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Furyborn: Empirium Trilogy Book 1
Furyborn: Empirium Trilogy Book 1
Claire Legrand | 2018 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.3 (7 Ratings)
Book Rating
Before you even read the book the cover will draw you in! Look at that thing of beauty.
The book begins in such a way that you are immediately drawn in and need to know what will happen next. I was not expecting the twists to start in the first chapters.
The book is told from alternating points of view. These views are 1000 years apart but as you get through the book the similarities start to show up. By the time you are done you can see the bigger picture and just how massive the world building is.
This is a not to be missed series that will take you on an adventure filled with drama, romance, and magic. Come fall in love with these characters just as I did.
This book is perfect for fans of epic world's, strong female leads, and romance that will keep you swooning
  
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ArecRain (8 KP) rated Quest for Earth in Books

Jan 18, 2018  
QF
Quest for Earth
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I have really been on a sci-fi romance kick lately so I was looking forward to this story. It had it’s good points and bad points, While it was enjoyable, it wasn’t perfect.

The bad is that it was a cliché stereotype of sci-fi romance that did not bring anything new to the table. I felt that the reader was thrown into the story with no prior knowledge of the world building, leaving the reader lost and frustrated. I felt the descriptions we were given weren’t relevant. I also loathe the idea of alpha males and their “fated mates.” I feel most authors use it as an excuse to force two characters together so that the eventually can stand each other.

The good is that there are strong female leads and, despite not having much background given, the worlds were pretty interesting.
  
Pandemic (The Extinction Files #1)
Pandemic (The Extinction Files #1)
A.G. Riddle | 2018 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Almost a 10
A worldwide plague, somewhat like the flu, is killing millions of people, there are a handful of scientists and others trying to prevent this from happening. Unfortunately the male lead, who could be the key to everything, has woken up bruised and with amnesia.
Great writing, interesting characters and an amazing storyline. It would have got a 10 if it wasn't for the fact that at times, some of the events were overly complicated and difficult to keep up with. This book is the combination of science and human emotion, the first three quarters of the book were very impressive, but the last part becomes a little fantastical, and that's when I started to get lost.

I enjoyed the strong female lead, the male lead was somewhat egotistical. Some parts were predictable. But overall was an enjoyable read, just go in with your eyes open.
  
    The Know

    The Know

    Martina Cole

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    Book

    Her child is missing but someone out there knows the truth... THE KNOW, by the 'undisputed queen of...

The Finisher (Vega Jane #1)
The Finisher (Vega Jane #1)
David Baldacci | 2014 | Fiction & Poetry
6
6.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Interesting idea and characters (0 more)
Confusing use of vocabulary, poor ending (0 more)
I'm a fan of Fantasy and Sci-fi and, in a recent conversation with a friend on the subject of reading, they recommended and lent me, the 'Vega Jane' Series.

Book one started with great promise. Vega Jane and the rest of the characters were very well formed and I liked the initial underlining feminist message, running throughout the story.

However, I found many problems with this novel. Firstly, the writing was a major problem for me, particularly the vocabulary that was used by the characters.

Wormwood is supposedly a fictional place, on an unknown planet. So it didn't come to surprise, that the characters used a fictional language.

The problem with that was, when a character used a fictional word, as a reader, you had to hazard a guess at to what the characters were talking about. Also, made up words were used, where they weren't particularly necessary. For example, ''Lights' were 'days' and 'slivers' were 'time'. For me, it wasn't entirely necessary to use alternative words for these things and this vocabulary was being thrown in, to try and make the setting of the story, more interesting. I would have preferred the use of fictitious words for some of the more exotic things, found in the environment of Wormwood.

Also to confuse things even further, more modern words like 'bloke' were used, which gave this weird mish mash, between the modern and the fantasy world, the book took place in. I think what David Baldacci was trying to do, was to make the situation and characters more relatable to its predominately teenage audience. What this combination of language actually did, was to cause me to step out of the world that was being created, rather than being drawn into it.

The plot was generally good. Although, as Vega was learning more about her powers, there were no real explanations as to why she had them. I know this is a series and I suppose that during the course of the novels, there will be more explanation, but I felt like something should have been explained.

Also, Vega inexplicably finds weapons at the exact times she needs them, without any explanation about where they came from. It was as if David Baldacci found Vega in a tight spot, so he decided to drop weapons from the sky. For me, that wasn't logical and was a bit lazy on the writer's part.

I did enjoy the tension which ran through the book and that kept me reading until the very end. I was fully prepared, as I neared the end of book one, to continue reading the rest of the series. However, the last three chapters totally put me off reading the rest of the books, for several reasons.

Firstly, Vega Jane was a strong female character, who had guts and fought to survive. So it was totally out of character, at the end, for her to start worrying about what she looked like and what boys thought of her. To me, that totally contradicted the message that the rest of the book was trying to send.

Also the resolution to the novel, like some of the other elements in this book, seemed to come from no where. I felt totally disappointed at the weak ending.

This novel had interesting promise and a great female protagonist, but it missed the mark entirely for me.

If you like reading fantasy novels, with strong female characters, I wouldn't suggest reading this. Read the 'Hunger Games' Trilogy instead.
  
