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Firestorm (Dark Kings, #10)
10
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is not my usual genre but I really enjoyed the story. This is a incredible romantic fantasy story. This book is packed full of wonderful characters. This book has a complex story line that just sucks you in till the end of the book. This book is part of a series but can be read as a stand alone read. I can't wait to read more from this author in the future.
Highly recommended
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.
https://obsessedbookreviews.wordpress.com/donna-grant/
  
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Dana (24 KP) rated Throne of Glass in Books

Mar 23, 2018  
Throne of Glass
Throne of Glass
Sarah J. Maas | 2012 | Children, Fiction & Poetry
10
8.7 (91 Ratings)
Book Rating
Oh my god!! If you have not picked this up and you like fantasy novels, do it right now. Stop what you are doing and read this book!!! It is full of badassery, not too much romantic stuff, and magic. In the battle to find out which person will be crowned the King's Champion, lots of mystery and intrigue happens to our main heroine, Celaena Sandorthien. What is even cooler about this, there are pronunciation guides in the back of the book (at least in the paperback edition). I can't wait to start on the next one!!
  
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
N.K. Jemisin | 2000 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
8.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Worldbuilding (1 more)
Thoughtful and Engaging Characters
Tight, compelling story set in an amazing fantasy world
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms has the kind of engaging plot and clear prose that makes it easy to get lost in. Jemisin's debut novel crafts a complex world that fans of traditional fantasy will love, while still being incredibly fresh and thoughtful. The worldbuilding engages in the complexities of colonialism and cultural difference in a way that makes the world feel alive and thrumming with conflict.

Yeine is a compelling protagonist and Nahadoth, her romantic interest, is sexy, dark, and tortured (like all good love interests should be.) It's 410 pages of pure fantasy fun.

The only nitpick I have is that I wish there was more of it. Seriously. The advice to writers is to start as late in the story as possible, but I wish more time had been spent building up Yeine's world and her relationship with her mother (who's death is pivotal to the plot), and with her own Kingdom of Darre. Instead the reader enters the story with Yeine already making her way to the city of Sky. This, for me, lessened the emotional impact of later reveals.
  
Strange the Dreamer
Strange the Dreamer
Laini Taylor | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, Young Adult (YA)
10
9.0 (19 Ratings)
Book Rating
Delicious descriptions (2 more)
Fantastical setting
Well written
Some slow pacing (0 more)
On the second Sabbat of Twelfthmoon, in the city of Weep, a girl fell from the sky. Her skin was blue, her blood was red.
From the from the opening to the last page this story sucked me in and didn't let me go. Granted it was slow at times but the descriptions were so intoxicating. It could easily have been too poetic or too much but the author always seemed to toe the line just right. Recommended if you're in the mood for a dreamy romantic fantasy.

"'You're a storyteller. Dream up something wild and improbable,' she pleaded. 'Something beautiful and full of monsters.'
'Beautiful and full of monsters?'
'All the best stories are.'"
  
Show all 3 comments.
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AbmostFiction (32 KP) Jul 25, 2017

Me neither. It completely sucked me in and has not let me go!

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BobbiesDustyPages (1259 KP) Jul 26, 2017

I read it only a month or so ago and I already want to re-read it!

Too Good To Be Real: A Novel
Too Good To Be Real: A Novel
Melonie Johnson | 2021 | Contemporary, Humor & Comedy, Romance
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A very meta romantic comedy
Julia is a writer desperate to save her job. She's tired of posting nothing but quizzes and lists. So she pitches an article to her boss in an attempt to save her job: a new resort that's letting its guests live out their romantic comedy dreams via role playing. Julia doesn't believe in love, of course, but she'll play along if it means keeping her job. But when she and her two best friends show up, she meets a handsome man by the lake via the quintessential meet-cute: a humorous seagull incident. She thinks Luke is taking part in the rom-com experience, but he's actually one of the event planners, along with his best friend and sister. Luke decides to take part in the experience in order to impress a reviewer arriving. Sparks fly between the two, but can their love be real when no one is being honest about who they are?

"I'm as likely to find the wardrobe to Narnia as I am to find my own Mark Darcy. Life isn't like a romantic comedy."

This was a perfectly cute romantic comedy and it's important to remember that 3-stars is in no way a negative rating. Did this book wow me or sweep me off my feet? No. But it had its funny moments.

The concept is an interesting and original one: a rom-com resort, where guests are assigned a character, a role to play, select activities, and then the games begin. The characters get funny names associated with famous romantic comedies (think Sally, a la Harry Met Sally) and there are a ton of references to all sorts of rom-com favorites. If you're a romantic comedy fan, you'll love all the little inside jokes.

"For the chance to achieve his dreams, Luke had to do one thing. Make the fantasy real."

I liked Julia's character and enjoyed Luke, although I must admit the guy was a bit of a clueless idiot. The seagulls were easily the best characters in the book and some of their scenes made me laugh out loud. I'm never a fan of "lying by omission" plots, so it was a little hard to stomach that the story that was based off of falsehoods. Julia and Luke did have chemistry but also suffered a bit from instalove--maybe it was the seagulls?

Overall, this is a fun, fairly quick read, peppered with rom-com references. It's definitely silly and a bit cheesy, but sweet too. 3 stars.

