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Reflect Me (Reflect Me, #1)
K.B. Webb | 2013
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is the first book by K.B. Webb I've ever read, and have found a new favorite to add to my list. After reading Reflect Me and Follow You Down I think I will buy just about anything this amazing writer publishes.

All of the characters in the stories are easy to relate to in some way. Molly is amazing. The way she grows, matures, and finds her true self on this journey is really inspiring. I've been lucky enough to not be a battered woman, but from the way Molly is written this is exactly how I would expect her to act. She starts of weak and timid with rumors flying around of how Molly used to be. Then she starts to cowgirl up if you will.

Logan is a stand up guy. He's been broken in the past, and doesn't really have that many people around him that he really trusts, but you quickly start to see a family come together. Logan is hoe I wish every man would act. Since I know every man doesn't act that way, he seems a little far fetched; but it works for this story.

The supporting characters (Wynee, Justin, Lucas, Brian, and Dani) are all great characters. They are never just filler and always add to the story, which I love. I can't stand characters that just take up space but then never really have a reason to be there in the first place.

Parts of this story were hard for me to read, not because they were bad, but because they were so real. There are several scenes that Molly endures and I had trouble picturing the hell she was going through, and I had trouble imagining what it would be like to hear these hateful words on a daily basis. The scene where Molly stands up for herself and finally starts to take her life back I literally cheered for her.

This book was well written, the characters were not at all one dimensional. I loved that this was an emotional book and also left me wanting more. I will definitely been one clicking more books by this author.
  
The Last Airbender (2010)
The Last Airbender (2010)
2010 | Action, Family, Sci-Fi
6
4.4 (20 Ratings)
Movie Rating
The four elemental nations once got along thanks to the help of the master of the elements, the Avatar. But that was in the past. Long ago the Avatar disappeared and the power hungry Fire Nation has since been destroying all other nations in an attempt to develop their natural element wielding skills. But the discovery of a mysteriously tattooed boy, Aang, found in the ice by a young waterbender, Katara, and her brother, Sokka, may mean there is a way to achieve peace and once again unite the elements.

The first Avatar movie very closely follows the story of the first season, called Book One, of the original television show. However the translation of the beloved Nickelodeon cartoon into film has taken some very serious criticism for changes made in the race of the actors who portray the lead characters.

To make fans further iffy about the film the plot moves so quickly that at times the lead characters directly state the story to one another, a distracting and very obvious plot device. Furthering the film’s strange execution is the poor over-acting that fills almost every “emotional” scene. While this strong form of drama is very accurate to the original cartoon, the impact is lost in the translation to the big screen.

Still some things about seeing “The Last Airbender” as a film are really fun. The costumes and environments are both true to the original story. Adding to the fun are clever real world adaptations of the original show’s details, such as Aang’s Airbender tattoos. But where the film really excels is in the elemental battles that define the frequent and large-scale action sequences. Part fantasy and part martial art inspired, these fight scenes help to define the characters while providing visual speed to the otherwise overly paced film.

Fans will enjoy seeing the ideas of “The Last Airbender” executed in live action, but there is no real need for 3D. The film does show some of the character developing talent M. Night Shyamalan is known for, but the rushed pace and forced drama is hard to ignore.
  
The Midas Code (Tyler Locke #2)
The Midas Code (Tyler Locke #2)
Boyd Morrison | 2011 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Thriller
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The story of King Midas is a Greek Legend warning on the folly of greed where everything the king touches turns to gold - including his daughter. But at the heart of every story is a grain of truth. What if King Midas was real and there really was a Midas Touch that could turn other things into gold? How much would it be worth? And more importantly how far would some people go in order to secure it?

Jordan Orr is in a race against time to secure this ancient and valuable artifact but he is missing two important pieces - an expert in ancient civilisations and an engineer able to decode centuries old mechanisms. He therefore puts Stacy Benedict, scholar and presenter of a popular TV show on ancient cultures, and Tyler Locke into a situation where they have no choice but to help him. Can Locke outsmart Orr? And does the Midas Touch really exist?

