full of tension and suspense and I just could not put it down!
Oh so good but can I just start by saying MAJOR CLIFFHANGER!? Another fabulous, yet totally different read from Lisa Renee Jones!! This story follows FBI Profiler, Lilah Love, a tough, cold, foul-mouthed agent who is perfectly capable of taking care of herself and lets everyone know it. Having grown up in the rich Hampton's lifestyle (something she tries desperately to forget), she suddenly finds herself back in the Hampton's on a case and a growing list of questions about those closest to her. This leads her not only back to the family drama she left behind and that of the Hampton's elite, but her ex, Kane and one very large secret shared between them.

This book was fast-paced, full of tension and suspense and I just could not put it down! Highly, highly recommended!
  
Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)
Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)
2018 | Adventure, Family, Fantasy, Mystery
Loved this movie
This is a must see for all Harry Potter fans. Newt is a fantastic main character and in this film he and everyone else have some hard decisions to make.
There are a few different story lines in the movie, so Newt isn't the only character that holds your attention. All of these stories meet in the end, and the ending leaves the viewer with more questions. I think the movie ended in a really good spot. It felt complete while still making me look forward to the next installment.
The only real problem with this movie is that at times it doesn't follow universal rules that were introduced in Harry Potter. These things are usually very minor, and I think a lot of people won't notice them right away. For me that was the only downside to the movie I would have preferred they stayed true to the original.
  
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Erika (17789 KP) Nov 16, 2018

I completely agree with your last paragraph and I wasn't thrilled with the recon of canon, at all.

An Anonymous Girl
An Anonymous Girl
Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen | 2019 | Mystery, Thriller
8
7.5 (15 Ratings)
Book Rating
Missing that big reveal.
Like other reviewers, I was super excited when I learned that the authors of The Wife Between Us would be releasing a new book, and I could not wait to dive in! While An Anonymous Girl was GOOD, it wasn't GREAT.

I enjoyed the actual story very much, and I felt like I needed to find out what was going on. I liked the concept of the morality study, and puzzled over some of the questions myself. I sympathized with Jess, and found Dr. Shields to be fascinatingly twisted. The characters were well-written and the plot was well-developed, however it's missing a "big reveal," as we were gifted with in The Wife Between Us. There are plenty of smaller reveals throughout the story to keep it interesting, but I kept waiting for the big one, and was disappointed.

The ending was also a bit strange...kind of "that's it?"

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARE!