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Deep Blue (Waterfire Saga, #1)
Jennifer Donnelly | 2014 | Fiction & Poetry
4
7.6 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
<i>Deep Blue</i> could have been amazing. Donnelly had a pretty good concept going: the world was unique, completely different, and it's obvious lots of planning went into the building – there's <b>a lot of imagery to clearly depict the underwater of the merpeople, the merpeople had their own distinct languages and cultures</b>. The writing, especially the chant during the waterfire and throughout the book by the witches, was <b>poetic and rhythmic.</b>

The execution, however, was poor.

Serafina and her friend, Neela, were <b>faced against formidable odds after Miromara is attacked that could have been really interesting to see them play out</b>. Instead, the two of them run. Throughout the book, they're chased by a person named Traho, who apparently wants them alive for some unknown reason (currently unknown, that is). The two are rescued by the Praedatori, who are apparently a band of protectors who protect the sea from "terragoggs."

Yet, they are attacked. Again. So they run and get intercepted by Rorrim Drol, the lord of the mirror realm who feeds on fears. And...

Wait for it...

They run again.
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<b>Obviously by that point (when it's almost sixty percent of the book), when they've been attacked and they run or something of the similar sort, and the cycle is repeated quite a few times...</b>

<b style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Even the most patient readers become impatient by that point</b><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">. Either </span>that<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> or I'm not exactly as patient as some people have said about me (you lovelies are sorrily wrong). Where are the other five? Why have we only found three (okay, one, because two are "found" at the very beginning </span>anyway<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">) by this point? Are we still looking for the mermaids involved by the next book as well? If that's the case, I'm not interested. If it's an entirely different case, then what's the probability that the other mermaids are found quickly and swiftly in the midst of attacking and running? There's really only 40% of the book left to do all of that.</span>

The world, no matter how unique or different it is, or how there's a variety of imagery, won't account with how<b> there's a bunch of made-up language that would have been extremely hard for me to figure out without the audiobook to help me (no thanks to the accent</b> – accents are NOT fun when the bus is chugging down roads and highways). I did, however, love the songspell (Open Your Eyes by Bea Miller) that accompanies the book.

<i>Deep Blue</i> is definitely different from Donnelly's other books, but with all the running from the attacks and rarely anything being accomplished by the majority of the book, I simply didn't have the patience. If anything, I probably <i>shouldn't</i> have lasted as long as I did.

<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/dnf-audiobook-review-deep-blue-by-jennifer-donnelly/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
  
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Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Samurai Warriors 5 in Video Games

Sep 14, 2021 (Updated Sep 14, 2021)  
Samurai Warriors 5
Samurai Warriors 5
2021 | Action/Adventure, Fighting
Revamped art style and character designs (1 more)
All new weapon system
Character animations are a bit stiff in scenes with dialogue (1 more)
Battle music can be repetitive
Fantastic Return For The Warriors Series
Samurai Warriors 5 is a 2021 hack and slash, action, "Musou/Warriors" game developed by Omega Force and published by Koei Tecmo. It is available on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC, with current gen consoles not featuring an upgraded version yet. The fifth installment in the series, it is a re-imagining as almost everything from art style to character designs has been revamped. The story has been redone as well, focusing mainly on Nobunaga Oda and Mitsuhide Akechi, up to the events of the Honno-ji incident.

 Play as the legends of the Sengoku Era of Japanese history in this epic "Warriors" game. Samurai Warriors 5 has been revamped with a new art style and an all new weapon system allowing characters to utilize any weapon in a large arsenal as you mow down hundreds of soldiers from opposing armies. Every weapon has special moves to use in combat and can be upgraded in the blacksmith menu. Characters have a simplistic skill tree and some also have ultimate moves. A stable menu is available to upgrade and train horses you acquire as well. There are two game modes: Musou Mode, which is a mission based story mode and Citadel Mode, which is an extra game mode in which you defend a base while completing different objectives to get the highest score you can.

 Utilizing new character designs and a new art style based on Japanese paintings, Samurai Warriors has never looked so good. Musou attacks look great with some ending in a character posing for a painting. Character animations are great in battle but a little stiff in scenes with dialogue, however, the cutscenes are well done.

 Battle music can get repetitive but if you love the "Warriors" series it's what you've come to expect. Classic "Warriors" style music with epic rock/metal guitar riffs are mixed with the traditional Japanese style music, although with more emphasis on the latter. Overall the music is very enjoyable. The sound design for weapon combos gives you a good sense of impact too and really makes you feel like you're doing damage.

 Samurai Warriors 5 is the tale of Nobunaga Oda, the legendary Japanese Daimyo (Lord) on his quest to unify all the lands of Japan and bring peace to it's people. This game is based off of historical records of Nobunaga's life and that of Mitsuhide Akechi with many liberties taken to romanticize real life historical accounts. The plot follows them through their lives, up to the incident at Honno-ji.

