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graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Queene of Light (Lightworld/Darkworld, #1) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
What could have been interesting, wasn't. What could have been unique, failed. What showed promise, wasn't there. Too bad.
Seeing as this is classified as paranormal romance (instead of what I originally thought was urban fantasy), it might be nice if the main two characters were at least a little likable. Nope, sorry to say, this ain't the case. Ayla is boring, unsympathetic, uninteresting, vapid, gullible, weak-willed, slow on the uptake, need I go on? Malachi is also boring, uninteresting, and slow, but he has the addition of sounding like a robot. Sounds like a winning match, eh? Clearly, these two wooden creatures are made for each other. The secondary characters served their purpose: Mabb, your typical baddie; Garret, Mabb's brother and hopeful usurper, he was almost interesting, but he suffered from the same thing his sister did, cliche; and Keller, who was the only character (or anything really) in the whole book that showed a spark of life.
The pace of the book was plodding. I lost interest every other page if I was lucky. The descriptions are seriously lacking and almost everything is boring, boring, boring. I never quite saw what the purpose of vampires and werewolves served in the book. Maybe they play a bigger role in the next two books, otherwise they're pointless and don't make sense in this world. Speaking of the universe, what the author created, while not altogether original, could have been awesome instead of vague and confusing. A real missed opportunity.
My advice: skip it. Read at your own risk of falling asleep.
Seeing as this is classified as paranormal romance (instead of what I originally thought was urban fantasy), it might be nice if the main two characters were at least a little likable. Nope, sorry to say, this ain't the case. Ayla is boring, unsympathetic, uninteresting, vapid, gullible, weak-willed, slow on the uptake, need I go on? Malachi is also boring, uninteresting, and slow, but he has the addition of sounding like a robot. Sounds like a winning match, eh? Clearly, these two wooden creatures are made for each other. The secondary characters served their purpose: Mabb, your typical baddie; Garret, Mabb's brother and hopeful usurper, he was almost interesting, but he suffered from the same thing his sister did, cliche; and Keller, who was the only character (or anything really) in the whole book that showed a spark of life.
The pace of the book was plodding. I lost interest every other page if I was lucky. The descriptions are seriously lacking and almost everything is boring, boring, boring. I never quite saw what the purpose of vampires and werewolves served in the book. Maybe they play a bigger role in the next two books, otherwise they're pointless and don't make sense in this world. Speaking of the universe, what the author created, while not altogether original, could have been awesome instead of vague and confusing. A real missed opportunity.
My advice: skip it. Read at your own risk of falling asleep.
Molly J (Cover To Cover Cafe) (106 KP) rated Thirst of Steel (The Tox Files, #3) in Books
Feb 27, 2019
Sweet Lord Above. Yes, that's the best way to start this off as I reflect back on all that I just read in the final Tox File novel by the brilliant Ronie Kendig. Lord have mercy on my soul, she absolutely took my breath away with this incredibly moving, powerfully suspenseful, amazingly addictive novel. Ronie Kendig is a master of epic proportions when it comes to writing a Christian romantic suspense novel. This book will leave you like me: reflecting and wanting more.
The characters within this book are wonderful. They are created with a real-to-life feel about them, and when I followed their story, I felt every emotion, every action, every message they did. The intensity of the suspense, the splash of the romance, the powerful faith that flows with Kendig's words is beyond captivating. I loved these characters, and I don't want to say goodbye!
Mrs. Kendig has created a final addition to the Tox Files that is worthy of the highest recommendations. Her research, her creativity, the way she knows what to give her fans, is awe-inspiring. I loved every second of this 5 star novel and I can't wait to recommend it to everyone that asks for one of my top reads of the year. Hats off to you, Mrs. Kendig and I can't wait to see what you have in store for you fans. Bring on another fantabulous novel please!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Publisher and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
The characters within this book are wonderful. They are created with a real-to-life feel about them, and when I followed their story, I felt every emotion, every action, every message they did. The intensity of the suspense, the splash of the romance, the powerful faith that flows with Kendig's words is beyond captivating. I loved these characters, and I don't want to say goodbye!
