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While the Women are Sleeping
Book
Celebrated as one of the greatest writers of his generation, Javier Marias is best known for his spy...
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Burn (Nava Katz, #6) in Books
Jan 6, 2021
I've put this book ON HOLD.
My Kindle Unlimited membership runs out in a few days and I've been struggling to get into this, which is strange considering I read the fifth book not long ago and love these characters.
I'll try again in a few months, start from the beginning again and see if I can get into it then (I really hope so!)
14th April
So, I'm trying again--not from the beginning--and hopefully after a few other good urban fantasy stories, I can get into this...
And I did, sort of.
2.5 stars.
I think this book has way too much going on. We skip a lot of little extra bits that would have been explained fully in earlier books, but just get a short paragraph that paraphrases into the basic facts.
The rest of the series has been long, and let it be known I'm not a fan of books longer than 350 pages, but this one seemed to go on forever. It seemed to take an age for 1% to pass and considering we get bombarded by stuff happening, I expected it to go quicker but in my opinion it went slower.
I lost interest in parts and skipped paragraphs just wanting the major fights to play out so when that had ended at about 88% (I think) and the story carried on...well, I started to lose interest once again. The main thing I was waiting for in those last few chapters was Drio to pull his finger out and tell Leo how he felt.
My Kindle Unlimited membership runs out in a few days and I've been struggling to get into this, which is strange considering I read the fifth book not long ago and love these characters.
I'll try again in a few months, start from the beginning again and see if I can get into it then (I really hope so!)
14th April
So, I'm trying again--not from the beginning--and hopefully after a few other good urban fantasy stories, I can get into this...
And I did, sort of.
2.5 stars.
I think this book has way too much going on. We skip a lot of little extra bits that would have been explained fully in earlier books, but just get a short paragraph that paraphrases into the basic facts.
The rest of the series has been long, and let it be known I'm not a fan of books longer than 350 pages, but this one seemed to go on forever. It seemed to take an age for 1% to pass and considering we get bombarded by stuff happening, I expected it to go quicker but in my opinion it went slower.
I lost interest in parts and skipped paragraphs just wanting the major fights to play out so when that had ended at about 88% (I think) and the story carried on...well, I started to lose interest once again. The main thing I was waiting for in those last few chapters was Drio to pull his finger out and tell Leo how he felt.
The War of the Flowers
7.0
Rate It
Book
Theo Vilmos' life is about to take a real turn for the worse. A thirty-year-old lead singer in a...
Body Bags (1993)
7.0
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Movie
Three short stories in the horror genre: the first about a serial killer, the second about a hair...
Laura Doe (1350 KP) rated Never Never in Books
Oct 23, 2022
Serena Valentino’s books are amazing. This is the story of Captain Hook that I never knew that I needed.
We find out how Captain Hook learnt of Neverland in the first place… when he was a child he fell out of his pram and ended up in Neverland. He then spent the rest of his childhood years trying to get back there, when he realised he couldn’t, he decided that he was going to become and pirate and spent all of his years in school learning everything there was to know about pirates and ships so that when he graduated, he could join up and live out his dream.
This book not only gives us a backstory about Captain Hook, but we also have some pirate tales added in, with stories of Blackbeard, Calico Jack, Anne Bonny and Mary Read. This just helps to give the book a little more depth around the backstory.
We also get to revisit Circe and Lucinda again, with Lucinda being as deceitful as ever and Circe still trying to fix everything her mothers have messed up. Although I didn’t see the twist at the end coming, but that just made the book better in my opinion.
Although it’s a short book, I didn’t feel like the story was rushed in the slightest. And as with all of the other villains books, I started to feel some sympathy towards Captain Hook and understood how he became the person that he is in Peter Pan.
We find out how Captain Hook learnt of Neverland in the first place… when he was a child he fell out of his pram and ended up in Neverland. He then spent the rest of his childhood years trying to get back there, when he realised he couldn’t, he decided that he was going to become and pirate and spent all of his years in school learning everything there was to know about pirates and ships so that when he graduated, he could join up and live out his dream.
