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This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Everyone knows the story of The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen, or at least Disney’s version with Ariel and her friends Sebastian and Flounder. People will also recall the evil sea witch (Disney’s Ursula) but has anyone ever wondered how the octopus-human hybrid came into being? Why is she considered evil? Why is she alone under the sea? Sarah Henning, a journalist from the US has asked these questions and come up with an answer in her debut novel Sea Witch.
The story begins on a ship many years ago in part of Denmark with the crown prince’s birthday party. Narrated by Evie, a commoner who also happens to be the prince’s best friend, the story flits between present day and four years previously when Evie and Prince Nik’s friend Anna drowned. Whilst Nik is celebrating his sixteenth birthday, Anna should have been celebrating her fifteenth, therefore, when Evie sees a face peering through the porthole of Nik’s ship, she believes it is only in her imagination that it resembled her long lost friend.
The party comes to a sudden end with a storm causing guests to flee below decks, leaving Evie, Nik and his cousin Iker to try to steer the ship to safety. In a terrible moment, Nik is swept overboard by a rogue wave and Evie fears he will be lost forever. Fortunately, Nik is found washed up on shore, but Evie is sure she saw a mermaid hovering over him.
Things become stranger for Evie when a homeless girl arrives on the beach a few days later. Claiming to have run away from home, Evie is startled by the girl’s appearance – she looks just like Anna. To make things even odder, the girl’s name is Annemette, a name so similar to Evie’s missing friend.
Evie and Annemette quickly become firm friends and both catch the eyes of the Princes Nik and Iker. With romance, Evie wonders if both girls will get their happily ever after. However, there is dark magic in the air and not everything is as true as it appears.
With a dark twist at the end, Sea Witch is a story full of magic, secrets and love. Although the blurb hints of the connection to The Little Mermaid, it is unclear until the very end what characters tally up. Unpredictable and exciting, Sea Witch is a story for those with a sense of adventure, a lover of fairytales, a romantic or a history buff, however, remember, not all fairytales have happy endings.
Everyone knows the story of The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen, or at least Disney’s version with Ariel and her friends Sebastian and Flounder. People will also recall the evil sea witch (Disney’s Ursula) but has anyone ever wondered how the octopus-human hybrid came into being? Why is she considered evil? Why is she alone under the sea? Sarah Henning, a journalist from the US has asked these questions and come up with an answer in her debut novel Sea Witch.
The story begins on a ship many years ago in part of Denmark with the crown prince’s birthday party. Narrated by Evie, a commoner who also happens to be the prince’s best friend, the story flits between present day and four years previously when Evie and Prince Nik’s friend Anna drowned. Whilst Nik is celebrating his sixteenth birthday, Anna should have been celebrating her fifteenth, therefore, when Evie sees a face peering through the porthole of Nik’s ship, she believes it is only in her imagination that it resembled her long lost friend.
The party comes to a sudden end with a storm causing guests to flee below decks, leaving Evie, Nik and his cousin Iker to try to steer the ship to safety. In a terrible moment, Nik is swept overboard by a rogue wave and Evie fears he will be lost forever. Fortunately, Nik is found washed up on shore, but Evie is sure she saw a mermaid hovering over him.
Things become stranger for Evie when a homeless girl arrives on the beach a few days later. Claiming to have run away from home, Evie is startled by the girl’s appearance – she looks just like Anna. To make things even odder, the girl’s name is Annemette, a name so similar to Evie’s missing friend.
Evie and Annemette quickly become firm friends and both catch the eyes of the Princes Nik and Iker. With romance, Evie wonders if both girls will get their happily ever after. However, there is dark magic in the air and not everything is as true as it appears.
With a dark twist at the end, Sea Witch is a story full of magic, secrets and love. Although the blurb hints of the connection to The Little Mermaid, it is unclear until the very end what characters tally up. Unpredictable and exciting, Sea Witch is a story for those with a sense of adventure, a lover of fairytales, a romantic or a history buff, however, remember, not all fairytales have happy endings.
Erika (17789 KP) rated Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019) in Movies
Dec 22, 2019
A Sequel to Force Awakens
It's no secret, I hate the Last Jedi. Now, at this point it's completely null and void, and I am thrilled. Yes, I threw shade at Rose, because I thought that them pushing her into the background was hilarious, and the correct thing to do with the vanilla-boring character. No hate towards Kelly Marie Tran, you can't fault her for her character being lame AF.