Mrs. Kendig has created a final addition to the Tox Files that is worthy of the highest recommendations. Her research, her creativity, the way she knows what to give her fans, is awe-inspiring. I loved every second of this 5 star novel and I can't wait to recommend it to everyone that asks for one of my top reads of the year. Hats off to you, Mrs. Kendig and I can't wait to see what you have in store for you fans. Bring on another fantabulous novel please!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Publisher and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
Fred (860 KP) rated Stan & Ollie (2018) in Movies
Apr 2, 2019
Like two peas in a pod-duh
I'm a super-fan of The Boys. In fact, they're one of my favorite things in life. I've watched their films & shorts dozens of times, hundreds of times for some & I laugh just as hard now, as the first time I saw them. Let me say that Reilly & Coogan are unbelievable as Stan & Ollie. Every mannerism, their speech, their singing voices, everything, perfect! The movie begins in their Hal Roach days, while they are filming their classic "Way Out West". This is the end of the duo's time together at the studio. It then moves ahead 16 years, where their movies are done & they're on tour in Europe doing some shows. So, we get a look at some stuff we may not have known & what went on.
The movie features many of their recreations of their skits & songs from their films, as they are acted out in their shows. There were many times I laughed out loud. But, the movie has drama as well & I found myself getting worried for them, even though I knew what happened. Unlike most other bio-films like Bohemian Rhapsody or The Dirt, this film seems to be true to the real story. Since I'm such a fan, I may be biased towards liking the film. As for people who aren't fans, which would probably mean they've never seen a L&H film, I think they should watch it anyway. I'm sure you'll like it too.
The movie features many of their recreations of their skits & songs from their films, as they are acted out in their shows. There were many times I laughed out loud. But, the movie has drama as well & I found myself getting worried for them, even though I knew what happened. Unlike most other bio-films like Bohemian Rhapsody or The Dirt, this film seems to be true to the real story. Since I'm such a fan, I may be biased towards liking the film. As for people who aren't fans, which would probably mean they've never seen a L&H film, I think they should watch it anyway. I'm sure you'll like it too.
Lee (2222 KP) rated Coco (2017) in Movies
Jan 17, 2018
Outstanding animation (1 more)
Attention to detail
Beautiful, Pixar on top form
Coco is one of those movies where I feel the trailer doesn't really do it justice. Even now, having actually seen it, I still feel the trailer makes it look like another average animated movie. But similar to previous Pixar offering 'Inside Out', this goes so much deeper than that. And it turns out to be just as brilliant too.
For the first half hour or so though, the movie didn't really grab my attention. The animation and the attention to detail is certainly superb as we're introduced to young boy Miguel, his large family and the vibrantly colourful Mexican town where they live. During the annual day of the dead celebrations, Miguel finds himself trapped in the land of the dead, another vibrant and beautifully detailed world. Rules are introduced as to how this land works and how the dead are able to visit their living loved ones. But it still left me fidgeting in my seat a little.
But then there's a twist, and a real race against time adventure kicks off. And I also started to get the impression that things were heading towards a pretty emotional ending too. From then on I was loving it. This turned out to be a brilliantly beautiful movie about life and death and the importance of family.
And sure enough, come the end of the movie I'd managed to get some dust in my eyes or something...
For the first half hour or so though, the movie didn't really grab my attention. The animation and the attention to detail is certainly superb as we're introduced to young boy Miguel, his large family and the vibrantly colourful Mexican town where they live. During the annual day of the dead celebrations, Miguel finds himself trapped in the land of the dead, another vibrant and beautifully detailed world. Rules are introduced as to how this land works and how the dead are able to visit their living loved ones. But it still left me fidgeting in my seat a little.
But then there's a twist, and a real race against time adventure kicks off. And I also started to get the impression that things were heading towards a pretty emotional ending too. From then on I was loving it. This turned out to be a brilliantly beautiful movie about life and death and the importance of family.
And sure enough, come the end of the movie I'd managed to get some dust in my eyes or something...
Mark Halpern (153 KP) rated Molly's Game (2017) in Movies
Jan 17, 2018
Either you are in or you are out
The true story of Molly Bloom who was an Olympic class skier who ended got injured which ended her career. She moved to California cause she wanted to spread her wings and ended up working as a bottle hostess and then working for a real estate company whose owner got her controlling his high stakes poker game filled with stars and clebs. Once she got the hang of it and was threatened of being fired she spread her wings even more and branched out her own game to only get her self into the life of high stakes poker (which she only ran the games) and drugs. She ended up having Russian mob attendees in which the FBI claimed she did money laundering but, she denies that and Italian mob personal who just wanted to be "partners." Once she found out she was in way too deep she got out only to be implicated by certain other players in her circle who claimed they were forced into the game when they came under indictment for their own troubles. After two years of not running the game she is picked up by the FBI and is being charged with a slew of charges. Will she rat everyone out or will she keep their secret.
If you don't known the story first look her up on wiki and read about her and her father first cause that plays a lot in the movie.