This book not only gives us a backstory about Captain Hook, but we also have some pirate tales added in, with stories of Blackbeard, Calico Jack, Anne Bonny and Mary Read. This just helps to give the book a little more depth around the backstory.
We also get to revisit Circe and Lucinda again, with Lucinda being as deceitful as ever and Circe still trying to fix everything her mothers have messed up. Although I didn’t see the twist at the end coming, but that just made the book better in my opinion.
Although it’s a short book, I didn’t feel like the story was rushed in the slightest. And as with all of the other villains books, I started to feel some sympathy towards Captain Hook and understood how he became the person that he is in Peter Pan.
Her Druid Temptation (The Amber Druid Series 0.5)
9.0
Rate It
Book
HER DRUID TEMPTATION—A prequel to the AMBER DRUIDS SERIES He’s always been her...
Paranormal Romance Short Stories
Sealed with a Yuletide Kiss
Book
Allow yourself to be swept away as you count down to Christmas with this collection of twenty-four...
romance historical romance regency romance bookbuzz holiday romance
Mattia Gagliardi (14 KP) rated Love, Death & Robots in TV
Jun 4, 2019
Outstanding animation (2 more)
Some of the shorts are amazing
I wish there would be more products like this
Other shorts where very dull and boring (3 more)
Sometimes it's style over substance
Too edgy in some parts
Some of the shorts look like commercial for videogame
Uff this is gonna be though to review
"Love Death & Robot" is an anthology of adult animated shorts. It features 18 shorts of different lenght with the common theme being the sci-fi.
The problem of reviewing a product like this is that the episodes are all so different to each other and the quality is too vary.
On a technical point of view, every shorts are amazing. The animation feels great in every style it is portrayed, either 2D or 3D. The quality of the shots, the models and basically every visual elements are simply gorgeous.
However that doesn't mean that the short themselves are by default good. The ones that are super realistic, like "Beyond the Aquila Rift" and "Lucky 13", just make you wonder why they didn't used real actors instead. This two in particular doesn't really benefit for being animated. For comparison, "Ice Age" uses real actors and the CG is contained in the special effects and it works perfectly. Oh and "Lucky 13" is just plain bad on top of that.
Then there are the shorts with amazing visual styles but with quite dull story. "The Witness" is the one that comes to mind using clever use of compositing (the implementation of CG elements in a realistic environment) and having a nice character design with excellent animation. However it feels pretentious because it doesn't say anything really interesting and it focus more on sexual visual rather than a story, with a nonsensical twist nevertheless. Style over substance.
Other shorts instead feels like watching a cinematic for a videogame, pilot for different series or University students showreel. This doesn't mean they are bad but it just feels a bit underwhelming.
However when a short is good, it's really good! The one that are always left me with a smile on my face and with an overall excitement, eager to see what was coming next or more works from these studios. "Three Robots" is definitely one of my favourite short thanks to the amazing visuals, clever dialogues and an interesting lore.
My main criticism that involves mostly all the shorts is the supposed maturity, especially in the use of sex and violence.. I am not against the use of them by any means. However using them just for the sake of it doesn't make your product automatically mature. It just felt edgy, the equivalent of a goth teenagers that watch gory movies just because "uuhhh so taboo".
I know that animation is still perceived as a product for children and I am always happy to see new ones that wants to focus on a more mature audience. I don't think though that you can do it with just the use of swear words, sex and violence without any substance in it.
I want to see more actually mature animations, with compelling stories and amazing styles, using animation as a media and not as a genre.
The problem of reviewing a product like this is that the episodes are all so different to each other and the quality is too vary.
On a technical point of view, every shorts are amazing. The animation feels great in every style it is portrayed, either 2D or 3D. The quality of the shots, the models and basically every visual elements are simply gorgeous.