I debated on whether to write a spoiler filled review, or a non-spoiler review. I decided upon a non-spoiler review.
The first half of the film did have a ton of planet-hopping and moved very quickly. I think it was this way to sort of show the main trio working together. You know, since TLJ did nothing to develop their relationships to one another.
It was a mistake to keep Carrie Fisher in the film. The scenes with her felt forced and fake. She did serve some sort of purpose, but I feel like it would have made more sense had she been dead.
Finally, what we'd all been waiting for happened, Rey's family was finally revealed. It was a little anti-climactic, and predictable. The entire film was fairly predictable, but was that a bad thing? In my book, no, I like being right about my theories. I liked the ending, and thought that certain characters endings made sense.
I didn't think the cameos were all that much fan service, they could have thrown in a lot more... Like, who was piloting the Ghost (see Star Wars Rebels)? Was it Hera or Jaden Syndulla? I loved, loved everyone they included in the very specific group cameo.
Overall, it was a satisfactory ending. I'm going to have to read more about the Knights of Ren when the collected volume comes out.
I saw articles b-tching about the additional force powers and force-sensitive people, this hasn't been a secret. Force-sensitive beings: Chirrut Îmwe (Rogue One), Finn (suggested in TFA and TROS trailers), Maz Katana, Bendu (Rebels). Beings with additional force powers: The Child from the Mandalorian (healing and suggested telekinesis), Ezra Bridger from Rebels (speaks and has strong connections to animals), and Karr from the Force Collector (sees the past from touching artefacts). I'm now ready to see more of the Star Wars universe, without the Skywalker family being the focus. Knights of the Old Republic plz.
I debated on whether to write a spoiler filled review, or a non-spoiler review. I decided upon a non-spoiler review.
The first half of the film did have a ton of planet-hopping and moved very quickly. I think it was this way to sort of show the main trio working together. You know, since TLJ did nothing to develop their relationships to one another.
It was a mistake to keep Carrie Fisher in the film. The scenes with her felt forced and fake. She did serve some sort of purpose, but I feel like it would have made more sense had she been dead.
Finally, what we'd all been waiting for happened, Rey's family was finally revealed. It was a little anti-climactic, and predictable. The entire film was fairly predictable, but was that a bad thing? In my book, no, I like being right about my theories. I liked the ending, and thought that certain characters endings made sense.
I didn't think the cameos were all that much fan service, they could have thrown in a lot more... Like, who was piloting the Ghost (see Star Wars Rebels)? Was it Hera or Jaden Syndulla? I loved, loved everyone they included in the very specific group cameo.
Overall, it was a satisfactory ending. I'm going to have to read more about the Knights of Ren when the collected volume comes out.
I saw articles b-tching about the additional force powers and force-sensitive people, this hasn't been a secret. Force-sensitive beings: Chirrut Îmwe (Rogue One), Finn (suggested in TFA and TROS trailers), Maz Katana, Bendu (Rebels). Beings with additional force powers: The Child from the Mandalorian (healing and suggested telekinesis), Ezra Bridger from Rebels (speaks and has strong connections to animals), and Karr from the Force Collector (sees the past from touching artefacts). I'm now ready to see more of the Star Wars universe, without the Skywalker family being the focus. Knights of the Old Republic plz.
Tiny Epic Tactics
7.0
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Tiny Epic Tactics utilizes a simple combat system with variable player powers and 3-D terrain to...
Prophesy (The King & Alpha, #1)
8.0
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Book
Justice Volkov is the youngest Alpha Zenith to ever lead the wolf shifters. Following in his...
MM Paranormal Romance
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Central Intelligence (2016) in Movies
Sep 29, 2021
Great poster. So-so film.
“Saving the World Takes a Little Hart and a Big Johnson”. I doubt I have ever passed a film poster before and dissolved into paroxysms of mirth, so this film at least wins one award with me.
