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Book Divas (227 KP) rated Black Bird of the Gallows in Books
Dec 12, 2017
From the moment I started to read this book the world around me disappeared and I found myself utterly immersed within the pages of this amazing book. The story line was well constructed and the characters were fantastic. I fell head over heels with Angie and Reece and honestly who wouldn't!? This book has it all from teenage angst to supernatural creatures with some swoon worthy moments that have left me clamoring for more. This author grabbed a hold of her magical thread and weaved a paranormal tale that kept me glued to my seat. I look forward to what's to come from this talented author. I will end this review with one of my favorite quotes; "The world reeks of death and pain, and you smell like life and joy and everything I can never have."
{I requested a review copy via Entangled Teen and made no guarantee of a favorable review. The opinions expressed here are unbiased and my own.}
{I requested a review copy via Entangled Teen and made no guarantee of a favorable review. The opinions expressed here are unbiased and my own.}
Book Divas (227 KP) rated Minutes Before Sunset (Timely Death, #1) in Books
Dec 12, 2017
I received a free copy of this book via Clean Teen Publishing Elite Reviewers which I am a member of. I made no guarantee of a favorable review and the opinions are my own.
When I read the synopsis I knew I just had to read it. This book contains magic, romance and drama and it is about light versus dark {good versus evil} and though at times I found myself enjoying it, I found myself to be somewhat disappointed as well. Jessica is trying to locate/discover more information about her biological parents but by the end of the book we still don't really know anything. Now this could be what the author intended so I do plan on reading the next book. My other issue was that I found the characters to be good, the world building seemed somewhat lacking. I am giving this book three stars and I'm hoping that there will be more explanations in the second book.
When I read the synopsis I knew I just had to read it. This book contains magic, romance and drama and it is about light versus dark {good versus evil} and though at times I found myself enjoying it, I found myself to be somewhat disappointed as well. Jessica is trying to locate/discover more information about her biological parents but by the end of the book we still don't really know anything. Now this could be what the author intended so I do plan on reading the next book. My other issue was that I found the characters to be good, the world building seemed somewhat lacking. I am giving this book three stars and I'm hoping that there will be more explanations in the second book.
Paige (428 KP) rated The Art Book in Books
Jul 28, 2017
Great for beginners and fledgling art history buffs.
So this book has artist in alphabetical order, one per page. On each page, there is an example of their work and a small snippet of biography and explanation of the piece.
Simple idea, brilliant entrance to art for someone who doesn't know where to begin.
This helped me study it in a general way as a teen. I got familiar with some of what I liked. It made me comfortable with art in a lot of ways. It expanded my horizons and made me less intimidated by the vastness of all I had to learn.
There is a series of these- The 20th Century Art Book, The Photography Book, and The American Art Book (for some reason they changed the format on this particular one and made it sort of useless)
Simple idea, brilliant entrance to art for someone who doesn't know where to begin.
This helped me study it in a general way as a teen. I got familiar with some of what I liked. It made me comfortable with art in a lot of ways. It expanded my horizons and made me less intimidated by the vastness of all I had to learn.
There is a series of these- The 20th Century Art Book, The Photography Book, and The American Art Book (for some reason they changed the format on this particular one and made it sort of useless)
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2109 KP) rated The Purloined Puzzle in Books
Apr 27, 2018
The Puzzle Vanishes
Cora thinks that the worst problem in her life is the reappearance of her least favorite ex-husband, Melvin. Then a teen asks Cora to solve a puzzle that was just left at the teen’s house. Only before it can be solved, the puzzle disappears. Then the teen’s older brother reports finding a bloody knife in his bedroom even though there hasn’t been a murder. Is a corpse going to appear?
Fans of the series will be delighted with the latest installment. We get the usual banter as Cora causes havoc on her way to solving the case. The usual twists are there before we reach the logical solution. The characters are on the thin side, which is nothing new for the series, yet I’ve come to care for them and was glad to visit them again. I laughed multiple times along the way, and those who enjoy puzzles will be glad to know there are two crossword and one Sudoku along the way.
Fans of the series will be delighted with the latest installment. We get the usual banter as Cora causes havoc on her way to solving the case. The usual twists are there before we reach the logical solution. The characters are on the thin side, which is nothing new for the series, yet I’ve come to care for them and was glad to visit them again. I laughed multiple times along the way, and those who enjoy puzzles will be glad to know there are two crossword and one Sudoku along the way.
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles, #1) in Books
Apr 27, 2018
I had heard so much about Beautiful Creatures since it came out, but I really wish I'd skipped this one. It's just another gothic teen romance, authors jumping on the bandwagon that Stephenie Meyer made of the dark scary character and big entrancing eyes and inhuman beauty and absurd chemistry. Nothing happened in the first few chapters, the descriptions were repetitive and strange, the characters were stereotypical, and the dialogue was boring.
The only good thing I had to say was that the small town they described in the book really did sound like a small town (and I can say that because I live in one).