However that doesn't mean that the short themselves are by default good. The ones that are super realistic, like "Beyond the Aquila Rift" and "Lucky 13", just make you wonder why they didn't used real actors instead. This two in particular doesn't really benefit for being animated. For comparison, "Ice Age" uses real actors and the CG is contained in the special effects and it works perfectly. Oh and "Lucky 13" is just plain bad on top of that.
Then there are the shorts with amazing visual styles but with quite dull story. "The Witness" is the one that comes to mind using clever use of compositing (the implementation of CG elements in a realistic environment) and having a nice character design with excellent animation. However it feels pretentious because it doesn't say anything really interesting and it focus more on sexual visual rather than a story, with a nonsensical twist nevertheless. Style over substance.
Other shorts instead feels like watching a cinematic for a videogame, pilot for different series or University students showreel. This doesn't mean they are bad but it just feels a bit underwhelming.
However when a short is good, it's really good! The one that are always left me with a smile on my face and with an overall excitement, eager to see what was coming next or more works from these studios. "Three Robots" is definitely one of my favourite short thanks to the amazing visuals, clever dialogues and an interesting lore.
My main criticism that involves mostly all the shorts is the supposed maturity, especially in the use of sex and violence.. I am not against the use of them by any means. However using them just for the sake of it doesn't make your product automatically mature. It just felt edgy, the equivalent of a goth teenagers that watch gory movies just because "uuhhh so taboo".
I know that animation is still perceived as a product for children and I am always happy to see new ones that wants to focus on a more mature audience. I don't think though that you can do it with just the use of swear words, sex and violence without any substance in it.
I want to see more actually mature animations, with compelling stories and amazing styles, using animation as a media and not as a genre.
A Basket Full Of Toys - Reading Planet series, authored by Sheetal Sharma, is a genre of imaginative fiction whose vibrant and bubbly characters discover the essence of good behaviour in a fun way
Book and Education
App
‘Reading Planet’ series, authored by Sheetal Sharma, is a genre of imaginative fiction whose...
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Wyrd and Other Derelictions in Books
Oct 25, 2020
179 of 200
Book
Wyrd and other derelictions
By Adam L.G. Nevill
Derelictions are horror stories told in ways you may not have encountered before.
Something is missing from the silent places and worlds inside these stories. Something has been removed, taken flight, or been destroyed. Us.
Derelictions are weird tales that tell of aftermaths and of new and liminal places. Each location has witnessed catastrophe, infernal visitations, or unearthly transformations. But across these landscapes of murder, genocide and invasion, crucial evidence remains. And it is the task of the reader to sift through ruin and ponder the residual enigma, to behold and wonder at the full horror that was visited upon mankind.
A dead ship carries a terrible cargo across a black ocean. Below deck, signs of slaughter and devotion await to tell a ghastly tale.
On a barren and hostile shore a great ritual has been enacted successfully. The act of a god may have taken place. But what kind of deity did this?
An eerily silent campsite. No sign of life. Look closer and observe the grisly artefacts of annihilation.
In the very foundations of this dreadful house, was something supernormal called upon to abolish life so mercilessly?
Wyrd contains seven derelictions, original horror stories from the author of 'Hasty for the Dark' and 'Some Will Not Sleep' (winner of The British Fantasy Award for Best Collection).
I’ve followed Adam and his been a fan of his books for years, his characters, his monsters and his storytelling is just fascinating. He really uses his surroundings to influence his writing. So this was a bit different to read where the only humans you come across are corpses and usually torn to pieces or sacrificed! The Wyrd and other shorts are just brilliant and each one leaves you wanting and needing to know more!
I’m not great with long wordy reviews with words even I don’t understand I tend to write how I feel once finishing a book. I absolutely loved this book I have read Hippocampus a few times and would absolutely love a full novel! Below are just a few words on how I felt about some of the stories.
Hippocampus
I’ve read this a few time and I pick up something I somehow missed in this short each time (don’t ask me how I have no clue)!
You genuinely feel you are walking the ship seeing what Adams describing! I would love to delve deeper into this tale and really hoping it will turn into a full novel!