The story is pretty inconsequential, and used as a framework to build set pieces around. Kevin Hart (“Ride Along”) plays Calvin Joyner – the life and soul of his high school and the guy voted ‘Most likely to succeed’. He’s also a nice guy, sensitively covering the modesty of overweight loser Robbie Wheirdicht (a good Dwayne Johnson lookalike actually played by internet wedding-dance sensation Sione Kelepi) after he’s been ridiculed by bullies in front of the whole school.
But sometimes life doesn’t go to plan and twenty year’s later Calvin may have married his high school sweetheart Maggie (Danielle Nicolet) but has ended up in a low-level forensic accountancy job and not where he wants to be.
Robbie on the other hand has transformed his life and physique to become Bob Stone (Dwayne Johnson), a man with a ‘certain set of skills’ and, as it turns out, a rogue CIA operative. Bob is on the trail of financial codes to help identify the location of the traitorous ‘Black Badger’ who killed his long-term partner Stanton (Aaron Paul). But the Black Badger could be anyone, and the CIA lead (Amy Ryan) suspects it might actually be Stone. With the stakes rising the inept Joyner needs to make a decision on who to trust and who to fear.
The comedy lead Kevin Hart previously impressed with “Get Hard” and raises a few laughs in this one, notably with his attempt at his signature flip twenty years later than he should have attempted it! Johnson’s character is written to be just plain weird and with Johnson’s limited acting range (think Arnie in “Jingle All The Way”) it’s a performance that is on the outlandish side of bizarre. Together the duo make for a likeable pair but this is a very lightweight comedy and is generally a smile-along rather than a laugh-along. It is also uneven in tone, occasionally straying into highly un-comedic territory: a throat-ripping out scene anyone?
The director is Rawson Marshall Thurber who previously directed the better comedy “Dodgeball” and the far worse “We’re the Millers”. So that should set your expectations.
A fairly ho-hum comedy which might entertain you on a long plane flight but is not worth forking out much cash to rent.
The story is pretty inconsequential, and used as a framework to build set pieces around. Kevin Hart (“Ride Along”) plays Calvin Joyner – the life and soul of his high school and the guy voted ‘Most likely to succeed’. He’s also a nice guy, sensitively covering the modesty of overweight loser Robbie Wheirdicht (a good Dwayne Johnson lookalike actually played by internet wedding-dance sensation Sione Kelepi) after he’s been ridiculed by bullies in front of the whole school.
But sometimes life doesn’t go to plan and twenty year’s later Calvin may have married his high school sweetheart Maggie (Danielle Nicolet) but has ended up in a low-level forensic accountancy job and not where he wants to be.
Robbie on the other hand has transformed his life and physique to become Bob Stone (Dwayne Johnson), a man with a ‘certain set of skills’ and, as it turns out, a rogue CIA operative. Bob is on the trail of financial codes to help identify the location of the traitorous ‘Black Badger’ who killed his long-term partner Stanton (Aaron Paul). But the Black Badger could be anyone, and the CIA lead (Amy Ryan) suspects it might actually be Stone. With the stakes rising the inept Joyner needs to make a decision on who to trust and who to fear.
The comedy lead Kevin Hart previously impressed with “Get Hard” and raises a few laughs in this one, notably with his attempt at his signature flip twenty years later than he should have attempted it! Johnson’s character is written to be just plain weird and with Johnson’s limited acting range (think Arnie in “Jingle All The Way”) it’s a performance that is on the outlandish side of bizarre. Together the duo make for a likeable pair but this is a very lightweight comedy and is generally a smile-along rather than a laugh-along. It is also uneven in tone, occasionally straying into highly un-comedic territory: a throat-ripping out scene anyone?
The director is Rawson Marshall Thurber who previously directed the better comedy “Dodgeball” and the far worse “We’re the Millers”. So that should set your expectations.
A fairly ho-hum comedy which might entertain you on a long plane flight but is not worth forking out much cash to rent.
KalJ95 (25 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of STAR WARS Battlefront II in Video Games
Jun 10, 2020
Star Wars Immersion At Its Finest. (2 more)
Multiplayer Is Feels Fluid, Bouncy And Satisfying.
Frequent Updates Have Saved The Game.
Sometimes Buggy. (1 more)
Campaign Is Short, Bare and Repetitive.