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Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated Kingdom in TV

Jul 16, 2020  
Kingdom
Kingdom
2019 | Drama, History, Horror, International
10
9.7 (6 Ratings)
TV Show Rating
Kingdom is a Korean period drama with zombies.
The king is ill, it is rumoured that it is small pox, however it is also rumoured that he is dead. Crown Prince Lee Chang is trying to find out the truth but is labelled a traitor by the Haewon Cho clan. Trying to find out the truth the Prince travels to a small village only to find that most of it's citizens have been struck down with a mysterious disease. As day turns to night the Prince finds himself besieged by enemies, not all of whom are living.

Kingdom is good, new take on the zombie story. Being set in the past the hero's do not have access to any of the modern ways to kill the un-dead which leaves us with lots of sword fights.
The fight scenes are well choreographed and the political side drives the story.
The characters are well developed including a strong female character in the main cast.
Kingdom is a Korean series but is no subbed, the characters speak with Korean Accents and i believe that most of the actors were not dubbed
  
Into The Crooked Place (Into The Crooked Place #1)
Into The Crooked Place (Into The Crooked Place #1)
Alexandra Christo | 2019 | Crime, Paranormal, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
6
7.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Great strong characters who you would be happy to see in more adventures (0 more)
Needed to be condensed (0 more)
I wanted this book to be good, its a bit like when you bake a cake and you have all the finest ingredients and the baker is brilliant as well but just somehow it doesn't quite come out as good as one would hope.

The setting, the characters and the basic plot really does work. This is a book about organised crime in a post war world full of different races of people, some of whom who craft magic who have been all but wiped out, warriors who protected them and ordinary people all of whom sit underneath the organised crime of the kingpin and his underbosses. The story focuses on the underboss Wesley and his crew of strong female characters, the warrior Karam, the secret crafter Saxony and Tavia the busker who sells the boss' magic and all of whom are pretty good in a scrap.

The characters are well created and you can visualise them easily on the pages. The adventure they go on has you rooting for them and the world is an exciting one that does hold enormous potential to be lost in. It is all however a little too dragged out.

As you can see this is the first in the series and the book very much does just tell the first part of the adventure, which is full of magic, betrayal, violence and even some glimmers of romance and yes, it does get very exciting and page turning in some parts, but considering this is only part of the story it could have done with being 150 pages shorter than it was. It just all seemed far more drawn out than it needed to be and let it down slightly. Because of this I was pleased to reach the end instead of being excited to pick up the next part which is a shame because Christo has created characters and a world which deserve to be explored and travelled in. Lets hope Into the Crooked Place number 2 allows this to become the cake it should be.
  
Wonder Woman (2017)
Wonder Woman (2017)
2017 | Action, Fantasy, War
Strong female characters (3 more)
Love Interest without a "damsel in distress"
Not too dark, and not too happy either
The most cohesive DCEU film to date
Not the most fascinating story (0 more)
A Triumph for Women Everywhere (and the DCEU)
Gal Gadot is perfect. She kicks ass and looks great doing it, dominating every frame she inhabits. Thanks to Patty Jenkin's guiding hand, Gadot's iteration of Wonder Woman does so without becoming yet another one-dimensional sex symbol. The movie itself is the most cohesive and fun segment the DCEU has offered yet. Free of the glowering and overbearing lens Zack Snyder has placed over Superman and Batman, Wonder Woman touches on themes of hope and discovered humanity that were yet to be seen in DC's fledgling movie universe. Even if the story is a little basic, and a little reminiscent of Captain America: The First Avenger, it stands on its own two feet and puts up a good fight for two hours and twenty minutes.
  
MI
4
6.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I hate to say it but I just could not get into this at all. I tried numerous times (for many months) and finally had to call it quits on page 120. I really don't know what the problem is. This book had all the elements I enjoy: I really liked Loretta Chase's previous Carsington novel, Miss Wonderful, I loved the Mummy (and the Mummy Returns), not to mention anything that has to do with Egypt, archaeology, history, etc., I like strong female characters, but for some reason this book just fell flat. There's just something missing, maybe it was the two the leads; I didn't love 'em and I didn't hate 'em, they just weren't well-developed. I read the epilogue, which I was glad I did, because it gave a little info of the next book (although there's not much, but it was cute nonetheless). I'm sure there will be many people who will enjoy this even if it didn't mesh with me.
  
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Alicia S (193 KP) rated Crave in Books

Sep 28, 2018  
Crave
Crave
B.J. Harvey | 2015 | Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
What an incredible story! This was my first book by BJ Harvey and I can surely say I'll be back for more. I LOVED these characters! Callum is not the typical male rich slut found in most erotic novels, having come from a good home and family but this book is entirely from his POV, which was a much-welcomed change. He comes from a pure place that makes his secret sexual desires seem dirty and forbidden to him. Lucia, on the other hand, is a force of nature and I LOVED her beyond words! Again, unlike your typical female lead. She is strong, witty, independent and confident... all the things Callum truly needs in his life. When they push limits together their bond is tested.. yet I never thought for a second these two wouldn't make it.. their connection so palpable, I hoped it would only make them stronger. Incredible love story - Highly recommended!