Search
Search results
BookInspector (124 KP) rated After She's Gone in Books
Sep 24, 2020
The protagonists in this book would be Malin and Jake, and the book is told mainly from their perspectives. Malin is a police officer, who grew up in an isolated town called Ormberg, and is back with her colleagues, to investigate a murder, that happened years ago. Jake is a teenage schoolboy, who loves dressing up in woman’s clothes, and by accident, gets hold of Hanne’s diary. I really liked most of the characters in this book, and I loved to read their personal and intriguing stories. I really liked the way Camilla Grebe shared the story of not only the main but supporting characters as well.
The narrative of this book was interesting, but it lacked suspense and excitement. Especially, the investigation part. Sometimes the chapters really dragged, particularly Malin’s parts. Her parts lacked intrigue, and her thoughts became quite repetitive after a while. I really enjoyed Jake’s parts, his secret life, his thoughts and snippets from Hanne’s diary, held this book together. The topics discussed were dementia and how the person feels while having it, bullying, sexual confusion, refugee situation from native’s perspectives, and many more.
The setting of this book is cold, gloomy, quite claustrophobic and depressing. The plot is set in the middle of forests full of snow, so it is perfect for winter lovers.
The narrative of this book was interesting, but it lacked suspense and excitement. Especially, the investigation part. Sometimes the chapters really dragged, particularly Malin’s parts. Her parts lacked intrigue, and her thoughts became quite repetitive after a while. I really enjoyed Jake’s parts, his secret life, his thoughts and snippets from Hanne’s diary, held this book together. The topics discussed were dementia and how the person feels while having it, bullying, sexual confusion, refugee situation from native’s perspectives, and many more.
The setting of this book is cold, gloomy, quite claustrophobic and depressing. The plot is set in the middle of forests full of snow, so it is perfect for winter lovers.
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated You Are Not Alone (2014) in Movies
Sep 19, 2020
Something my friends and I would have rented from the video store in 2011 on a Friday night after school and loved - and much to my delight this is actually pretty good stuff. One half reasonably fun "day in the life" with a perfect rural small town feel and really likable characters, one half most easily avoidable horror movie situation ever with one creepy motherfucking killer played out at enticing length. Doesn't really get all it can get out of the first-person gimmick but it's done well overall, at times feels like you're watching yourself get stuck in this situation and there's nothing you can do about it - which of course I was fully on board for. Genuinely shocked how stellar the acting is, how many good songs are on the soundtrack, and how little the budget shows all for a Kickstarter film. Has a few damn scary moments but sometimes this can feel a little *too* calculated - a loud, cued score and over-obvious slowed motions where silence and more natural movements would succeed. But I can't complain too much, it looks great and doesn't mess around with any stupidly obvious whodunit twists or predictable jump scares or whatever - routinely wrings the fear out of something as simple as looking around a corner. The biggest reason this isn't rated any higher is because I desperately wanted more of it.
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Titan A.E. (2000) in Movies
Sep 20, 2020
Design-wise nothing short of extraordinary, the blend of astounding nu-age CGI and trademark Bluth animation should by no means work but it ends up looking like heaven. Definitely also helps that this has exactly 0% fat to it and rides on one fun, kinetic wave from start to finish that's full of rapturous action sequences and endlessly creative visuals. That being said, outside of a couple nice turns the story is total copy-and-paste sci-fi template - but I digress, I guess it's still serviceable for this type of thing but this is just *begging* to have some depth injected into its potentially thought-provoking story. What kills this from greatness for me is how chained it is to the era it was made in; granted it still could have turned out much worse but the fakey-sounding, faux-edgy soundtrack sucks so much shit (sans a couple okay song choices [thx Powerman 5000]) that it single-handedly knocks the whole rating down a half star, and the totally repellent "tude" that was required in all of these mid-late 90s/early 2000s kids' films makes me want to rip my hair out. I suppose you can write this in with 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘍𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 for flawed early-aughts orgasmically animated sci-fi bombs that I'm still a total softie for. Gets pretty gnarly sometimes, too.
