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Deborah (162 KP) rated Highland Surrender in Books

Dec 21, 2018

In the reign on James V (son of Margaret Tudor, the sister of Henry VIII, and father of Mary Queen of Scots) Fiona and Myles, representatives of two feuding clans, are told by the King that they must marry and form an alliance.....

Sadly, Fiona, the heroine, appears as a right Little Madam for most of the first part of the book. Even after feeling betrayed by her brothers, she is unable to reasonably question anything beyond the clan indoctrination and acts simply like a spoilt child. It's quite hard to see why Myles falls for her at all.

That said, overall this isn't a bad book. I think a bit more on the history side would have made this a more solid and exciting novel, as the ending was really rather good, but it seemed that it couldn't decide if it wanted to be an historical novel, with a romance element (think Elizabeth Chadwick) or something more akin to a bodice ripper (and nothing wrong with that!). You started off feeling there was a bigger plot at play, but this seemed to get a bit lost in the middle, before a quite exciting ending after all.

Not sure it's worth a second read, but I'd consider this author again in the future.

Kudos

LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) in Movies

Jul 16, 2019

An absolute joy from start to finish

Into the Spider-Verse is nothing short of excellent.

The animation style is beautiful, quirky, packed with colour, and doesn't let go of your attention until the credits have finished rolling.
The assembled voice cast are all great, and compliment the emotion and humour felt throughout.
The humour in question is flawless...every joke and humourous beat land perfectly. It's a funny movie, as well as carrying along a powerful message about growing up, and realising that you're not alone.

The storyline is pretty crazy, and as it deals with multiple dimensions, there's a chance to pull in some fun characters from the comic world, including Peni Parker, Spider-Ham, Spider Gwen, and Spider-Man Noir (hilarious btw). It's definitely out there, but it works very well.

Miles' universe, where the movie takes place, is a setting that allows the writers to take free reign, tinkering with classic villains we know and love, making this a Spider-Man movie worth seeing for fans old and new.

Possibly the best Spider-Man movie yet (maybe in a par with Far From Home).

End note - the post credit scene is just the best thing ever.