Can EA Redeem Themselves? (2020 Update Review)
I will begin this by telling you a story. Back in 2016, I bought EA and DICE's STAR WARS Battlefront for £25, feeling like a got a pretty good bargain. Little did I know at the time that this was an EA project, I had very high hopes after spending hundreds of hours of my childhood playing the original, Battlefront and Battlefront II, on my original XBOX. To me, along with KOTOR and Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader, were the pinnacle of how good a STAR WARS game could be. I played four hours of this remake, and realised how much of a mistake I had made. I subsequently put the game on eBay, with the description, “Please take this abomination from me before I throw it at the wall!”. It sold for £9. Worth it.
Once I discovered EA and DICE were doing a sequel, I knew this was to be avoided at all costs. Upon launch, Battlefront II was slammed by critics and fans for various reasons, including a loot based system that gave a player a clear advantage over another, and a story which was so short and bare boned it barely even passed four hours. A complete disaster all round. Yet, a new hope arose. Frequent updates have come since then, and all updates have been free for players as a sorry for all the mistakes both companies have made with the property. So, with all this information in the past, I received Battlefront II as a free game with PlayStation Plus for June. A what a treat it is.
STAR WARS Battlefront II is a well improved shooter over its 2015 release, and an all round excellent game, and this is down to its updates being made free to all its players. Battlefront II must be broken up into parts in order to properly get a fair review, so let’s start with the campaign.
Narrative:
The story follows Iden Versio, an Empire Commander who’s morals are tested and sides are divided once she discovers the truth behind her allegiances as the story goes on. The campaign is the weakest part of the package, roughly taking around four to five hours to complete, and the missions feel the same; go to objective, kill enemies, find other objectives etc. The formula gets mixed a few times to introduce iconic heroes and villains through this timeline of STAR WARS history. Average would be the perfect word to describe this aspect, it doesn’t try anything new or experiment, and thats a shame because they introduce some new ideas that could of shaken up the story a little. They did add an expansion called Resurrection, following on some years after the campaign. Again, its too short for any real substance or replay value. Arcade mode is fun enough too, pitting you against different tasks for the Light and Dark side. Each one puts you with different Heroes, Villains or Soldiers, as you fight against a numbered amount of enemies. It all is enough to satisfy for a couple of hours, but if you're buying Battlefront for single-player purposes, don't bother.
Multiplayer:
The Multiplayer is fantastic, immersion filled experience fans of STAR WARS will love. I’ve recently lost a lot of love for the franchise, but this game has made me remember why I loved it as a child. The combination of John William’s score, the fluid gunplay that bounces with every successful hit, mixed with the amazing environments of each world and excellent sound effects. This makes it absolutely flawless. It features various different game modes to choose from, my personal favourite being Co-op missions, all your standard multiplayer shooter modes. Unlike before, where you had to buy the STAR WARS characters you want to play as, you now have to earn points during battle to play as them. The system works as you feel you’ve earned the way to play as, for example, Luke or Han. Sometimes it feels a little buggy in places, especially in modes with forty players, but it never ruins the overall game.
The issues, which they’re are many, occur in multiplayer frequently. The Galactic Assault is messy, and frustrating most of the time due to wonky controls. It feels like the controller doesn’t work for the ships, but works perfectly for the on-ground assaults. I did try this mode a number of times, and the same things happened again and again.
The package is finely finished with some great customisation options for your troopers and also the main characters of the franchise. The sheer number of characters in the roster is staggering. Some choices, like BB-8, feel a little shoehorned, but weirdly they all feel different, with their own unique perks. As a whole, it feels like for once EA has decided to put the consumer first with their product, rather than thinking of the money. They’ve taken the time to issue an apology for the awful services they’ve been providing, by putting a product they know the fans will love. I never thought I would say it, but props to DICE and EA. You’ve redeemed yourselves, for now.
Once I discovered EA and DICE were doing a sequel, I knew this was to be avoided at all costs. Upon launch, Battlefront II was slammed by critics and fans for various reasons, including a loot based system that gave a player a clear advantage over another, and a story which was so short and bare boned it barely even passed four hours. A complete disaster all round. Yet, a new hope arose. Frequent updates have come since then, and all updates have been free for players as a sorry for all the mistakes both companies have made with the property. So, with all this information in the past, I received Battlefront II as a free game with PlayStation Plus for June. A what a treat it is.