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated The Gentlemen (2020) in Movies
Sep 20, 2020
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘥. I want to love Guy Ritchie returning to his gangster roots so badly, but I'm pretty sure I've seen this exact Ritchie movie before... multiple times... done less and less well with almost each subsequent attempt. I mean at least 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘯 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘜.𝘕.𝘊.𝘓.𝘌. had style, at least 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘳: 𝘓𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 had energy, at least 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘳 had nuance, and at least 𝘙𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘯𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢 had personality. I don't know whether the dire restraint he shows here is an attempt at showing maturity or a lack of caring towards this story (which even at best feels like a first draft) but it plays out like the latter. A bare-bones Ritchie premise mired with flatness and unoriginality which decides it wants to be 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘺 𝘕𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘯 in all its convoluted bullshit at the last second. Intermittently has its moments when it finally decides to put some much needed pep in its step, and overall it's at least watchable - sometimes even tricking you into thinking it might be alright - but by Lord if this just had some fun it'd be ten times better even in spite of the been-there-done-that script. Forgets it ever existed quicker than you will, even the characters are dull. Also holy shit this is easily the worst dialogue of his career.
ClareR (5906 KP) rated Antiemetic for Homesickness in Books
Nov 28, 2020
I don’t often review poetry, because I just don’t have the experience to do so effectively, I think. But I do like to read poetry, and listen to it being read. This book of poems centres around the poets lived experience - leaving the Philippines as an older teenager and coming to live in the UK with her mother, a nurse in the NHS, and the rest of her family. As it says in the title of the book, there is a real feeling of homesickness and guilt of having left family behind. The wish to hold on to her heritage comes across strongly as well. At the same time, Ante’s life and work as a nurse in the NHS is in many of these poems - the hard work, the racism she encounters and the care she takes of her patients.
I really enjoyed the glimpses into life in the Philippines, and I made good use of the ‘Boodle Fight of Words and Terminologies’, the notes and Google translate (it’s the linguist in me 🤷🏼♀️) It sounds like hard work, doesn’t it - but it wasn’t. This will be a book that goes on my poetry shelf (yes, I have one!) that I will revisit often, I think.
Thank you to Vintage Books for sending me this book - it’s always worth entering the competition because sometimes I do win!!
I really enjoyed the glimpses into life in the Philippines, and I made good use of the ‘Boodle Fight of Words and Terminologies’, the notes and Google translate (it’s the linguist in me 🤷🏼♀️) It sounds like hard work, doesn’t it - but it wasn’t. This will be a book that goes on my poetry shelf (yes, I have one!) that I will revisit often, I think.
Thank you to Vintage Books for sending me this book - it’s always worth entering the competition because sometimes I do win!!
Merissa (13000 KP) rated Amongst the Chaos in Books
Oct 19, 2020
Amongst the Chaos is a standalone (I think) but could be part of a series. (I hope it is part of a series and I want to more about these guys.) It is also the first book by this author I have read but it won't be the last.
The character building in this book is second to none. It was obvious what was going on between Asher and Chloe but the tense expectation about killed me! It was definitely a case of when and not if. Grayson was a brilliant character who supported Chloe in all ways but wasn't afraid to show his emotions. This was sometimes detrimental to his own cause but he owned it.
Paige and Dom are two brilliant supporting characters, the same as the rest of the 'brothers'. And just because he irritated me, I'd love to know more about Gabe!
This was a great, page-turning story that kept my attention from the very beginning with excellent scene-setting and amazing characters and full of suspense and steam. I loved every moment of this and have no hesitation in recommending it.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
The character building in this book is second to none. It was obvious what was going on between Asher and Chloe but the tense expectation about killed me! It was definitely a case of when and not if. Grayson was a brilliant character who supported Chloe in all ways but wasn't afraid to show his emotions. This was sometimes detrimental to his own cause but he owned it.
