Search
Search results
The Possible World
9.5
Rate It
Book
An astonishing, deeply moving novel about the converging lives of a young boy who witnesses a brutal...
Historical Fiction
Aces of the Pacific
6.8
Rate It
Video Game Watch
Aces of the Pacific features various warplanes of the era, such as the F6F Hellcat and the Zero. The...
The Perfect King: The Life of Edward III, Father of the English Nation
Book
He ordered his uncle to be beheaded; he usurped his father's throne; he taxed his people more than...
ClareR (5874 KP) rated Pan's Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun in Books
Nov 9, 2021
I loved the original film of this book (with the same name), so the thought of a book intrigued me, especially as it was written afterwards. And let’s face it, anything with fairytale connections is on to a winner where I’m concerned.
This book perfectly illustrates the cruelty and despair of the fascist regime under Franco. Ofelia tries to escape real life in her books, but this becomes increasingly difficult for her as her mother becomes more and more ill during her pregnancy. The brutality of her stepfather and his terrible methods of control is seen in the surrounding area and his own home: the lack of care for his wife, the plans to kill the anti-fascist fighters in the woods, and his methods of torture.
Ofelia escapes in to her imagination - or is Pan real? I loved this aspect and the tasks she was given to complete. I really enjoyed how the folktales were interwoven and alternated with real life (which had the harsher conclusions? Fairy tales don’t always have a happy ending), and gave an explanation to the origin of the Labyrinth.
The illustrations were beautiful too, and put faces to the characters - after all, it’s a long time since I saw the film. But this book stands so well on it’s own, and dare I say that you don’t need to have seen the film? Well, no, because I really enjoyed the film! So, read the book, and watch the film - you won’t regret it!
This book perfectly illustrates the cruelty and despair of the fascist regime under Franco. Ofelia tries to escape real life in her books, but this becomes increasingly difficult for her as her mother becomes more and more ill during her pregnancy. The brutality of her stepfather and his terrible methods of control is seen in the surrounding area and his own home: the lack of care for his wife, the plans to kill the anti-fascist fighters in the woods, and his methods of torture.
Ofelia escapes in to her imagination - or is Pan real? I loved this aspect and the tasks she was given to complete. I really enjoyed how the folktales were interwoven and alternated with real life (which had the harsher conclusions? Fairy tales don’t always have a happy ending), and gave an explanation to the origin of the Labyrinth.
The illustrations were beautiful too, and put faces to the characters - after all, it’s a long time since I saw the film. But this book stands so well on it’s own, and dare I say that you don’t need to have seen the film? Well, no, because I really enjoyed the film! So, read the book, and watch the film - you won’t regret it!
Us Against the World (Roseden U #1)
8.0
Rate It
Book
Betrayed by the only family he's ever known, Owen must decide: for love or team? For Roseden...
Contemporary TransM/M Romance
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Twist of a Knife (Hawthorne & Horowitz Mystery #4) in Books
Aug 7, 2022
Getting back into a Hawthorne & Horowitz mystery is like meeting up with an old friend you haven't seen for ages but it's as if you saw them yesterday so if you haven't read any of the previous in the series, don't worry, you will fall into the story and the characters quickly.
Once again, Mr Horowitz provides a treat of a murder/mystery staring himself as one of the main characters alongside the enigmatic and mysterious Daniel Hawthorne. Are they friends or do they just tolerate each other? I'm still trying to work that one out but Hawthorne is the one Anthony turns to when he is accused of the murder of a theatre critic who panned his play Mindgame.
With an eclectic and wonderful cast of characters, Hawthorne sets about trying to find the murderer amongst a host of viable suspects (Anthony included) in his own inimitable way whilst the evidence stacks up against Anthony and an arrest by the police appears to be inevitable and imminent.
Written at a great pace, this is full of humour, mystery and is thoroughly enjoyable and I loved it. What I particularly like about this series is the lack of violence which makes a nice change to what I usually read and I am looking forward to (hopefully) the next in the series and that more details are revealed about Hawthorne!
Thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley for enabling me to read The Twist of a Knife and share my thoughts.