STAR WARS Battlefront II is a well improved shooter over its 2015 release, and an all round excellent game, and this is down to its updates being made free to all its players. Battlefront II must be broken up into parts in order to properly get a fair review, so let’s start with the campaign.
Narrative:
The story follows Iden Versio, an Empire Commander who’s morals are tested and sides are divided once she discovers the truth behind her allegiances as the story goes on. The campaign is the weakest part of the package, roughly taking around four to five hours to complete, and the missions feel the same; go to objective, kill enemies, find other objectives etc. The formula gets mixed a few times to introduce iconic heroes and villains through this timeline of STAR WARS history. Average would be the perfect word to describe this aspect, it doesn’t try anything new or experiment, and thats a shame because they introduce some new ideas that could of shaken up the story a little. They did add an expansion called Resurrection, following on some years after the campaign. Again, its too short for any real substance or replay value. Arcade mode is fun enough too, pitting you against different tasks for the Light and Dark side. Each one puts you with different Heroes, Villains or Soldiers, as you fight against a numbered amount of enemies. It all is enough to satisfy for a couple of hours, but if you're buying Battlefront for single-player purposes, don't bother.
Multiplayer:
The Multiplayer is fantastic, immersion filled experience fans of STAR WARS will love. I’ve recently lost a lot of love for the franchise, but this game has made me remember why I loved it as a child. The combination of John William’s score, the fluid gunplay that bounces with every successful hit, mixed with the amazing environments of each world and excellent sound effects. This makes it absolutely flawless. It features various different game modes to choose from, my personal favourite being Co-op missions, all your standard multiplayer shooter modes. Unlike before, where you had to buy the STAR WARS characters you want to play as, you now have to earn points during battle to play as them. The system works as you feel you’ve earned the way to play as, for example, Luke or Han. Sometimes it feels a little buggy in places, especially in modes with forty players, but it never ruins the overall game.
The issues, which they’re are many, occur in multiplayer frequently. The Galactic Assault is messy, and frustrating most of the time due to wonky controls. It feels like the controller doesn’t work for the ships, but works perfectly for the on-ground assaults. I did try this mode a number of times, and the same things happened again and again.
The package is finely finished with some great customisation options for your troopers and also the main characters of the franchise. The sheer number of characters in the roster is staggering. Some choices, like BB-8, feel a little shoehorned, but weirdly they all feel different, with their own unique perks. As a whole, it feels like for once EA has decided to put the consumer first with their product, rather than thinking of the money. They’ve taken the time to issue an apology for the awful services they’ve been providing, by putting a product they know the fans will love. I never thought I would say it, but props to DICE and EA. You’ve redeemed yourselves, for now.
Kyera (8 KP) rated Wires and Nerve, Volume 2: Gone Rogue in Books
Jan 31, 2018
As the second and final graphic novel (for now) chronicling Iko's adventures after the events of the Lunar Chronicles, Gone Rogue does a brilliant job catching us up on what all of our favourite characters have been up to in the last year. Despite the fact that Wires and Nerve continues the story in graphic novel form, rather than the original book - I never felt like I was missing anything.
As the story focuses on Iko, there was less time dedicated to the other pairs from the series. In the first graphic novel, I felt that Cress and Thorne were given a lot of story time and that they weren't as present in the second novel. On the other hand, Scarlet and Wolf were almost nonexistent in the first and had more of a presence in the second. Meyer did a brilliant job developing the relationships further and showing readers how they have evolved despite the limited amount of text she had to work with because it was a graphic novel.
Although Iko was a supporting character in the original series, she completely stole the show and lit up every scene that she was in. It was wonderful to see her take the lead in this series and adapt to a world in which she looked human, although there were still those that constantly reminded her that she was not. She struggles to deal with the reminders that she is an android and programmed to be the way that she is, despite the fact that her closest friends never see her as anything but normal.
The three main additions to the series are the villain, the guard Kinney and his sister Tressa. I felt that the two male characters were well developed and you could understand their motivations throughout the story. Tressa felt less real and I honestly forgot who she was from the first book to the second, until reminded in the course of the story. She is an exuberant character who loves a lot of the same things as Iko, but I don't feel that I know as much about her as I wish I did so that I could connect to her more.
