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Kyera (8 KP) rated Six of Crows in Books
Jan 31, 2018
Six of Crows is set in the world of the Grisha trilogy, but with an entirely new cast of characters. As the reader is already familiar with the world it only takes a few chapters to be hooked. The beginning of the book introduces us to the gang who we will accompany on a perilous journey.
Kaz is the mysterious leader with the gaze of a shark. He keeps more secrets than a diary and trusts no one. Kaz is never without his crow's head cane, gloves and willingness to do anything to get the job done. Inej is a wraith, able to make herself unnoticeable and get almost anywhere. She can scale walls, discover secret and have a blade in a man's back before he is any the wiser. Jesper is a good shot and prone to outbursts. He also has a gambling problem that has put him so far in debt that the only way out is to join Kaz on this likely deadly mission. Nina is the resident Grisha and a heartrender, although she must use her skills at times to heal or transform the others. She and Mattais have a history that is never far from either his mind. Mattias is Fjerdan and knows their target, but the only thing keeping him on this journey is the promise of a pardon at the end. Finally, it's Wylan the insurance and the son of the man offering them 30 million kruge to complete the job. He's also good with demolition and bombs, but not enough to warrant his place on the crew.
The mission is impossible or near to it, but they all have their reasons for needing it to succeed. Even though they're crooks, murderers and thieves you want them to succeed. They're strangely likable. All humans with flaws and backstories to show how they became the people they are and why. Leigh Bardugo's characters are wonderfully complex and well-developed. Each person's history is fluidly woven into the story and does not pull the reader out of the narrative or make them wish for a novella to help further flesh out the story or characters.
By the end, you love this misfit gang of hooligans and can't wait to read the stunning conclusion to this duology. Highly recommended to young adult readers who enjoy fantasy with great world building and character development.
Kaz is the mysterious leader with the gaze of a shark. He keeps more secrets than a diary and trusts no one. Kaz is never without his crow's head cane, gloves and willingness to do anything to get the job done. Inej is a wraith, able to make herself unnoticeable and get almost anywhere. She can scale walls, discover secret and have a blade in a man's back before he is any the wiser. Jesper is a good shot and prone to outbursts. He also has a gambling problem that has put him so far in debt that the only way out is to join Kaz on this likely deadly mission. Nina is the resident Grisha and a heartrender, although she must use her skills at times to heal or transform the others. She and Mattais have a history that is never far from either his mind. Mattias is Fjerdan and knows their target, but the only thing keeping him on this journey is the promise of a pardon at the end. Finally, it's Wylan the insurance and the son of the man offering them 30 million kruge to complete the job. He's also good with demolition and bombs, but not enough to warrant his place on the crew.
The mission is impossible or near to it, but they all have their reasons for needing it to succeed. Even though they're crooks, murderers and thieves you want them to succeed. They're strangely likable. All humans with flaws and backstories to show how they became the people they are and why. Leigh Bardugo's characters are wonderfully complex and well-developed. Each person's history is fluidly woven into the story and does not pull the reader out of the narrative or make them wish for a novella to help further flesh out the story or characters.
By the end, you love this misfit gang of hooligans and can't wait to read the stunning conclusion to this duology. Highly recommended to young adult readers who enjoy fantasy with great world building and character development.
Alice (12 KP) rated The Iron Ghost in Books
Jul 3, 2018
The Iron Ghost was the second of three in The Copper Cat trilogy and it brings back characters from the first book The Copper Promise in full force. This story follows the Blackfeather Three as they travel to a place called Skaldshollow to assist the Skald people in getting back a stolen artefact. As soon as they arrive things start to go wrong and The Blackfeather Three come face to face with trials and tribulations to rival their exploits in the first book.
Ice people, wyverns, crazy mad mages with a thirst for blood and a familiar yet hated demon child all abound and cause all sorts of trouble for Wydrin, Frith and Sebastian.