Oh, and the reader of the audiobook was good.
Other than that, honestly, it was just Twilight except Edward Cullen was a girl.
Content/Recommendation: I didn't read enough to be able to say, though honestly if you're going to read a 500-page novel, read Crime and Punishment or The Count of Monte Cristo.
The only good thing I had to say was that the small town they described in the book really did sound like a small town (and I can say that because I live in one).
Oh, and the reader of the audiobook was good.
Other than that, honestly, it was just Twilight except Edward Cullen was a girl.
Content/Recommendation: I didn't read enough to be able to say, though honestly if you're going to read a 500-page novel, read Crime and Punishment or The Count of Monte Cristo.
Cori June (3033 KP) rated The Friday Society in Books
Mar 19, 2019 (Updated Jul 27, 2020)
Fun characters (1 more)
nice intro to steampunk
slightly repetitive (1 more)
too much build up for a one off book
A fun teen book set in 1900 London. It follows three young woman whose paths seem fated to cross. Assistants to three famous men, they become entangled in a mystery only they can solve. I really hoped this book would become a series because there is a lot of build up and it makes the ending seemed a little rushed. While it is considered steampunk, I feel like it is more like getting your feet wet just enough to be curious about the genre.
You have the no nonsense scientist, flighty yet loyal performer, and the doesn't speak English Japanese fighter. Three girl which should have little in common are more similar than they'd think. You get all three girl's POV which is nice. And I can identify with some of their irritations. A cute, fun and quick read.
You have the no nonsense scientist, flighty yet loyal performer, and the doesn't speak English Japanese fighter. Three girl which should have little in common are more similar than they'd think. You get all three girl's POV which is nice. And I can identify with some of their irritations. A cute, fun and quick read.
Smashbomb (4683 KP) created a post in Smashbomb AMA
Jun 12, 2019
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) in Movies
Mar 5, 2018
Largely superfluous entry to the F&F series doesn't feature any of your favourite characters, probably, was only retconned to have any connection to the rest of the series some years later. Identikit bad-boy teen gets packed off to Japan to teach the locals a thing or two about driving on the famously non-congested streets of Ikebukuro.
Really a film struggling to find a reason to justify its own existence: the plot is very forgettable and the rest of it rather so what - film attempts to make quest to go round corners sideways at high speed look like some kind of spiritual mission; essentially fails. Surprisingly unflattering to the Japanese characters, too; wouldn't happen nowadays. The movie's fascination with the fact some people have cameras on their phones is charmingly quaint, too. All the important parts of Tokyo Drift are recycled in later F&F movies, so you only really need to bother with this one if you're a completist.
Really a film struggling to find a reason to justify its own existence: the plot is very forgettable and the rest of it rather so what - film attempts to make quest to go round corners sideways at high speed look like some kind of spiritual mission; essentially fails. Surprisingly unflattering to the Japanese characters, too; wouldn't happen nowadays. The movie's fascination with the fact some people have cameras on their phones is charmingly quaint, too. All the important parts of Tokyo Drift are recycled in later F&F movies, so you only really need to bother with this one if you're a completist.
ClareR (5620 KP) rated The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah: The Autobiography in Books
May 26, 2018
Lyricist. Writer. Activist.
What a life this man has had! He had a hard start, living in one of the least affluent areas of Birmingham (UK), and running away with his mother to escape a violent father. The 1980s saw race riots, miners strikes and demonstrations against police brutality. Zephaniah and his dub poetry were at the forefront. By the 1990s he was a household name, and not just at home in the UK - he travelled and performed around the world.
I really admire this man. He hasn't had an easy life: he was in borstal as a teen, lived a life of crime for a while and decided for himself that he didn't want to live his life as a criminal where he would most certainly end up dead. HE turned his life around. He stands by his beliefs as well. A brilliant, self taught man, who sets a sterling example for all.
I really admire this man. He hasn't had an easy life: he was in borstal as a teen, lived a life of crime for a while and decided for himself that he didn't want to live his life as a criminal where he would most certainly end up dead. HE turned his life around. He stands by his beliefs as well. A brilliant, self taught man, who sets a sterling example for all.
Lee (2222 KP) rated I Kill Giants (2017) in Movies
Oct 28, 2018
I KILL GIANTS is a movie I'd never heard of before until I stumbled across it on Netflix. Based on a graphic novel, I Kill Giants tells the story of Barbara, a young teen who lives with her older sister and brother. Barbara doesn't really have any friends, is bullied at school, is thought of as weird by everyone and is currently seeing the school psychologist (when she can be bothered). She also sets traps and bait in order to catch and kill giants, researching the different types of giants and preparing herself for when the time comes that she must protect the town from a really big one. If you've seen A MONSTER CALLS then this movie treads very similar ground to that and is also similar in style. I wasn't quite as emotional at the end of this movie as I was at the end of that one, but I did find it just as enjoyable