Overall, the plot was brilliant and the story was so engaging that I didn't put the book down from the moment I began reading it until I was on the final page. While I am saddened that this is the final graphic novel in the Lunar Chronicles, I love the world and characters so much that I hope that the series continues in some manner. I felt satisfied with the ending and feel that if it is in fact the end of the story - I am happy. I loved this series so much and being able to watch Iko shine in her own adventures.
As the story focuses on Iko, there was less time dedicated to the other pairs from the series. In the first graphic novel, I felt that Cress and Thorne were given a lot of story time and that they weren't as present in the second novel. On the other hand, Scarlet and Wolf were almost nonexistent in the first and had more of a presence in the second. Meyer did a brilliant job developing the relationships further and showing readers how they have evolved despite the limited amount of text she had to work with because it was a graphic novel.
Although Iko was a supporting character in the original series, she completely stole the show and lit up every scene that she was in. It was wonderful to see her take the lead in this series and adapt to a world in which she looked human, although there were still those that constantly reminded her that she was not. She struggles to deal with the reminders that she is an android and programmed to be the way that she is, despite the fact that her closest friends never see her as anything but normal.
The three main additions to the series are the villain, the guard Kinney and his sister Tressa. I felt that the two male characters were well developed and you could understand their motivations throughout the story. Tressa felt less real and I honestly forgot who she was from the first book to the second, until reminded in the course of the story. She is an exuberant character who loves a lot of the same things as Iko, but I don't feel that I know as much about her as I wish I did so that I could connect to her more.
Overall, the plot was brilliant and the story was so engaging that I didn't put the book down from the moment I began reading it until I was on the final page. While I am saddened that this is the final graphic novel in the Lunar Chronicles, I love the world and characters so much that I hope that the series continues in some manner. I felt satisfied with the ending and feel that if it is in fact the end of the story - I am happy. I loved this series so much and being able to watch Iko shine in her own adventures.
Debbiereadsbook (1633 KP) rated Storm Of The Gods: An Areios Brothers Novel #1 in Books
Sep 1, 2018
a good solid 3 stars
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
30 years ago, the Greek gods re-emerged into the modern world from their enforced sleep. Since then, scions, direct descendants of those gods, have been doing their bidding and keeping the human population safe from the mythical beats of old. Derek and his 18 year old brother Liam, are war scions, doing the bidding of Ares, the god of war. Ares orders Derek to find and kill four rogue scions, by threatening Liam and Derek will do anything to keep his brother safe. But not all is as it seems, and Derek, Liam and the four scions find themselves in a battle to keep the mighty Titans at sleep.
**insert sigh**
For the most part,I did enjoy this. It took a while for me to get into it. There are several HUGE info dumps near the beginning and I didn't like that., It came at you all in one go, and I did not process all of that information, there was so much. It meant I got lost a little in places later on.
But it's all the history of the gods that dumps on you. You don't get all of Derek and Liam's history in that dump. That comes out in dribs and drabs, slow enough for you to process their history, before the next bit is thrown at you. And I think there may be more to come, I really do.
It is HEAVY on the fighting. Derek, Liam and the scions do a lot of fighting and it is described in all its detail. A bit too much for me.
Only Derek has his say, in the first person. I think if Liam, and maybe one of the scions, Selena, had their say too, even in the first, I might have enjoyed this one a little more.
I DID like the story itself, info dump and fighting aside, I did not see a lot coming at me, kept me on my toes.
There is something brewing between Derek and Selena, and I hope that plays out how I see playing out! But Derek has more secrets to reveal, some I don't think he even knows about yet. And he still has to get out of the war pact made with Ares, but to do that, Derek has to do what Ares asked him to. Derek does not want to do that now.
Will I read the next book?? Yes, I'd like to, if only to see how this all goes down.
So, because of the massive info dump, and because only Derek has a say....
3 solid good stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
30 years ago, the Greek gods re-emerged into the modern world from their enforced sleep. Since then, scions, direct descendants of those gods, have been doing their bidding and keeping the human population safe from the mythical beats of old. Derek and his 18 year old brother Liam, are war scions, doing the bidding of Ares, the god of war. Ares orders Derek to find and kill four rogue scions, by threatening Liam and Derek will do anything to keep his brother safe. But not all is as it seems, and Derek, Liam and the four scions find themselves in a battle to keep the mighty Titans at sleep.