There’s a neat – if slightly unobvious – split between tenses in this book which was slightly off putting; for example it’d be one chapter in present day Skaldshollow and then the next would be set in the past usually with Sebastian at the Order Temple. It wasn’t bad only unclearly marked, but on the flip side the writing itself showed the tense changes really well.
As with the previous book everything that could go wrong went wrong but the plot line followed a set rhythm that deviated in the smallest of ways but also the biggest – by this I mean that the plot stayed on the same sort of course but then all of a sudden something that was unexpected was thrown in the works and it threw me for a loop.
Other than Bezcavar the new big bad in this book was a long dead mage by the name of Joah Lightbringer or Joah Demonsworn who is miraculously brought back to life by the help of BBezcavar(surprise surprise) so he can continue on in his great, albeit incredibly insane work.
There’s magic galore from Frith, Joah, the Skaldshollow, Bezcavar and even Sebastian! Something happened with Wydrin that I won’t spoil for any of you who haven’t read this book (I highly recommend it!) that completely threw me and made me keep reading until the early hours of the morning. I had a combined “What the hell JW” and “Oh thank you, thank you” moment.
I’m about 110 pages into the third and final installment. I had a heart crumbling moment when Jen told me that on Twitter but made up for it with a pre-order of her new book.
Ice people, wyverns, crazy mad mages with a thirst for blood and a familiar yet hated demon child all abound and cause all sorts of trouble for Wydrin, Frith and Sebastian.
There’s a neat – if slightly unobvious – split between tenses in this book which was slightly off putting; for example it’d be one chapter in present day Skaldshollow and then the next would be set in the past usually with Sebastian at the Order Temple. It wasn’t bad only unclearly marked, but on the flip side the writing itself showed the tense changes really well.
As with the previous book everything that could go wrong went wrong but the plot line followed a set rhythm that deviated in the smallest of ways but also the biggest – by this I mean that the plot stayed on the same sort of course but then all of a sudden something that was unexpected was thrown in the works and it threw me for a loop.
Other than Bezcavar the new big bad in this book was a long dead mage by the name of Joah Lightbringer or Joah Demonsworn who is miraculously brought back to life by the help of BBezcavar(surprise surprise) so he can continue on in his great, albeit incredibly insane work.
There’s magic galore from Frith, Joah, the Skaldshollow, Bezcavar and even Sebastian! Something happened with Wydrin that I won’t spoil for any of you who haven’t read this book (I highly recommend it!) that completely threw me and made me keep reading until the early hours of the morning. I had a combined “What the hell JW” and “Oh thank you, thank you” moment.
I’m about 110 pages into the third and final installment. I had a heart crumbling moment when Jen told me that on Twitter but made up for it with a pre-order of her new book.
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Inside Out (2015) in Movies
Apr 1, 2020
The Most Emotionally Resonant Pixar Film
When listing the PIXAR films that have the most emotional resonance, the films I hear mentioned most often are TOY STORY 3, WALL-E and the first 20 minutes of UP. While all of those are most definitely emotionally resonant, I would argue that INSIDE OUT is the most emotionally resonant of all the Pixar films.
And not just because the main characters in the film are emotions.
Telling the tale of 11 year old Riley, who's life is upended when her family moves from Minnesota to San Fransico, INSIDE OUT follows this journey through the eyes of Riley's 5 chief emotions - Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust and Fear.
As is customary in Pixar films, the voice cast in this film is outstanding. Amy Poehler (well known as the ever-optimistic Leslie Knope in the marvelous TV Series PARKS & RECREATION) is perfectly cast as Joy. Her never ending well of optimism is perfectly placed - and never gets tiresome. As does the voice work of Lewis Black (Anger), Bill Hader (Fear) and Mindy Kahling (Disgust). They are all marvelous. But the revelation of this film for me is the voicework of Phyllis Smith (THE OFFICE) as Sadness. She brings just the right amount of weight and...well...sadness...to her character without bogging down (and bringing down) the proceedings. These 5 work together well (especially Poehler and Smith).