The second of the Tyler Locke thrillers sees Morrison once again explore the theme of an old story and imagining a what if situation of there being some truth to it. He then adds Tyler Locke - ex army engineer, mechanism and explosives expert and Grant Westfield, ex pro-wrestler and ex Army Ranger to the mix. As Benedict, Locke and Westfield move around Europe following the instructions laid down in a codex written Archimedes it seems Orr is always one step ahead of them. Locke must use all of his ingenuity to try to thwart Orr in his plans.

As with his other novels Morrison doesn't let up for one second and he relishes pushing his heroes to the limit. 'Out of the frying pan and into the fire' has nothing on this.

It would be easy to write a thriller of this sort and be sloppy with the details but Morrison is as always well-researched and keen to show off Locke's scientific and engineering credentials and is effortless at making ancient stories seem like they could - just about - be true.

Overall another absolutely brilliant book. Could Morrison be the best thriller writer working today? It's not something I'd discount.
  
40x40

LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness in TV

Mar 31, 2020 (Updated Mar 31, 2020)  
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness
2020 | Crime, Documentary
Tiger King is a true story. That in itself is an absurd thought. The story of Joe Exotic and his self built zoo, housing no less than 227 live tigers is something I never knew I wanted to hear until it was too late.
This well put together documentary took approximately 15 minutes to draw me in, and before I knew it, I had watched the whole thing.

The story in question revolves around Joe's constant rivalry and back-and-forth lawsuits with Carole Baskin, and her Big Cat Rescue sanctuary. It doesn't take long for everything to escalate to dangerous silliness, and the show documents Joe's eventual incarceration, where he is still residing currently.

This deep look into this cult like practice is fascinating to say the least. Some, including me, will argue that wild animals bred in captivity purely for profit is cruel, but it's genuinely difficult to see Joe Exotic as a bad person. His heart seems in the right place, and its sad to see him get so caught up in the money side of things, to the point where his intentions start to stray.
On the flip side, Carole Baskin on the surface doesn't agree with these kind of zoos and aims to rescue these animals, but in reality, she is still turning profit and her sanctuary is arguably just as bad.
These characters that we meet throughout all have layers and secrets, and ensures that the narrative being told through archive footage and interviews never stops throwing curve balls, as what starts as an animal park feud, devolves into embezzlement, attempted murder, suicide, missing persons, million-dollar legal battles... It's honestly hectic.
I'm incredibly interested to see what happens as a result of this series, and I personally don't think Joe will be incarcerated for too much longer.

The limited series could have benefited from losing an episode I feel, as it did drag a little towards the end, but overall, Tiger King is a fantastic documentary that's edited and put together to draw you in, and not let go.
  
Network of Deceit
Network of Deceit
Tom Threadgill | 2021 | Crime, Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Great Deductive Reasoning
Detective Amara Alvarez from the SAPD (San Antonio Police Department) Homicide brings us a great new case in Network of Deceit. From the first page, I was hooked on this story. I was a big fan of Collision of Lies the first book in this stand-alone series, for the character development Tom Threadgill uses, and how he walks us through the case just as if we were there asking the questions to figure out the case right along Detective Alvarez. Detective Alvarez has a light sense of humor, and she is a bit of a quirky character take this for instance: “[Detective Alvarez] heading home to Larry, her three-foot-long pet iguana”. I also love Tom Threadgill’s use of dry sarcastic humor and wit in the conversations between Detective Alvarez and Detective Jeremiah “Starsky” Peckham is it fun to read and adds another layer to the story.

This particular case was rife with speculation, suspense, and unanswered questions that left me guessing until the end. A true mystery in every sense of the word. We are shown every step in the case and it is not tv fast paced, it is realistic. Tom Threadgill gives accurate timelines for the turnaround on things like autopsy reports and toxicology reports, unlike most tv shows. I also really enjoyed the cybercrime aspects of the story and I thought that it was explained in an easy-to-understand way for anyone, even if you do not have any previous knowledge of cybercrimes.

I would suggest that you go back and read Collision of Lies before this one as it gives you more background on the characters and you would have a better understanding of the case the previous book covers that is mentioned a few times in this one. But this one can be read as a stand-alone since the whole case is started and wrapped up in this book. Overall, I truly loved this book, and the way Tom Threadgill moved the case along, and I am looking forward to what other adventures that Detective Alvarez takes me on. 5 out of 5 stars.