**insert sigh**
For the most part,I did enjoy this. It took a while for me to get into it. There are several HUGE info dumps near the beginning and I didn't like that., It came at you all in one go, and I did not process all of that information, there was so much. It meant I got lost a little in places later on.
But it's all the history of the gods that dumps on you. You don't get all of Derek and Liam's history in that dump. That comes out in dribs and drabs, slow enough for you to process their history, before the next bit is thrown at you. And I think there may be more to come, I really do.
It is HEAVY on the fighting. Derek, Liam and the scions do a lot of fighting and it is described in all its detail. A bit too much for me.
Only Derek has his say, in the first person. I think if Liam, and maybe one of the scions, Selena, had their say too, even in the first, I might have enjoyed this one a little more.
I DID like the story itself, info dump and fighting aside, I did not see a lot coming at me, kept me on my toes.
There is something brewing between Derek and Selena, and I hope that plays out how I see playing out! But Derek has more secrets to reveal, some I don't think he even knows about yet. And he still has to get out of the war pact made with Ares, but to do that, Derek has to do what Ares asked him to. Derek does not want to do that now.
Will I read the next book?? Yes, I'd like to, if only to see how this all goes down.
So, because of the massive info dump, and because only Derek has a say....
3 solid good stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Doctor Strange (2016) in Movies
Jun 19, 2019
Doctor Stephan Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), is a man of extremes. He is a brilliant and gifted surgeon who makes the impossible seem routine, but is also a self –centered egomaniac that spends money almost as fast as he makes it.
When a freak car accident deprives him of the use of his hands, his life spirals into self-pity and rage as he is no longer able to earn money at his profession nor accumulate the praise and accolades he has become accustomed to.
When one treatment after another fails to achieve any desired results and only serves to further deplete his dwindling resources, Strange heads to Nepal in search of a locale where a paraplegic was reported to make a full recovery after a visit. Although highly skeptical and arrogant, Strange is eventually taken in by The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) who leads an order who protects Earth from other dimensions that would destroy all life as we know it.
Strange begins training in spells and archaic knowledge and in time becomes skilled at his craft although highly unwilling to get behind the true nature of his order as he sees his study as little more than a means to restore his hands and regain his former career.
When a rogue member of the order named Kaecillius (Mads Mikkelsen), and his followers begin a series of attacks designed to destroy the safeguards of Earth and bring a being of evil to earth from another dimension, Strange is forced into action and soon learns that the universe and the multiverse is threatened forcing him to reexamine his life and place in the grand scheme of things.
What follows is a thrilling adventure spanning multiple dimensions and the streets of London, New York and Hong Kong as Strange battles to save the day.
Marvel Studios has once again proved they have the Midas touch when it comes to their properties. Cumberbatch embodies the Doctor so well that he is a captivating and complex character who like many of the best Marvel characters is also a deeply flawed individual at his core.
Swinton does great work in her role as do Rachel McAdams, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Benedict Wong in their supporting roles.
The film does take some time getting to the action but Director Scott Derrickson allows his characters the time to establish their history, relationships with one another, and the setting before getting to the very impressive effects and action.
There are two scenes during the credits that set the stage very well for future adventures for the Doctor as Marvel continues to weave their complex tapestry of characters into their ever expanding universe.
http://sknr.net/2016/11/02/doctor-stange/
When a freak car accident deprives him of the use of his hands, his life spirals into self-pity and rage as he is no longer able to earn money at his profession nor accumulate the praise and accolades he has become accustomed to.
When one treatment after another fails to achieve any desired results and only serves to further deplete his dwindling resources, Strange heads to Nepal in search of a locale where a paraplegic was reported to make a full recovery after a visit. Although highly skeptical and arrogant, Strange is eventually taken in by The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) who leads an order who protects Earth from other dimensions that would destroy all life as we know it.
Strange begins training in spells and archaic knowledge and in time becomes skilled at his craft although highly unwilling to get behind the true nature of his order as he sees his study as little more than a means to restore his hands and regain his former career.