Wyrd
Well that was just brilliant! Really drags you in! The best way to read this is sitting in a calm quiet place so you just get absorbed into following the trail we are lead on! Again I would love to know more it leaves you wanting more!!
Turning of the tide
Ok I’m good with the black lambs and human remains but dear god what did the dog do? 😂
It all started so well with the calming beach description then you keep reading and the sight
Of the phones and debris your stomach kinda lurches as you wait the the decimated corpses to follow! The poor golden retriever!
Enlivened
This one was full of gore and made my bones shiver! Great imagery on the monster too!! I love Adams imagination when it comes to his monsters!
Monument
I definitely hate dark craw spaces and certainly wouldn’t go delving in a cave like structures! This one definitely left me wanting to know where it was going and what had done this in the houses!
Hold the world in my arms for three days and All Will Be Changed
This creeped me out! Especially with the world being as it is now! Here you are walking in the footsteps of a world that’s changing that’s being changed by something!
Eagerly awaiting a new book!
Book
Wyrd and other derelictions
By Adam L.G. Nevill
Derelictions are horror stories told in ways you may not have encountered before.
Something is missing from the silent places and worlds inside these stories. Something has been removed, taken flight, or been destroyed. Us.
Derelictions are weird tales that tell of aftermaths and of new and liminal places. Each location has witnessed catastrophe, infernal visitations, or unearthly transformations. But across these landscapes of murder, genocide and invasion, crucial evidence remains. And it is the task of the reader to sift through ruin and ponder the residual enigma, to behold and wonder at the full horror that was visited upon mankind.
A dead ship carries a terrible cargo across a black ocean. Below deck, signs of slaughter and devotion await to tell a ghastly tale.
On a barren and hostile shore a great ritual has been enacted successfully. The act of a god may have taken place. But what kind of deity did this?
An eerily silent campsite. No sign of life. Look closer and observe the grisly artefacts of annihilation.
In the very foundations of this dreadful house, was something supernormal called upon to abolish life so mercilessly?
Wyrd contains seven derelictions, original horror stories from the author of 'Hasty for the Dark' and 'Some Will Not Sleep' (winner of The British Fantasy Award for Best Collection).
I’ve followed Adam and his been a fan of his books for years, his characters, his monsters and his storytelling is just fascinating. He really uses his surroundings to influence his writing. So this was a bit different to read where the only humans you come across are corpses and usually torn to pieces or sacrificed! The Wyrd and other shorts are just brilliant and each one leaves you wanting and needing to know more!
I’m not great with long wordy reviews with words even I don’t understand I tend to write how I feel once finishing a book. I absolutely loved this book I have read Hippocampus a few times and would absolutely love a full novel! Below are just a few words on how I felt about some of the stories.
Hippocampus
I’ve read this a few time and I pick up something I somehow missed in this short each time (don’t ask me how I have no clue)!
You genuinely feel you are walking the ship seeing what Adams describing! I would love to delve deeper into this tale and really hoping it will turn into a full novel!
Wyrd
Well that was just brilliant! Really drags you in! The best way to read this is sitting in a calm quiet place so you just get absorbed into following the trail we are lead on! Again I would love to know more it leaves you wanting more!!
Turning of the tide
Ok I’m good with the black lambs and human remains but dear god what did the dog do? 😂
It all started so well with the calming beach description then you keep reading and the sight
Of the phones and debris your stomach kinda lurches as you wait the the decimated corpses to follow! The poor golden retriever!
Enlivened
This one was full of gore and made my bones shiver! Great imagery on the monster too!! I love Adams imagination when it comes to his monsters!
Monument
I definitely hate dark craw spaces and certainly wouldn’t go delving in a cave like structures! This one definitely left me wanting to know where it was going and what had done this in the houses!
Hold the world in my arms for three days and All Will Be Changed
This creeped me out! Especially with the world being as it is now! Here you are walking in the footsteps of a world that’s changing that’s being changed by something!
Eagerly awaiting a new book!