Paige and Dom are two brilliant supporting characters, the same as the rest of the 'brothers'. And just because he irritated me, I'd love to know more about Gabe!
This was a great, page-turning story that kept my attention from the very beginning with excellent scene-setting and amazing characters and full of suspense and steam. I loved every moment of this and have no hesitation in recommending it.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Broken Beauty (Broken Beauty Novellas #1) in Books
Jan 12, 2021
I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars.
This is a novella length story, the first of six, and deals with the aftermath and issues surrounding rape. It was a tough read at times but a good strong story.
I felt sorry for Mia. Being brought up in a political family and then being raped…and her father wants to glorify it to get more voters so he can win his election. How twisted can your life get? Her family do and say things to get voters, whether it’s helping Mia cope or not–mainly not–and I wanted to scream and shout at them in her defence.
And despite all that, some people do care. Dom, the policeman that found her in the first place, tries to help her realise that the only way her attackers will not get away with it, is to tell the truth and stop following her family’s wish to let it drop. He’s so nice and gentle with her. Her friend, Ari, tries to do whatever Mia wants but seeing how she’s struggling…what can you do?
It’s an emotional and sometimes tough story to read but after finishing this, I’m looking forward to the next part in the series to see what Mia does next. I hope she’s strong enough to go against her family.
3.5 stars.
This is a novella length story, the first of six, and deals with the aftermath and issues surrounding rape. It was a tough read at times but a good strong story.
I felt sorry for Mia. Being brought up in a political family and then being raped…and her father wants to glorify it to get more voters so he can win his election. How twisted can your life get? Her family do and say things to get voters, whether it’s helping Mia cope or not–mainly not–and I wanted to scream and shout at them in her defence.
And despite all that, some people do care. Dom, the policeman that found her in the first place, tries to help her realise that the only way her attackers will not get away with it, is to tell the truth and stop following her family’s wish to let it drop. He’s so nice and gentle with her. Her friend, Ari, tries to do whatever Mia wants but seeing how she’s struggling…what can you do?
It’s an emotional and sometimes tough story to read but after finishing this, I’m looking forward to the next part in the series to see what Mia does next. I hope she’s strong enough to go against her family.
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated 07-Ghost, Volume 01 in Books
Jun 24, 2019
Honestly, this is the first graphic novel I've properly read so I don't have anything to compare it to. So this review may not be that helpful, and I'm just going to keep it quite short.
I'm not going to lie, I found this pretty confusing. It was a bit all over the place - but I've heard it gets better. It starts at the military academy with Teito Klein and Mikage, who are best friends. But then Teito's repressed memories are jogged when he overhears a secret conversation, forcing him to flee the district. From there, he finds himself in a strange church. The bishops there begin to help him understand the war between two empires, the legend of seven ghosts, and the battle between good and evil.
The art in this is fantastic! Sometimes it seems a little busy and hard to follow, but maybe that's just because I'm new to it.
The dialogue is great - the jokes and everything really make this a good novel. And the premise is good, too - I intend to read on and hopefully make sense of it all!
I did like it, but I also got lost a fair bit. It was a lot better toward to end, with Mikage's surprise appearance and all, but I think I can only give this 3 stars.
I'm not going to lie, I found this pretty confusing. It was a bit all over the place - but I've heard it gets better. It starts at the military academy with Teito Klein and Mikage, who are best friends. But then Teito's repressed memories are jogged when he overhears a secret conversation, forcing him to flee the district. From there, he finds himself in a strange church. The bishops there begin to help him understand the war between two empires, the legend of seven ghosts, and the battle between good and evil.
The art in this is fantastic! Sometimes it seems a little busy and hard to follow, but maybe that's just because I'm new to it.
The dialogue is great - the jokes and everything really make this a good novel. And the premise is good, too - I intend to read on and hopefully make sense of it all!
I did like it, but I also got lost a fair bit. It was a lot better toward to end, with Mikage's surprise appearance and all, but I think I can only give this 3 stars.