If you don't known the story first look her up on wiki and read about her and her father first cause that plays a lot in the movie.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine in Books
Jan 20, 2018 (Updated Jan 20, 2018)
Clever, humorous and heartwarmingly sad
It’s very rare for me not to have a single criticism about a book, but Eleanor Oliphant has managed it. This book was nothing like I had expected, and it completely blew me away.
This book is full of sadness, yet also humour and wit. Eleanor is such an endearingly loveable character and reading about her life and her social ineptitude fills you with such empathy. She really connects with you as a reader, to the point where I almost forgot she wasn't real. Maybe it’s because she’s the same age as me, and the social interactions, loneliness and crushes are what everyone goes through in their lifetime, albeit usually at a younger age. I was almost in tears during parts of this book, and then completely thrown into fits of laughter, especially when the cat appears. The ending was part surprise, part predictable, but this book isn’t about the ending, it’s about Eleanor’s journey and it was such a delight to read. Such a heartwarming read and reminds me very much of The Rosie Project.
There’s a lot of fantastic quotes in this book, but there was one very early on that really stuck with me and I knew after reading that that it was going to be a good book;
“What could be more normal than pizza and wine?” - it might not mean much to others, but to me this is a statement that me and my best friend live by!
This book is full of sadness, yet also humour and wit. Eleanor is such an endearingly loveable character and reading about her life and her social ineptitude fills you with such empathy. She really connects with you as a reader, to the point where I almost forgot she wasn't real. Maybe it’s because she’s the same age as me, and the social interactions, loneliness and crushes are what everyone goes through in their lifetime, albeit usually at a younger age. I was almost in tears during parts of this book, and then completely thrown into fits of laughter, especially when the cat appears. The ending was part surprise, part predictable, but this book isn’t about the ending, it’s about Eleanor’s journey and it was such a delight to read. Such a heartwarming read and reminds me very much of The Rosie Project.
There’s a lot of fantastic quotes in this book, but there was one very early on that really stuck with me and I knew after reading that that it was going to be a good book;
“What could be more normal than pizza and wine?” - it might not mean much to others, but to me this is a statement that me and my best friend live by!
Alex Trybus (79 KP) rated Pokémon GO in Apps
Jan 26, 2018
It is very organized (page for Pokemon, page for items, map, etc.) (2 more)
LOVE the idea of traveling and walking around in real life and having that change what happens in the app
The new feature that makes the weather of where you live change your pokemon is amazing
I won't be fully satisfied with the app until you can start "friending" people (1 more)
There are still a lot of glitches that need to be worked out
Good app with a lot of potential
I have been using this gaming app since it first came out almost two years ago. I spent the entire summer running around the neighborhood gathering up an army of Pokemon just like everyone else was doing at the time. I adored it- it was so much fun! Eventually the glitter wore off, just like any new game, and I stopped opening it every single day like I used to. But then, upon hearing of all the new changes to it this year (like raids, battles, etc.) I decided to download it again. I love the new weather feature, and how you can create a little "group" of your favorite Pokemon. I like the app now, and I think it's very enjoyable, but I think it still has MUCH more potential. I won't be fully satisfied with it until you're able to friend people, see their stats, talk to them, and maybe even begin trading Pokemon and items. That being said, should you ever see me in a gym or in a raid battle, my user tag is @alexthegloom !!!
I had to read this book for my craft of fiction class. This was my first time reading it, but we were able to look at it as more than just plot, and more about how it was written and why it was written that way.
There are spoilers, so read at your own risk.
I very much enjoyed this book. I loved this view into a post slavery world filled of women who have to deal with the grief that has followed them throughout their lives. Sethe, though she has made her mistakes in her life, is still a sympathetic character who relies on her grief to survive through what she has done. Her daughters are strong women in their own rights. Beloved, being childlike and taking out her rage of her death on her mother and her family through stealing the attention and food for herself. She isolates, makes it so the others feel death hanging over themselves to understand her pain.
The format, being more stream of consciousness and not a cohesive, linear narrative, lends itself well to the magical realism of this book. This is nothing like a Harry Potter type of magical realism though. This is steeped in the tradition of former slaves, magical in their beliefs of the world and the afterlife. Not the people being able to control magic, but allowing it to be a real thing in their lives either way.
I really liked this book. If you want to understand why, check it out for yourself.
There are spoilers, so read at your own risk.
I very much enjoyed this book. I loved this view into a post slavery world filled of women who have to deal with the grief that has followed them throughout their lives. Sethe, though she has made her mistakes in her life, is still a sympathetic character who relies on her grief to survive through what she has done. Her daughters are strong women in their own rights. Beloved, being childlike and taking out her rage of her death on her mother and her family through stealing the attention and food for herself. She isolates, makes it so the others feel death hanging over themselves to understand her pain.