Once again, Mr Horowitz provides a treat of a murder/mystery staring himself as one of the main characters alongside the enigmatic and mysterious Daniel Hawthorne. Are they friends or do they just tolerate each other? I'm still trying to work that one out but Hawthorne is the one Anthony turns to when he is accused of the murder of a theatre critic who panned his play Mindgame.
With an eclectic and wonderful cast of characters, Hawthorne sets about trying to find the murderer amongst a host of viable suspects (Anthony included) in his own inimitable way whilst the evidence stacks up against Anthony and an arrest by the police appears to be inevitable and imminent.
Written at a great pace, this is full of humour, mystery and is thoroughly enjoyable and I loved it. What I particularly like about this series is the lack of violence which makes a nice change to what I usually read and I am looking forward to (hopefully) the next in the series and that more details are revealed about Hawthorne!
Thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley for enabling me to read The Twist of a Knife and share my thoughts.
Pete Thompson (4339 KP) rated Army of Thieves (2021) in Movies
Oct 30, 2021
Not going to sit and bash the bad points and big up what it does well but this is a film that wasn't needed. There was talk in the past to make a film with Tom Cruises character in Tropic Thunder as the lead and thankfully it wasn't made as they saw sense, the character as good as he was and memorable was because less is more. The screen time he got was well used and all lines hit the mark. Now moving back to Army of Thieves, the makers decided to make a prequel to Army of the Dead using the safe cracker character as he was 1 of the better points of that film but again was better due to limited screen time and there was enough about him in that film for what was required. Army of Thirves tries to use something that fits for 15 - 20 mins and stretch it out for a 127 minute film. It also wouldn't have been so bad if there was more to the film but it was the same thing 3 times over so after the 1st safe break you can switch off as that's all you're pretty much getting. It had some good set pieces and Matthias Schweighöfer did a pretty good job with a pretty thin on the ground character. Usually I would give this film an average review as it did enough to keep me entertained but due to the repetitiveness of the story and reminding me it was like Sucker Punch. Sorry but in this case less isn't more.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2340 KP) rated A Streetcar Named Murder in Books
Dec 15, 2022
Promising First Draft, but Needed Lots of Work
Valerie Cooper is facing changes in her life. A young widow, her twin sons are now off at college, and she struggling to fill her days. An unexpected letter reveals she’s inherited the estate of one of her late husband’s great uncles, a man that Valerie didn’t know existed. The inheritance includes an antique shop. Meanwhile, Valerie attends a Halloween costume ball, but the night ends when she finds a woman she knows stabbed to death outside the dance. What is going on?
I sat down to read this hoping to find a new series I’d enjoy. Sadly, it was very disappointing. The author tried for something different when it came to the plot, which I appreciate, but the result wasn’t plotted well at all but did pick up in the second half. It wasn’t helped by Valerie’s constant reflections on her life before her husband died and questioning why she’d never heard of this great uncle. While this is important for Valerie’s character growth, it got to be a bit much. Unfortunately, the ARC I read was also riddled with errors that should have been caught in editing, some of which made me question if what I saw from the suspects was the suspects hiding something or the sloppy editing. Meanwhile, the author goes too far in making the victim unlikeable, turning her one dimensional. I did like Valerie and her family and friends. But there is not enough good here to recommend the book.
I sat down to read this hoping to find a new series I’d enjoy. Sadly, it was very disappointing. The author tried for something different when it came to the plot, which I appreciate, but the result wasn’t plotted well at all but did pick up in the second half. It wasn’t helped by Valerie’s constant reflections on her life before her husband died and questioning why she’d never heard of this great uncle. While this is important for Valerie’s character growth, it got to be a bit much. Unfortunately, the ARC I read was also riddled with errors that should have been caught in editing, some of which made me question if what I saw from the suspects was the suspects hiding something or the sloppy editing. Meanwhile, the author goes too far in making the victim unlikeable, turning her one dimensional. I did like Valerie and her family and friends. But there is not enough good here to recommend the book.
41 of 230
Kindle
Secret of Magic: Rebels & Spies ( Academy of Falling Kingdom book 2)
By Marisa Mills and Drake Mason
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The good news: I miraculously survived a would-be fatal fall.
The bad news: A demon helped me do it.
