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Charley (64 KP) rated Alice (The Chronicles of Alice, #1) in Books
Jan 27, 2019
Chilling twist on what is a classic tale
This story is set just after the classic Alice in Wonderland book that most will know and love.
It starts of in a mental institution where Alice is resident. Her parents putting her in there after her "adventures" in Wonderland. She has a relationship with the man in the next cell called Hatcher, three guesses who he is supposed to represent.
This whirlwind adventure takes you through a Victorian esq London with all the characters of the classic story.
It is a very dark adaptation of Alice in Wonderland and I have to say kept me guessing throughout.
The characters seem familiar but in a dark and twisted way and ultimately it's about Alice's journey after escaping the mental home with her companion Hatcher.
I will not say anymore as it will spoil the storyline but it is definitely worth a look.
Christina Henry has definitely made an amazing book and since I read this I went out and bought all her books.
It starts of in a mental institution where Alice is resident. Her parents putting her in there after her "adventures" in Wonderland. She has a relationship with the man in the next cell called Hatcher, three guesses who he is supposed to represent.
This whirlwind adventure takes you through a Victorian esq London with all the characters of the classic story.
It is a very dark adaptation of Alice in Wonderland and I have to say kept me guessing throughout.
The characters seem familiar but in a dark and twisted way and ultimately it's about Alice's journey after escaping the mental home with her companion Hatcher.
I will not say anymore as it will spoil the storyline but it is definitely worth a look.
Christina Henry has definitely made an amazing book and since I read this I went out and bought all her books.
David McK (3773 KP) rated Dead Beat (The Dresden Files, #7) in Books
Jan 28, 2019 (Updated May 10, 2020)
<2020 update>
Sue the Zombie T-Rex :-)
That is all.
<2016 update>
This is the Zombie-themed one, that ends with Sue the Tyrannosaur and also (I think) has the first appearance of Waldo Butters as one of the main players. In this, Thomas is also now lodging with Harry, who has now found out his relationship to the former, with Thomas trying to change his lifestyle. Karen Murphy is also absent for most of the novel, off on holiday with Kincaid.
<2011 notes below>
Magic - it can get a guy killed
Book number 7 in Jim Butchers Harry Dresden series, this is one where I think it is highly advisable to have read the previous entries first, as it ties several plot lines from those earlier novels into the events of this one.
Having said that: this is, as always, a good read, but maybe not the best in the series so far (which, to use an over-coined term, seems to be getting progressively 'darker' in tone)
Sue the Zombie T-Rex :-)
That is all.
<2016 update>
This is the Zombie-themed one, that ends with Sue the Tyrannosaur and also (I think) has the first appearance of Waldo Butters as one of the main players. In this, Thomas is also now lodging with Harry, who has now found out his relationship to the former, with Thomas trying to change his lifestyle. Karen Murphy is also absent for most of the novel, off on holiday with Kincaid.
<2011 notes below>
Magic - it can get a guy killed
Book number 7 in Jim Butchers Harry Dresden series, this is one where I think it is highly advisable to have read the previous entries first, as it ties several plot lines from those earlier novels into the events of this one.
Having said that: this is, as always, a good read, but maybe not the best in the series so far (which, to use an over-coined term, seems to be getting progressively 'darker' in tone)
David McK (3773 KP) rated The Once and Future King (The Once and Future King #1-4) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
One of the classics of English literature, and so can be (at times) a heavy read. That's not to say that it isn't enjoyable: it is.
The novel follows the life of King Arthur and is split into four distinct 'books', from his early upbringing through to his ascension to the throne in "The Sword in the Stone" (the Disney version of which is surprisingly accurate), to the early days of his reign and his unknowingly incestuous relationship with half-sister in "The Queen of Air and Darkness", through the Arthur/Lancelot/Guinivere love triangle and the Quest for the Holy Grail in "The Ill Made Knight" and finally ending with the latter days of his reign and the war against Mordred in "The Candle in the Wind".
I have to say as well that as the stroy progresses, the novel also gets steadily more and more serious, actually starting out quite amusing before becoming darker and darker: as such, it's no surprise Disney only adopted the first part of the book for the silver screen!
The novel follows the life of King Arthur and is split into four distinct 'books', from his early upbringing through to his ascension to the throne in "The Sword in the Stone" (the Disney version of which is surprisingly accurate), to the early days of his reign and his unknowingly incestuous relationship with half-sister in "The Queen of Air and Darkness", through the Arthur/Lancelot/Guinivere love triangle and the Quest for the Holy Grail in "The Ill Made Knight" and finally ending with the latter days of his reign and the war against Mordred in "The Candle in the Wind".
