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Sensitivemuse (246 KP) rated Unholy Ghosts (Downside Ghosts, #1) in Books
Sep 14, 2018
Great reading for the first one
Contains spoilers, click to show
***Possible spoilers you’ve been warned***
I really enjoyed the world building in this book and wished there was a little more explanation about it. You do get snippets here and there on what happened with the world and why the Church came on top and in charge of the city. The setting is wonderful though. It’s dark, it’s gritty, it’s survival. It’s what you might see from a cyberpunk novel without the futuristic theme.
The plot itself is interesting thanks to the setting. It’s a nice blend of old and new. I say old because of the way the characters talk. It’s meant to be a form of street slang, but it also sounds a mixture of old english and modern. It’s interesting and fun to read (if you have a crush on Lex you’d like it). There is an element of mystery and I like the magic used. It’s a nice blend of using tattoos and actual spell components.
Chess is likable as a character. She’s hard working and is good at what she does, despite her faults and vices. The vices do play a big part on her behavior and takes a hold of her life. She still manages to soldier through her tasks and proves to be a fighter.
There is an aspect of a love triangle in the book although I’m not sure if it could be called that. I don’t see Terrible as a love interest at all, I see him more as a loyal friend and the muscle of the duo. Lex on the other hand - so swoon worthy if you’re into the bad boys. He’s self serving and most likely not a good thing for Chess but they both got this spark. Maybe it’s because of their backgrounds and they’re similar but they get along so well and Lex has this subtle charm about him (let’s not even compare him to Doyle)
This is a must read for urban fantasy fans. It’s got a bit of everything and Chess is such a great character to follow through the journey. Will definitely go onto the second book of the series.
I really enjoyed the world building in this book and wished there was a little more explanation about it. You do get snippets here and there on what happened with the world and why the Church came on top and in charge of the city. The setting is wonderful though. It’s dark, it’s gritty, it’s survival. It’s what you might see from a cyberpunk novel without the futuristic theme.
The plot itself is interesting thanks to the setting. It’s a nice blend of old and new. I say old because of the way the characters talk. It’s meant to be a form of street slang, but it also sounds a mixture of old english and modern. It’s interesting and fun to read (if you have a crush on Lex you’d like it). There is an element of mystery and I like the magic used. It’s a nice blend of using tattoos and actual spell components.
Chess is likable as a character. She’s hard working and is good at what she does, despite her faults and vices. The vices do play a big part on her behavior and takes a hold of her life. She still manages to soldier through her tasks and proves to be a fighter.
There is an aspect of a love triangle in the book although I’m not sure if it could be called that. I don’t see Terrible as a love interest at all, I see him more as a loyal friend and the muscle of the duo. Lex on the other hand - so swoon worthy if you’re into the bad boys. He’s self serving and most likely not a good thing for Chess but they both got this spark. Maybe it’s because of their backgrounds and they’re similar but they get along so well and Lex has this subtle charm about him (let’s not even compare him to Doyle)
This is a must read for urban fantasy fans. It’s got a bit of everything and Chess is such a great character to follow through the journey. Will definitely go onto the second book of the series.
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Night School (2018) in Movies
Oct 15, 2018
Funny...enough - especially the classmates
Both Kevin Hart and Tiffany Hadish are comedic performers that can wear their welcome out if they are not reigned in properly. They both serve best as the comic "2nd banana" of a film, rather than the lead, so it was with some trepidation that I checked out the Hart/Haddish starring comedy NIGHT SCHOOL and when the first meeting of the two was the both of them running their very fast mouths at each other, I thought - for sure - that they would wear their welcome out with me.
But a funny thing happened on the way to Night School - the focus of this film veered away from these two bantering with each other and settled into a fairly funny, fairly innocuous comedy that I walked away liking.
Directed by Malcolm D. Lee (GIRLS TRIP), Night School stars Hart as a High School drop-out who is now a motor-mouthed salesman who loses his job and just might lose his girl if he doesn't go back and get his GED so he can land a new job. Haddish stars as the teacher of the Night School. Both the leads are used sparingly enough that they were enjoyable participants in this film.
But for me, the strength of this film comes in the rogues gallery of comedians that were brought in to play the other students in the Night School. Rob Riggle, Mary-Lynn Rajskub, Romany Malco, Fat Joe and Al Madrigal are all winning and comforting strengths of this film as the adult "Breakfast Club" that fall under the spell - and direction - of Hart's character. It is a group that I loved spending time with and wouldn't mind spending more time with.