The worst news: Prince Alexander saw everything.
Reverie is supposed to be paradise -- but the power holding the floating city aloft isn't holy; it's demonic. Now demons are attacking my classmates -- and I think they're targeting me. If we can't find the source behind the attacks, the entire kingdom could be in danger of falling from the sky.
And Alexander knows I'm a fraud.
I came to Reverie to steal something. Now I need Alexander to steal something, too. Because he has one thing I never will; the trust of the king.
But can I convince him to exploit his father's trust to save his people? Or will Alexander tell the world who I really am?
The Secret of Magic is a young adult fantasy adventure full of monsters, murder and romantic intrigue. Fans who enjoyed Rachel Carter’s Black Mage series and Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy will love this sprawling magic academy!
I loved it! From surviving the fall to the very last chapter I found it interesting and just wanted to keep reading. I knew her true identity it was kind of obvious I was just willing it along until Wynter found out too! Looking forward to seeing where they all go from here.
Kindle
Secret of Magic: Rebels & Spies ( Academy of Falling Kingdom book 2)
By Marisa Mills and Drake Mason
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The good news: I miraculously survived a would-be fatal fall.
The bad news: A demon helped me do it.
The worst news: Prince Alexander saw everything.
Reverie is supposed to be paradise -- but the power holding the floating city aloft isn't holy; it's demonic. Now demons are attacking my classmates -- and I think they're targeting me. If we can't find the source behind the attacks, the entire kingdom could be in danger of falling from the sky.
And Alexander knows I'm a fraud.
I came to Reverie to steal something. Now I need Alexander to steal something, too. Because he has one thing I never will; the trust of the king.
But can I convince him to exploit his father's trust to save his people? Or will Alexander tell the world who I really am?
The Secret of Magic is a young adult fantasy adventure full of monsters, murder and romantic intrigue. Fans who enjoyed Rachel Carter’s Black Mage series and Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy will love this sprawling magic academy!
I loved it! From surviving the fall to the very last chapter I found it interesting and just wanted to keep reading. I knew her true identity it was kind of obvious I was just willing it along until Wynter found out too! Looking forward to seeing where they all go from here.
felt it was a littel unfinished in places.
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
I liked this book, but I struggled a bit with it.
I liked that both Henry and Francis had a say, in the third person. I did not like that when Henry spoke, he spoke with a broad Yorkshire accent! I live one county down from Yorkshire, in the UK and it took me a bit of time to figure out what he was saying, so that took some enjoyment out it.
Henry and Francis are from very differing backgrounds, different classes and before WWII this was a major issue. It shows in places. Makes you think, about how things have changed. I didn't much like Francis' mother, but I think that's a generational thing. She came across extremely heavy on Francis and not so much on her brother, but then again, wanting to run away to Hollywood, in that time frame, was probably no more far fetched than it is today!
It felt a little clunky at times, and that made it a bit hard work. Some threads are left....unfinished.....I thought. Bit of tightening up, and I think this might have eeked that 4th star out of me.
BUT
It is well written, and I saw no editing or spelling mistakes, and I did finish it. Whether I will read another by this author remains to be seen.
a GOOD 3 star read
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
I liked this book, but I struggled a bit with it.
I liked that both Henry and Francis had a say, in the third person. I did not like that when Henry spoke, he spoke with a broad Yorkshire accent! I live one county down from Yorkshire, in the UK and it took me a bit of time to figure out what he was saying, so that took some enjoyment out it.
Henry and Francis are from very differing backgrounds, different classes and before WWII this was a major issue. It shows in places. Makes you think, about how things have changed. I didn't much like Francis' mother, but I think that's a generational thing. She came across extremely heavy on Francis and not so much on her brother, but then again, wanting to run away to Hollywood, in that time frame, was probably no more far fetched than it is today!
It felt a little clunky at times, and that made it a bit hard work. Some threads are left....unfinished.....I thought. Bit of tightening up, and I think this might have eeked that 4th star out of me.
BUT
It is well written, and I saw no editing or spelling mistakes, and I did finish it. Whether I will read another by this author remains to be seen.
a GOOD 3 star read
*same worded review will appear elsewhere