I have to say as well that as the stroy progresses, the novel also gets steadily more and more serious, actually starting out quite amusing before becoming darker and darker: as such, it's no surprise Disney only adopted the first part of the book for the silver screen!
Otway93 (580 KP) rated Star Wars: Queen's Shadow in Books
Dec 31, 2019 (Updated Dec 31, 2019)
Idea (1 more)
Captain Panaka
Characters (1 more)
Story
The most tedious entry to the Star Wars canon.
When I heard about this book I was fascinated to know she went from Queen Amidala to Senator Amidala, and what happened following The Phantom Menace. Turns out, not much.
All of this can be read on the blurb: basically her royal predecessor asked her to. That was basically it.
The book answers these questions rather pointlessly, and describes her relationship with her handmaidens. The book can therefore be summarised in a single sentence: She was very close with her royal handmaidens, and the next Queen asks her to be senator.
The book is incredibly slow, to the point you can no longer be bothered and just want to skip to the next part of the Star Wars canon, a few Age of Republic comics, which are shorter, but far more fun.
It's single redeeming feature is the inclusion of Captain Panaka, the character portrayed by Hugh Quarshie in the prequel trilogy, a rather underrated and underused character.
All of this can be read on the blurb: basically her royal predecessor asked her to. That was basically it.
The book answers these questions rather pointlessly, and describes her relationship with her handmaidens. The book can therefore be summarised in a single sentence: She was very close with her royal handmaidens, and the next Queen asks her to be senator.
The book is incredibly slow, to the point you can no longer be bothered and just want to skip to the next part of the Star Wars canon, a few Age of Republic comics, which are shorter, but far more fun.
It's single redeeming feature is the inclusion of Captain Panaka, the character portrayed by Hugh Quarshie in the prequel trilogy, a rather underrated and underused character.
Deborah (162 KP) rated Hungry Hill in Books
Dec 21, 2018
I really got stuck into this family saga from Daphne du Maruier, following five generations of a family and their relationship with the mine at Hungry Hill. With du Maurier you know there's going to be tragedy in there somewhere and there are senseless deaths and senseless happenings a plenty. Despite being beautifully written, I felt somewhat depressed at the end of the novel because I didn't feel it was concluded very well and a lot of very bad things happened to people who frankly didn't deserve it! I feel John-Henry's story wasn't properly tied up and he was just left almost hanging there. The Donovans also seem to come out of things rather well despite their atrocious, murdering behaviour! I think I'm one who likes a good bit of poetic justice in my reading as real life is so unfair to some people!
So, brilliantly written, but I'm not sure I'd want to put myself through reading it again, with all the agonies and the ending which I found unsatisfactory.
So, brilliantly written, but I'm not sure I'd want to put myself through reading it again, with all the agonies and the ending which I found unsatisfactory.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated The Babysitter (2017) in Movies
Dec 8, 2019
Surprisingly good
I was after something a bit trashy and silly to watch and was pleasantly surprised to find out that as well as being silly and trashy, this is actually lots of fun.
It’s a ridiculously funny and over the top comedy horror, with a decent amount of blood and gore and some rather unique (albeit maybe a tad unbelievable) deaths. It features a lot of your typical horror/teen film stereotypes, some of which are a little irritating (I.e. Bella Thorne’s character, but that might be because she can’t act...) but the others work well with the cheesy and comedy aspects of this film. The main reason why this film is better than expected is due to Samara Weaving. She’s a fantastic actress and plays the part of bets friend babysitter and crazy murdering devil worshipper perfectly, and her character’s relationship with Cole is surprisingly quite sweet (at least for the first 20 minutes). She really makes this film more than a cheesy second rate comedy horror.
Overall a surprisingly entertaining comedy horror with a nice and short runtime.
It’s a ridiculously funny and over the top comedy horror, with a decent amount of blood and gore and some rather unique (albeit maybe a tad unbelievable) deaths. It features a lot of your typical horror/teen film stereotypes, some of which are a little irritating (I.e. Bella Thorne’s character, but that might be because she can’t act...) but the others work well with the cheesy and comedy aspects of this film. The main reason why this film is better than expected is due to Samara Weaving. She’s a fantastic actress and plays the part of bets friend babysitter and crazy murdering devil worshipper perfectly, and her character’s relationship with Cole is surprisingly quite sweet (at least for the first 20 minutes). She really makes this film more than a cheesy second rate comedy horror.