Josh Napper (40 KP) rated Sing (2016) in Movies
Sep 27, 2019
HEADLINE:
sing
plot
In a city of humanoid animals, a hustling theater impresario's attempt to save his theater with a singing competition becomes grander than he anticipates even as its finalists' find that their lives will never be the same.
What lessons did you learn from this story (theme/moral)? What do you think others will learn from it?
Sometimes it takes others to bring out the best in you. No matter what you look like on the outside, something talented and awesome is secretly lurking on the inside. Always believe in yourself even if everyone, even the ones closet to you, doesn’t believe in you because the only person that needs to believe in you is yourself. When you hit rock bottom there is only one way to go… and that way is up, up and up.
What group of people would like this movie? Who would you recommend it to? Who would you not recommend it to?
i would recommend it to anyone that has a family with a little kid.
What is your final word on the film: Is it good or bad?
i have decided that sing, the movie, is a ok movie. it is somewhere between a good and a bad movie.
RATING SYSTEM:
crap
poor
decent
even
Good
Great
perfect
I give the movie sing a movie rating of 4.
sing
plot
In a city of humanoid animals, a hustling theater impresario's attempt to save his theater with a singing competition becomes grander than he anticipates even as its finalists' find that their lives will never be the same.
What lessons did you learn from this story (theme/moral)? What do you think others will learn from it?
Sometimes it takes others to bring out the best in you. No matter what you look like on the outside, something talented and awesome is secretly lurking on the inside. Always believe in yourself even if everyone, even the ones closet to you, doesn’t believe in you because the only person that needs to believe in you is yourself. When you hit rock bottom there is only one way to go… and that way is up, up and up.
What group of people would like this movie? Who would you recommend it to? Who would you not recommend it to?
i would recommend it to anyone that has a family with a little kid.
What is your final word on the film: Is it good or bad?
i have decided that sing, the movie, is a ok movie. it is somewhere between a good and a bad movie.
RATING SYSTEM:
crap
poor
decent
even
Good
Great
perfect
I give the movie sing a movie rating of 4.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Fifth Grave Past the Light (Charley Davidson, #5) in Books
Sep 6, 2019
I adore this series! It is amazing!
I laughed, I cried, I laughed some more.
How can you not love Charley? She has this strange but sometimes brilliant way of thinking that makes you laugh out loud half the time. And Reyes? Come on! Reyes is hot! And he's incredibly sweet a lot of the time when he's not going all sever-your-spinal-cord mad at people who hurt Charley, though that's actually kinda hot, too, come to think of it :P
I love the progression of their relationship in this one. Having wild hot sex within the first 60 pages or so? Yeah! The post-its and him buying her things. I really think he loves you, Charley, and after what you did and said during those pages, I think you love him to. Aww, you'll make an amazing couple :')
For the first time ever (I think, anyway) I actually cried while reading one of these books. That scene near the end. God! I could hardly see the words in front of me because of the tears. You should have called Reyes, though, in my opinion.
And then that cliff-hanger question of an ending?!?! Girl, you have to say YES! of course.
Eagerly awaiting book 6 now to find out what she does say.
I laughed, I cried, I laughed some more.
How can you not love Charley? She has this strange but sometimes brilliant way of thinking that makes you laugh out loud half the time. And Reyes? Come on! Reyes is hot! And he's incredibly sweet a lot of the time when he's not going all sever-your-spinal-cord mad at people who hurt Charley, though that's actually kinda hot, too, come to think of it :P
I love the progression of their relationship in this one. Having wild hot sex within the first 60 pages or so? Yeah! The post-its and him buying her things. I really think he loves you, Charley, and after what you did and said during those pages, I think you love him to. Aww, you'll make an amazing couple :')
For the first time ever (I think, anyway) I actually cried while reading one of these books. That scene near the end. God! I could hardly see the words in front of me because of the tears. You should have called Reyes, though, in my opinion.
And then that cliff-hanger question of an ending?!?! Girl, you have to say YES! of course.
Eagerly awaiting book 6 now to find out what she does say.