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Merissa (14222 KP) rated Unveiled (Monarchs of Magic #1) in Books
Sep 30, 2026
UNVEILED is the first book in the Monarchs of Magic series, set in the Scottish Highlands. Connor is King of his pack, with roots deep in the Scottish soil. Adrian, on the other hand, has inherited his pack and comes from France. When a whole village turns up overnight on Connor's land, they have to work together to find out just what is going on.
I am so glad Brigadoon was mentioned in here! It's what sprung to my mind as soon as I read the blurb, and it only got stronger as I got into the story. The village is full of amazing characters that I can't wait to learn more about. However, for me, that came at the expense of the packs, the land, and where they lived. It never felt very clear to me just what their lodgings looked like. I know one was a castle and the other wasn't, but we only get a paragraph or so describing them. I also found the characters of the packs almost interchangeable and had to consciously think about who was whom and which pack they belonged to when they were speaking.
Connor and Adrian are both announced as protectors, dual guardians, but Connor spends most of his time protecting Adrian. The Veil and the Council were intriguing, but you don't learn that much about them here. That just means that I'm looking forward to reading more about them in future books.
This is a fast-paced story that just doesn't stop, so hold onto your hats! This is a great new world that I am invested in, and can't wait to see what comes next. 3.5 very good stars, rounded up to 4 where necessary.
** The same worded review will appear elsewhere. **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian
Sep 29, 2026
I am so glad Brigadoon was mentioned in here! It's what sprung to my mind as soon as I read the blurb, and it only got stronger as I got into the story. The village is full of amazing characters that I can't wait to learn more about. However, for me, that came at the expense of the packs, the land, and where they lived. It never felt very clear to me just what their lodgings looked like. I know one was a castle and the other wasn't, but we only get a paragraph or so describing them. I also found the characters of the packs almost interchangeable and had to consciously think about who was whom and which pack they belonged to when they were speaking.
Connor and Adrian are both announced as protectors, dual guardians, but Connor spends most of his time protecting Adrian. The Veil and the Council were intriguing, but you don't learn that much about them here. That just means that I'm looking forward to reading more about them in future books.
This is a fast-paced story that just doesn't stop, so hold onto your hats! This is a great new world that I am invested in, and can't wait to see what comes next. 3.5 very good stars, rounded up to 4 where necessary.
** The same worded review will appear elsewhere. **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian
Sep 29, 2026
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Gods Of Egypt (2016) in Movies
Mar 17, 2018
Entertainingly bad
Let's face it, you know a film with Gerard Butler in it is never going to be good. But at least with Gods of Egypt it's that bad it's vaguely entertaining.
It's take on Egyptian mythology is actually an interesting one and it's just a shame they decided to take some of it too far with over the top and pretty naff CGI. Gerard Butler hams it up and it's quite funny to listen to his accent constantly switching between English, Scottish and American. Nicolaj Coster-Waldau is a good actor but he's given absolutely nothing to work with here other than a terrible cheesy and stilted script. Brenton Thwaites isn't too bad either but he does seem to be playing a very similar character to that of the latest Pirates film.
This is one of those films you watch just to laugh at how bad it is. And fortunately for this, I've seen worse!
It's take on Egyptian mythology is actually an interesting one and it's just a shame they decided to take some of it too far with over the top and pretty naff CGI. Gerard Butler hams it up and it's quite funny to listen to his accent constantly switching between English, Scottish and American. Nicolaj Coster-Waldau is a good actor but he's given absolutely nothing to work with here other than a terrible cheesy and stilted script. Brenton Thwaites isn't too bad either but he does seem to be playing a very similar character to that of the latest Pirates film.
This is one of those films you watch just to laugh at how bad it is. And fortunately for this, I've seen worse!
Ross (3284 KP) rated The Boys Volume 8: Highland Laddie in Books
Oct 29, 2019
If Irvine Welsh wrote Oor Wullie
Highland Laddie sees Hughie leave The Boys and head home to his Maw and Paw for some peace and quiet. He soon finds that his home town has barely changed and the nostalgia wears off quite quickly.
It turns out Hughie was something of an amateur detective in his youth, and stopped a minor smuggling ring. He starts to uncover something again in this story, while also being unknowingly mentored over his troubles by a mysterious gentleman.
This story is hilarious, and like a cross between an Irvine Welsh/Chris Brookmyre book and an issue of Oor Wullie/The Beano. The old Scots angle (wee dugs, mince and tatties, everything being braw), combined with more modern Scottish ideas (inventive swearing and heroin) makes for a laugh-out-loud tale. We also see Hughie start to come to terms with the revelation from the previous volume, and consider rejoining The Boys.
It turns out Hughie was something of an amateur detective in his youth, and stopped a minor smuggling ring. He starts to uncover something again in this story, while also being unknowingly mentored over his troubles by a mysterious gentleman.
This story is hilarious, and like a cross between an Irvine Welsh/Chris Brookmyre book and an issue of Oor Wullie/The Beano. The old Scots angle (wee dugs, mince and tatties, everything being braw), combined with more modern Scottish ideas (inventive swearing and heroin) makes for a laugh-out-loud tale. We also see Hughie start to come to terms with the revelation from the previous volume, and consider rejoining The Boys.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The Sacred Art of Stealing in Books
Nov 25, 2019
A daring bank robbery in broad daylight puts detective Angelique De Xavier on the trail of a highly intelligent, highly motivated and highly unusual thief. The closer she gets the more she both admires him and wonders at his real motives.
This is classic Brookmyre; plenty of Scottish patois and references, clever and imaginative situations and well drawn characters. Nobody in a Brookmyre novel is black or white, everyone has shades of grey, sometimes more than one shade and this book is no exception.
As would be expected this is a thriller with a wry twist of humour running through it; the bank robbery itself is both tense and a hoot to read as the police are completely outmaneouvred. As the real pursuit by De Xavier continues through the rest of the book the reader is drawn in and exposed to every twist as she experiences it.
A thoroughly good read and highly recommended.
This is classic Brookmyre; plenty of Scottish patois and references, clever and imaginative situations and well drawn characters. Nobody in a Brookmyre novel is black or white, everyone has shades of grey, sometimes more than one shade and this book is no exception.
As would be expected this is a thriller with a wry twist of humour running through it; the bank robbery itself is both tense and a hoot to read as the police are completely outmaneouvred. As the real pursuit by De Xavier continues through the rest of the book the reader is drawn in and exposed to every twist as she experiences it.
A thoroughly good read and highly recommended.
TC
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