I received a copy of this book from St. Martin's Press and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
  
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Bai Ling recommended Roman Holiday (1953) in Movies (curated)

 
Roman Holiday (1953)
Roman Holiday (1953)
1953 | Classics, Comedy, Drama
7.6 (5 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"It’s a very personal choice because when I came to America from mainland China, I was an actress, but I never knew about Hollywood. I had heard of Hollywood but we didn’t have access to see Hollywood movies. A photographer was taking pictures of me and said, “You remind me of this actress named Audrey Hepburn.” I said, “Who is that?” He said, “Bai Ling, you have to watch her films,” and he found me Roman Holiday. That was the first Hollywood movie I’d ever seen. And it’s still one of my favorites, because it first introduced me to Hollywood — beautiful, romantic, very graceful, and elegant. I would like to remake it — I hope some director can help me, maybe Steven Soderbergh or Wong Kar-Wai. [Laughs] What I remember about those old Hollywood films is that when a leading lady and a leading man meet, they don’t have to say anything; you already know they’re in love. You root for them; you want them to be together. That’s the magic of Hollywood. I think somehow today we’ve lost a little bit of it, and you don’t care as much if two characters get together. But Roman Holiday makes you smile, makes your heart smile, makes your heart sing for these two people. Gregory Peck is gentle and elegant, the kind of tall leading man that I like. I think we should remake the film. Everybody in America, in Asia, and in Europe, would appreciate it. The beautiful, pure, romantic story — I wish I would play a role like that, because I have a romantic soul. I’d like to bring that purity to the audience, to have their fantasy fulfilled."

Source
  
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HyruleBalverine (16 KP) rated The Gargoyle in Books

Nov 27, 2017 (Updated Nov 27, 2017)  
The Gargoyle
The Gargoyle
Andrew Davidson | 2008 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
A literary Journey that will have you questioning the reality your characters live in.
I typically read books in the science fiction, science fiction / fantasy, crime Thriller, or horror genres. A friend of mine suggested that I read this book because she really liked it. I will admit to going into with skepticism expect there to be some sort of romance novel. While there is some discussion of a romantic history and potentially some romantic feelings between the characters that is not what this book is about.

As you read through the story someone getting to know the characters and events unfold including the tails that Marianne tells of the past, you start to question whether this woman is telling the truth or she is actually crazy. The book never blatantly tells you one way or the other, but leaves it up to you to decide based on what you read and take from the book. I definitely has a clear opinion as to what was really going on but I won't spoil it for you by telling you what I think or why.


I will tell you after having read this book, I made it a point to recommend it to other friends I have that read because I thought it was that amazing especially given that it is not the type of story I typically read.
  
Letters to Juliet (2010)
Letters to Juliet (2010)
2010 | Comedy, Drama, Romance
9
8.0 (4 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Sophie’s life is heading in a good direction. She is the best fact checker at the New Yorker, engaged to an up-and-coming chef and is headed on a romantic trip to Verona, the setting of Shakespeare’s most famous play, Romeo and Juliet. But when Sophie discovers a multi-decade old letter written to Juliet she finds herself on a new and exciting adventure in the spirit of true love.

The film hitches its wagon on rising star Amanda Seyfried as the leading lady, playing romantically-inclined heroine Sophie. Amanda plays opposite Christopher Egan as Charlie, a pessimistic and overly protective grandson of Claire, a romantic adventurer and ideal parental-figure, played by the ever-enchanting Vanessa Redgrave.

It was easy to expect that this would be the same old American twenty-something in love tale, but I was unexpectedly surprised by the depth and honesty in “Letters to Juliet”. While it is much more a love story than a comedy, the film tackles a number of the usual subjects –love, loss, and destiny– in new ways. Throughout the film are touching scenes that blend laughter and keen, realistic emotion, without the all too familiar awkward result.

And it is hard not to smile while watching “Letters to Juliet”. The infusion of a love story mixes well with the films other themes: the importance of family and the value of cross-cultural perspectives. These complex themes support the romantic story so well that the experience is less like a fantasy and more akin to a well-layered tale told by a close friend. Mix in the stunning landscape of Italy and “Letters to Juliet” becomes a magically honest story about the quest for true love.

Filled with quality acting, romance, and many kinds of love while speaking across generations and cultural viewpoints, “Letters to Juliet” manages to pull at the heartstrings and share an inspiring and uplifting tale.
  
It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955)
It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955)
1955 | Sci-Fi
Stop-motion monster movie with Ray Harryhausen's special effects. Odd goings-on in the Pacific lead the authorities to suspect a giant radioactive octopus is on the loose. Sure enough the beast is soon dry-humping the Golden Gate Bridge and menacing downtown San Francisco (at least, those parts within tentacle-reach of the seafront).

The bits with the octopus attacking the city are put together with Harryhausen's usual verve and skill, but - as ever - they are mostly confined to the end of the film; the rest of it is rather like a stolid Navy training film entitled 'How to Deal with Giant Octopi': functional but uninspired, and (apart from a sluggish romantic subplot) almost entirely procedural. Hits all the beats of the atomic sea monster subgenre, but doesn't have the sense of fantasy or fun that the best known films of this kind have. Some good stuff but threatens to drag even at less than 80 minutes in length.
  
S(
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
After my playthrough of the "Mass Effect" trilogy of video games wound up as a tragically optimistic, sci-fi, gay love story; I decided to look into finding some gay sci-fi romance fiction and stumbled upon this title. I have to say I am glad I did. This book is by no means perfect; there are a few questionable character decisions and some of the dialogue just doesn't feel like something that people in the age group represented would ever actually say, but despite those flaws, this still wound up being a highly entertaining read. The romance elements are kept somewhat to a minimum, which actually works better for me, but when they do arise they are indeed pretty romantic and about 90% believable. The sci-fi / fantasy / adventure elements are more pronounced and while they can stretch credulity a bit more regularly, they were more than suitably exciting enough to allow for the requisite suspension of disbelief. It ends satisfactorily while still leaving quite a lot to be resolved in the sequel, which I can say I look forward to reading.