When a rogue member of the order named Kaecillius (Mads Mikkelsen), and his followers begin a series of attacks designed to destroy the safeguards of Earth and bring a being of evil to earth from another dimension, Strange is forced into action and soon learns that the universe and the multiverse is threatened forcing him to reexamine his life and place in the grand scheme of things.
What follows is a thrilling adventure spanning multiple dimensions and the streets of London, New York and Hong Kong as Strange battles to save the day.
Marvel Studios has once again proved they have the Midas touch when it comes to their properties. Cumberbatch embodies the Doctor so well that he is a captivating and complex character who like many of the best Marvel characters is also a deeply flawed individual at his core.
Swinton does great work in her role as do Rachel McAdams, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Benedict Wong in their supporting roles.
The film does take some time getting to the action but Director Scott Derrickson allows his characters the time to establish their history, relationships with one another, and the setting before getting to the very impressive effects and action.
There are two scenes during the credits that set the stage very well for future adventures for the Doctor as Marvel continues to weave their complex tapestry of characters into their ever expanding universe.
http://sknr.net/2016/11/02/doctor-stange/
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018) in Movies
Jul 8, 2019
Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is back and on a mission to stop a terrorist group, known as The Apostles, from acquiring three uranium cores that they will use to create nuclear devices. Hunt and his Impossible Mission Force (IMF) team (Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames) set up a black market deal to purchase the cores. But during the buy Luther (Rhames) is taken hostage. In a rescue attempt Hunt and Benji (Pegg) let the cores slip into the hands of The Apostles. Due to Hunt’s choice to save his team over protecting the cores has put the world in danger of nuclear attack. Luckily, the head of the IMF, Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin, has received intelligence that an arms dealer known as the White Widow (Vanessa Kirby) is looking to broker a deal for the cores. The only problem is the price is not money but the breaking out of the former IMF nemesis and anarchist Solomon Lane (Sean Harris). Hunt, eager for redemption, agrees to once again track down the cores. But the CIA want to make sure that this time the job is done right, so Director Erica Sloan (Angela Bassett) demands her top cleaner August Walker (Henry Cavill) accompany. With the help of the CIA they will try and break Lane out of prison and save the world from a catastrophic nuclear attack.
This film, the sixth installment of the Mission: Impossible film franchise, is a true action packed summer blockbuster. Written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Jack Reacher) this film has the action and suspense that viewers have come to expect from these films. Cruise, who famously does all of his own stunts, puts in a stellar performance, as does the rest of the cast. Rebecca Ferguson, as assassin and Hunt love interest Ilsa Faust, has good on screen chemistry with Cruise. The overall vision of the film is big and everything is well shot. One example is seamlessly shot motorcycle/car chase through Paris streets, with narrow misses, extreme speeds and iconic scenery. Along with all of the action you get the sometimes corny dialog that you can expect. As long as you expect it, and maybe embrace it, you will definitely enjoy the film. At 2 hours and 27 minutes the runtime might seem long but the pace is really good so it does not feel that long.
This is the best action film of the summer I have seen so far. The attention to detail in the action scenes really shows through. The twists and turns of the story keep you as engaged as the jaw dropping stunts. Maybe not the film for everyone but a great action/spy movie. For me it is definitely a film that should be seen in theaters, maybe more than once.
This film, the sixth installment of the Mission: Impossible film franchise, is a true action packed summer blockbuster. Written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Jack Reacher) this film has the action and suspense that viewers have come to expect from these films. Cruise, who famously does all of his own stunts, puts in a stellar performance, as does the rest of the cast. Rebecca Ferguson, as assassin and Hunt love interest Ilsa Faust, has good on screen chemistry with Cruise. The overall vision of the film is big and everything is well shot. One example is seamlessly shot motorcycle/car chase through Paris streets, with narrow misses, extreme speeds and iconic scenery. Along with all of the action you get the sometimes corny dialog that you can expect. As long as you expect it, and maybe embrace it, you will definitely enjoy the film. At 2 hours and 27 minutes the runtime might seem long but the pace is really good so it does not feel that long.
This is the best action film of the summer I have seen so far. The attention to detail in the action scenes really shows through. The twists and turns of the story keep you as engaged as the jaw dropping stunts. Maybe not the film for everyone but a great action/spy movie. For me it is definitely a film that should be seen in theaters, maybe more than once.