And I'm glad they are there for the Direction, plot twists and other characters are all pretty predictable, but they made it an enjoyable enough romp that I fall on the side of recommending it - especially if you are looking for a mindless comedy that will NOT require you to break into a discussion group afterward. A good "Netflix", rental or rainy afternoon on TBS comedy.
Letter Grade: B-
6 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the BankofMarquis
But a funny thing happened on the way to Night School - the focus of this film veered away from these two bantering with each other and settled into a fairly funny, fairly innocuous comedy that I walked away liking.
Directed by Malcolm D. Lee (GIRLS TRIP), Night School stars Hart as a High School drop-out who is now a motor-mouthed salesman who loses his job and just might lose his girl if he doesn't go back and get his GED so he can land a new job. Haddish stars as the teacher of the Night School. Both the leads are used sparingly enough that they were enjoyable participants in this film.
But for me, the strength of this film comes in the rogues gallery of comedians that were brought in to play the other students in the Night School. Rob Riggle, Mary-Lynn Rajskub, Romany Malco, Fat Joe and Al Madrigal are all winning and comforting strengths of this film as the adult "Breakfast Club" that fall under the spell - and direction - of Hart's character. It is a group that I loved spending time with and wouldn't mind spending more time with.
And I'm glad they are there for the Direction, plot twists and other characters are all pretty predictable, but they made it an enjoyable enough romp that I fall on the side of recommending it - especially if you are looking for a mindless comedy that will NOT require you to break into a discussion group afterward. A good "Netflix", rental or rainy afternoon on TBS comedy.
Letter Grade: B-
6 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the BankofMarquis
Ross (3284 KP) rated Nightmare Keep (Euphoria Online Book 2) in Books
Dec 4, 2018
Outstanding follow-up LitRPG fantasy tale
The follow-up to Death March continues straight on, with Chris being marched off to the eerie evil presence lurking in the nearby ruined village. From there on, Chris has a mission to accomplish and things are looking good for him, albeit with some hard work to come. Just as things start to look up, he is booted out of Castle Winter by a group of stronger players and has to find another way to complete his mission.
The action is thick, fast and wonderfully narrated throughout the book. While the constant mention of which Skill, Spell or weapon is being used gets a little bit annoying, it adds to the gaming feel and allows you to see the characters' actions and how they chose them.
The story is excellent, barring some slightly confused metaphysical stuff right at the end, where the world becomes all hand-wavey and dreamy and you kind of lose the immersion a little. But the character development (literally, by completing tasks and winning fights, Chris gains XP and levels up) and interaction is top notch, totally nailing the language that would be used by gamers trying to be their character but also retaining their own personalities.
There are a couple of moments in the book where it seems Chris has just plain run out of luck, but something always arrives just at the right time for him to get out of his predicament. One revelation in particular was a little jarring where he managed to de-crypt a message and work out (or guess) what he had to do, which could have worked but was delivered a little clumsily in my opinion. In hindsight the smaller incidents are minor and did not detract from my enjoyment of this book.
Once again, the book is just cruelly short and leaves you wanting more. Luckily, there is one more book in the series so I won't be away from Euphoria Online for long.
Read as part of free trial on Kindle Unlimited (so for free!).
The action is thick, fast and wonderfully narrated throughout the book. While the constant mention of which Skill, Spell or weapon is being used gets a little bit annoying, it adds to the gaming feel and allows you to see the characters' actions and how they chose them.
The story is excellent, barring some slightly confused metaphysical stuff right at the end, where the world becomes all hand-wavey and dreamy and you kind of lose the immersion a little. But the character development (literally, by completing tasks and winning fights, Chris gains XP and levels up) and interaction is top notch, totally nailing the language that would be used by gamers trying to be their character but also retaining their own personalities.
There are a couple of moments in the book where it seems Chris has just plain run out of luck, but something always arrives just at the right time for him to get out of his predicament. One revelation in particular was a little jarring where he managed to de-crypt a message and work out (or guess) what he had to do, which could have worked but was delivered a little clumsily in my opinion. In hindsight the smaller incidents are minor and did not detract from my enjoyment of this book.
Once again, the book is just cruelly short and leaves you wanting more. Luckily, there is one more book in the series so I won't be away from Euphoria Online for long.
Read as part of free trial on Kindle Unlimited (so for free!).
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