The format, being more stream of consciousness and not a cohesive, linear narrative, lends itself well to the magical realism of this book. This is nothing like a Harry Potter type of magical realism though. This is steeped in the tradition of former slaves, magical in their beliefs of the world and the afterlife. Not the people being able to control magic, but allowing it to be a real thing in their lives either way.
I really liked this book. If you want to understand why, check it out for yourself.
Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1) in Books
Feb 19, 2018
Shadow and Bone is a quasi-Russian-themed fantasy, from the landscape and building design, the ranks of both the soldiers and the Grisha, right down to the character and place names. This similarity to something slightly familiar had the effect of making the whole world, and the magic contained within it, even more believable to me. I love when I am able to become so completely immersed in a fictional world that I can almost forget it isn’t real.
I liked Alina from her first appearance as a young orphan. She’s smart and wily, and it seems like she is the one instigating if she and her friend Mal end up in trouble. She’s neither whiny, nor arrogant and entitled like she could have been growing up an orphan in a Duke’s home. Rather than feel sorry for herself, she grows into a young woman willing to accept the life that she’s been given, never thinking of herself as anything particularly special. She isn’t perfect; she can be naive, but then learns from her mistakes.
I have to admit that I knew almost nothing about this book going in. I was attracted to the cover (which I kept seeing everywhere), so when Barnes and Noble had the Nook book on sale, I decided I’d finally check it out. What I found was a tale of friendship, betrayal, love, and adventure. I wasn’t disappointed, and if you are a fan of Young Adult, Fantasy, or are just looking for a unique adventure, I don’t think you will be either.
I liked Alina from her first appearance as a young orphan. She’s smart and wily, and it seems like she is the one instigating if she and her friend Mal end up in trouble. She’s neither whiny, nor arrogant and entitled like she could have been growing up an orphan in a Duke’s home. Rather than feel sorry for herself, she grows into a young woman willing to accept the life that she’s been given, never thinking of herself as anything particularly special. She isn’t perfect; she can be naive, but then learns from her mistakes.
I have to admit that I knew almost nothing about this book going in. I was attracted to the cover (which I kept seeing everywhere), so when Barnes and Noble had the Nook book on sale, I decided I’d finally check it out. What I found was a tale of friendship, betrayal, love, and adventure. I wasn’t disappointed, and if you are a fan of Young Adult, Fantasy, or are just looking for a unique adventure, I don’t think you will be either.
Gail (4 KP) rated Simply Crazy in Books
Jun 4, 2018
Simply Crazy by Jenn Hype
Four stars
I had so much fun reading this book. From the opening pages to the very last sentence. I was invested in knowing how this would all end. Blake was everything you want to be fun, happy, confident and herself. From the beginning you only got truth from her. Yeah she was a little crazy but what’s life without some insanity. Cj was mouth watering good looking. He was brooding and silent. Who wouldn’t want to drive him crazy just to see if he looked better with a smile. The story felt almost to good to be true. I almost didn’t like Blake because I could never guess what was real or fake. Yeah she just went with what ever popped in her head but was that really her or her way of covering up her emotions? Cj's flip from wanting her out to wanting to be with her was confusing. He was all about getting her out but then he turned around and fell in love? His personality changed too fast. It didn’t seem natural and like Blake I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. With that being said I still enjoyed the flow of the books. The suspenseful moments and the drama. The ending was super crazy and just how I have come to expect Blake to act. The author did a really good job with this story and I am looking forward to see what comes next. I hope it’s a book about Michelle and Brady.
Four stars
I had so much fun reading this book. From the opening pages to the very last sentence. I was invested in knowing how this would all end. Blake was everything you want to be fun, happy, confident and herself. From the beginning you only got truth from her. Yeah she was a little crazy but what’s life without some insanity. Cj was mouth watering good looking. He was brooding and silent. Who wouldn’t want to drive him crazy just to see if he looked better with a smile. The story felt almost to good to be true. I almost didn’t like Blake because I could never guess what was real or fake. Yeah she just went with what ever popped in her head but was that really her or her way of covering up her emotions? Cj's flip from wanting her out to wanting to be with her was confusing. He was all about getting her out but then he turned around and fell in love? His personality changed too fast. It didn’t seem natural and like Blake I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. With that being said I still enjoyed the flow of the books. The suspenseful moments and the drama. The ending was super crazy and just how I have come to expect Blake to act. The author did a really good job with this story and I am looking forward to see what comes next. I hope it’s a book about Michelle and Brady.