Overall a surprisingly entertaining comedy horror with a nice and short runtime.
Tim McGuire (301 KP) rated Greed (2019) in Movies
Mar 14, 2020
410. Greed. A satirical look at the super rich. We meet Sir Richard McCreadie and it's his birthday coming up so he's gonna throw himself a party like the Romans used to party. And leading up to the party, the movie goes splitz on ya. Its the tale of young Richard and how he got to where he is. Its part documentary about the garment business as slave labor in foreign lands, also talks about immigration issues. Another huge chunk is Richard on some sort of business ethics trials, then it'll swing back to the party planning where we get to see his turbulent family life, his relationship with his son falling apart, however the main theme is the party, and keeping up appearances. It was an oddball movie, wasn't expecting it to be all over the place. I did enjoy it, I thought Steve Coogan played a cool though somewhat sleazy businessman, who really doesn't give a rat's ass about anyone else but himself. Filmbufftim on FB
What started off as a promising well-written story with a lot of promise of intrigue and mystery as we learn who the "other Wives" are. Unfortunately, it lost me completely at the halfway mark and turned into something that looked like it had been picked up by a totally different author who decided to just go wild.
Our protagonist is in an agreed polygamist relationship with Seth and two other women all of whom know of the other's existence but not who they are. Seth splits his time between the 3 and all seems happy in her world until she decides to look into who the other women are. This is the part of the book that worked for me and it sounds crazy enough so trust me when I say it then goes off the hinges but not in an enjoyable way.
I slogged through until the even less satisfying end - sorry not for me.
Many thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC.
Our protagonist is in an agreed polygamist relationship with Seth and two other women all of whom know of the other's existence but not who they are. Seth splits his time between the 3 and all seems happy in her world until she decides to look into who the other women are. This is the part of the book that worked for me and it sounds crazy enough so trust me when I say it then goes off the hinges but not in an enjoyable way.
I slogged through until the even less satisfying end - sorry not for me.
Many thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Humpany in Books
Aug 5, 2019
Andre and Camille have known each other for a while now. They were both in their friends, Peyton & Lance's wedding. But Camille left the party early and Andre sees no reason to stick around. When he gets home, he's lonely and wants a warm body by his side. He goes on the the app Booty Call and who does he find there buy Camille. He invites her over and one thing leads to another and the next thing you know, they're in bed together and neither one of them is mad about that. But can friends become lovers, or will it ruin the friendship.
Humpany is the 3rd book in the Booty Call Series, and this one I liked. I liked that Andre and Camille had a friendly relationship and didn't just jump in bed every time they saw each other. Camille is the type of girl I would be friends with. She is laid back and knows what she wants.
Another quick read from the Queens of the Quickie.
Humpany is the 3rd book in the Booty Call Series, and this one I liked. I liked that Andre and Camille had a friendly relationship and didn't just jump in bed every time they saw each other. Camille is the type of girl I would be friends with. She is laid back and knows what she wants.
Another quick read from the Queens of the Quickie.
Sara Cox (1845 KP) rated The Jabberwocky Princess in Books
Feb 23, 2020
I read this book not realising that it was the second of a series. And all I can say is that I will definitely be finding the first and reading it!
This was a great concept and it was written very well. I especially liked the "Easter eggs" within the story (I won't say more because I don't want to give them away, but I found three). I loved how the poem was used within the story and for the first time the poem has given me the chills. I had always read it differently. The characters were written really well, the relationship outcome a bit predictable, but how else could it end? You leave a lot about the protagonist's past really quickly without it impeding the present story and this makes it really easy to relate to her. The writing was very easy to read and the story telling was excellent. Love love love!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This was a great concept and it was written very well. I especially liked the "Easter eggs" within the story (I won't say more because I don't want to give them away, but I found three). I loved how the poem was used within the story and for the first time the poem has given me the chills. I had always read it differently. The characters were written really well, the relationship outcome a bit predictable, but how else could it end? You leave a lot about the protagonist's past really quickly without it impeding the present story and this makes it really easy to relate to her. The writing was very easy to read and the story telling was excellent. Love love love!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Allison Knapp (118 KP) Jan 31, 2019