Special notice needs to be made of the voice work of the unique talent that is Richard Kind as the character BingBong. I will not ruin any of the surprise of this character, but I will say I could not think of any other voice for this character - he is that perfect for it.
Credit, of course, for all of this needs to be given to Director Pete Docter (currently the Chief Creative Officer at Pixar). He has shown he has the ability to really tug at the heartstrings with his previous Pixar effort, UP, and he expands on this promise in this film bringing an emotionally rich film that has many, many moments of humor spliced within. He'll be at the helm of the upcoming SOUL and I can't wait to see it.
I'm glad I revisited INSIDE OUT, it is a stronger, better film than I remembered. You'll like it - and your kids will, too!
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)
And not just because the main characters in the film are emotions.
Telling the tale of 11 year old Riley, who's life is upended when her family moves from Minnesota to San Fransico, INSIDE OUT follows this journey through the eyes of Riley's 5 chief emotions - Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust and Fear.
As is customary in Pixar films, the voice cast in this film is outstanding. Amy Poehler (well known as the ever-optimistic Leslie Knope in the marvelous TV Series PARKS & RECREATION) is perfectly cast as Joy. Her never ending well of optimism is perfectly placed - and never gets tiresome. As does the voice work of Lewis Black (Anger), Bill Hader (Fear) and Mindy Kahling (Disgust). They are all marvelous. But the revelation of this film for me is the voicework of Phyllis Smith (THE OFFICE) as Sadness. She brings just the right amount of weight and...well...sadness...to her character without bogging down (and bringing down) the proceedings. These 5 work together well (especially Poehler and Smith).
Special notice needs to be made of the voice work of the unique talent that is Richard Kind as the character BingBong. I will not ruin any of the surprise of this character, but I will say I could not think of any other voice for this character - he is that perfect for it.
Credit, of course, for all of this needs to be given to Director Pete Docter (currently the Chief Creative Officer at Pixar). He has shown he has the ability to really tug at the heartstrings with his previous Pixar effort, UP, and he expands on this promise in this film bringing an emotionally rich film that has many, many moments of humor spliced within. He'll be at the helm of the upcoming SOUL and I can't wait to see it.
I'm glad I revisited INSIDE OUT, it is a stronger, better film than I remembered. You'll like it - and your kids will, too!
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)
Tiny Airport - Interactive Activity App for Kids
Book and Education
App
Discover the airport: In three scenes featuring around 90 interactive adventures and chances to...
Merissa (13749 KP) rated Sweet Water (Birds of a Feather #2) in Books
Nov 28, 2018
Sweet Water (Birds of a Feather #2) by Lena North
Sweet Water is the second book in the Birds of a Feather series, and we concentrate on Jinx in this story. Although she is an off-the-scale genius (quite literally), the stress of everything is getting to her. She is not sleeping, losing weight, getting attacked in her own home, and fighting with Wilder. As a result, she decides to honour her promise to Wilder on her own terms - and that is by researching the crystal in Marshes. This is a small village far enough away from Wilder for Jinx to find herself again. She gets more than she bargained for though, and is her own worst enemy at times. Luckily for her, she has more friends than she realised who are there to help her recover, even if she doesn't agree!
Whilst this book isn't as blatant in it's paranormal side, it is still there. By the book being this way, it gives Jinx a chance to shine. You learn more about her, about who is after her, and what they want. She is accepted into the village, and you will find yourself hoping she stays there after the six months is over. Dante appeared in Wilder and he is the main male character here. Seeing their relationship develop from dislike (or so Jinx thinks) to more, was simply brilliant.
I think I may have enjoyed this book a bit more than Wilder, which surprised me because there was no mention of Vilda or the others. Wilder also wasn't the nicest to Jinx, but she is only human after all.
This was a great addition to the series, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Definitely recommended by me.