Verdict: [7/10]

 A fantastic return to form for the "Warriors" series after the abysmal Dynasty Warriors 9. The new art style is a refreshing take and gameplay innovates while simultaneously not alienating lovers of past games in the series.
  
Halo: Last Light
Halo: Last Light
Troy Denning | 2015 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
9.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Writing Style (2 more)
Engaging Characters
A Good Mix of Combat, Crime and Mystery
Reveal of the Criminal was Anticlimactic (0 more)
Definitely Worth the Read
Definitely worth the read, I enjoyed the style of writing and the characters were very engaging. I haven't read a Halo book yet that has disappointed so I have high hopes for the next one on my list. What I liked about this one was that it wasn't just solely about combat it actually had an element of mystery and crime to it which made it interesting. I felt the reveal of the criminal was anticlimactic which was a little disappointing for me but I enjoyed the ending none the less. It was an enjoyable read, I'd recommend it to sci-fi readers and crime fic readers alike.
  
Paper Towns
Paper Towns
John Green | 2013 | Children
9
7.8 (36 Ratings)
Book Rating
Fun (2 more)
Has a dectetive style
Short chapters
Disappointing end (0 more)
Detective style
Ok I love John Green as I've said for his other books I've reviewed but I can't help but say I was disappointed with the ending of this, it was totally not what I was expecting and not as dramatic as I thought. However, the book is very fun to read and it really gets you thinking. Margo is a very clever girl with an imaginative mind who just can't stop in one place. Q is a sucker for love and falls into a bit of a predicament. Qs determination is frustrating for his friends but friends stick together like they should. Overall a good read and would recommend it. I'm now going to watch the film.
  
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
John Boyne | 2006 | Young Adult (YA)
6
8.9 (18 Ratings)
Book Rating
I had a really hard time with this book. The story itself is wonderful. I can get behind the idea that we are reading this from the point of view of a 9 year old boy but the writing style is something a five year old would say, not a 9 year old. The ending was sad, but expected. I'm shocked it took me 8 full days to read this book. It was incredibly short and easy to read in the sense of flow but I couldn't get past the poor narration style. If you're in it for the story you may love this. There were multiple paragraphs I flat out skipped because it was a near repeat of something previous. I could skim most of it and not miss a beat.
  
If you look at my recent reads you would know that this is definitely not my normal style. I picked this book up for my book club and I'm glad that I challenged myself to read it. This was a fascinating read.You can tell that the author did a lot of research into the Mormon faith. You can also tell that the author did have creative license when creating this book.

I felt that this book was slow. It took me around 6 days to read this book which is a little long for me. I definitely struggled through this novel but I believe it is because it is not my typical style. All in all, I found the book interesting and I'm glad that I picked it up.
  
Searching (2018)
Searching (2018)
2018 | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A must see
The style of this film is really unique. The viewer is watching as if they are behind a computer screen. Margot is a 16 year old girl that has gone missing, and the viewer gets follow her dads online investigation as if they were the one looking for her. This movie has you on the edge of your seat with all its twists and turns. It can also be emotional at times, as Morgot's dad starts to unravel. Her dad feels like a very realistic character, and he's reactions make you hurt for any parent who has ever been in this situation. I think the style of this movie makes a lot of people afraid to watch it, but sitting through this movie is not something you will regret.
  
The Boy Who Cried Wolf
The Boy Who Cried Wolf
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
As a children’s story book, you have certain expectations, but Tazhibi’s art transcends mine. The cover is bright and inviting, and the illustration is relatable. Many children’s books are block colours, whereas Tazhibi’s has an innocent, crayon-like quality to it.

The overall style of the page does put me in mind of British Gas’ sphere worlds they have in the adverts, as Tazhibi’s rolling hills are quite literally rolling… beside each other. Because screw gravity right? The choice makes it cute, and the crayon style colouring makes it appear like something a child could achieve. Don’t take that the wrong way, the detail, shading and proportions are that of a very skilled hand, but, on looking at it, a child would be inspired.

More at www.natari-himi.com
  
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Awix (3310 KP) rated In Fabric (2018) in Movies

Aug 7, 2019 (Updated Aug 9, 2019)  
In Fabric (2018)
In Fabric (2018)
2018 | Comedy, Horror
Playfully bonkers British comedy-horror, which plays rather like a mash-up of Mike Leigh and Dario Argento, as pastiched by the League of Gentlemen. A woman makes the mistake of buying a cursed dress (from a department store which appears to be run by witches) and finds herself assailed by increasingly bizarre events.

A knowingly silly homage to various seventies horror movies, but done with great style and deftness - the movie shifts from absurd comedy to something with genuine pathos to a sequence of the utmost weirdness and back again, barely putting a foot wrong. The pseudo-portmanteau style is a bit wrong-footing if you're not expecting it and the first segment of the film is certainly stronger than the rest, but this is a very funny and always interesting film.