* Verified Purchase ~ July 2018. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Whilst this book isn't as blatant in it's paranormal side, it is still there. By the book being this way, it gives Jinx a chance to shine. You learn more about her, about who is after her, and what they want. She is accepted into the village, and you will find yourself hoping she stays there after the six months is over. Dante appeared in Wilder and he is the main male character here. Seeing their relationship develop from dislike (or so Jinx thinks) to more, was simply brilliant.
I think I may have enjoyed this book a bit more than Wilder, which surprised me because there was no mention of Vilda or the others. Wilder also wasn't the nicest to Jinx, but she is only human after all.
This was a great addition to the series, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Definitely recommended by me.
* Verified Purchase ~ July 2018. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Night Prayers
Howard Curtis and Santiago Gamboa
Book
A thrilling literary novel about crime and corruption in Latin America told in alternating voices...
Crime thriller
Breath of Fire
10.0
Rate It
Book
In a land where magic is might, Catalia Fisa is the mightiest of them all ...Catalia Fisa, Lost...
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Destine Academy ( Destine Academy book 1) in Books
Mar 10, 2022
44 of 230
Kindle
Destine Academy ( Destine Academy book 1)
By Sara Snow
⭐️⭐️⭐️
On her 16th birthday, Caroline Destine's safe, happy existence is turned…UPSIDE DOWN into uncertainty, mystery, and magic...
Caroline returns home from school on her 16th birthday to find her mother and brother missing, with NO sign of a struggle and NO clues to their whereabouts.
Caroline's estranged aunt and next of kin, the mysterious Marguerite Destine, brings Caroline to stay with her in France at the prestigious school where Marguerite is Headmistress.
However, the students at Destine Academy aren't your typical gifted and talented academics...
Caroline finds herself surrounded by a world filled with four factions of magically talented individuals, each with their own special skills. There's the friendly witch Nadine Landry of the Magiques and the handsome and flirtatious Corbin of the Surnaturals with his preternatural strength and skills.
Even the sullen and unapproachable Magique Aldrick Vieux can't help but intrigue Caroline, who finds many more surprises in store for her in this fascinating world.
...and terrifying truths that throw everything she thought she ever knew into question.
But is she ready for this new knowledge, or for the potential dangers of this unfamiliar new reality?
A little bit of an odd start! Reads more like a novella than a book. This is the first book in a 9 book series and I’m thinking they are all very short! For a quick read it was ok very teeny but could hold some promise I was red to go a little lower on scoring but I’m hoped for upcoming books from this author.
Kindle
Destine Academy ( Destine Academy book 1)
By Sara Snow
⭐️⭐️⭐️
On her 16th birthday, Caroline Destine's safe, happy existence is turned…UPSIDE DOWN into uncertainty, mystery, and magic...
Caroline returns home from school on her 16th birthday to find her mother and brother missing, with NO sign of a struggle and NO clues to their whereabouts.
Caroline's estranged aunt and next of kin, the mysterious Marguerite Destine, brings Caroline to stay with her in France at the prestigious school where Marguerite is Headmistress.
However, the students at Destine Academy aren't your typical gifted and talented academics...
Caroline finds herself surrounded by a world filled with four factions of magically talented individuals, each with their own special skills. There's the friendly witch Nadine Landry of the Magiques and the handsome and flirtatious Corbin of the Surnaturals with his preternatural strength and skills.
Even the sullen and unapproachable Magique Aldrick Vieux can't help but intrigue Caroline, who finds many more surprises in store for her in this fascinating world.
...and terrifying truths that throw everything she thought she ever knew into question.
But is she ready for this new knowledge, or for the potential dangers of this unfamiliar new reality?
A little bit of an odd start! Reads more like a novella than a book. This is the first book in a 9 book series and I’m thinking they are all very short! For a quick read it was ok very teeny but could hold some promise I was red to go a little lower on scoring but I’m hoped for upcoming books from this author.
Tiny Farm: Animal & Tractor App for Kids
Book and Games
App
You in the farmyard: animals, tractors and lots of adventures. Explore life in the country in our...