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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009) in Movies
Aug 8, 2019
If you hear the sound of a million screaming girls coming from your local theater, then you already know that the newest film in the Twilight Saga, “New Moon” is here. Picking up where “Twilight” left off is the love triangle between emo babe, Bella (Kristen Stewert), her star-crossed boyfriend/vampire, Edward (Robert Pattinson), and the heartfelt affectionate werewolf, Jacob (Taylor Lautner). But this film isn’t just about this century’s most discussed love triangle. “New Moon” takes Twilighters deeper into the history and mythos of these loveable monsters. Further expanding the Twilightverse is the introduction of the Volturi, the vampire royalty, who keep their kind a global secret, with serious consequences for those who break their code.
If you were bored during the slow buildup of “Twilight” then “New Moon” should be an exciting change, filled with fast cars and strong CGI. And the visuals don’t stop there, with backdrops ranging from the rainy forests of Washington to the sunny streets of Tuscany, this film goes far beyond the scope of the last.
Most impressively the acting has improved, especially on the part of Jacob Black who is charming in “New Moon”, a significant improvement from his irritating portrayal in the first film. Did I mention that he has gained a six pack? No, not just the abs, but also in the form of his wolf tribe (yes, I know there are only five wolves, but who can resist a good six pack turn of phrase?).
I only wish there had been more interaction with the Volturi. Surely there was a way to skip an unnecessary emotional Bella scene for a better understanding of the cruel nature of these creatures. Still the chemistry between Bella and the two men of her dreams is undeniably heart wrenching in this cinematic chapter.
Lovers of Twilight will also rejoice over the clever dialogue, which immediately took me back to key moments in the books. Moreover, the action-filled storytelling might just be the final straw for the remaining people out there on the fence about tackling the hefty novels.
If you were bored during the slow buildup of “Twilight” then “New Moon” should be an exciting change, filled with fast cars and strong CGI. And the visuals don’t stop there, with backdrops ranging from the rainy forests of Washington to the sunny streets of Tuscany, this film goes far beyond the scope of the last.
Most impressively the acting has improved, especially on the part of Jacob Black who is charming in “New Moon”, a significant improvement from his irritating portrayal in the first film. Did I mention that he has gained a six pack? No, not just the abs, but also in the form of his wolf tribe (yes, I know there are only five wolves, but who can resist a good six pack turn of phrase?).
I only wish there had been more interaction with the Volturi. Surely there was a way to skip an unnecessary emotional Bella scene for a better understanding of the cruel nature of these creatures. Still the chemistry between Bella and the two men of her dreams is undeniably heart wrenching in this cinematic chapter.
Lovers of Twilight will also rejoice over the clever dialogue, which immediately took me back to key moments in the books. Moreover, the action-filled storytelling might just be the final straw for the remaining people out there on the fence about tackling the hefty novels.
Merissa (13382 KP) rated The Selkie's Coat (Waves of Fate #1) in Books
Apr 20, 2020
The Selkie's Coat is the first book in the Waves of Fate series and we start off with a seal (obviously!) shifter and a human omega. In this omegaverse, shifters are common knowledge, human omega's are rare, and new things are being learnt all the time.
Gregory is amazed to find his fated mate when he is so young - only 100 plus years - and is determined to do the right thing and give his human mate a chance to learn about what a fated mate is. This goes against what his inner animal wants to do and causes strife between the two of them. Daniel hadn't known a human omega could even mate with a shifter so the whole thing came as a surprise to him. He is fascinated by Gregory, even more so when he gets a glimpse of his seal speaking through Gregory's human body. Understandably, though, his feelings swing like a pendulum as he doesn't understand just what is going on.
This is a lovely slow-burn romance with a sweet Alpha and a headstrong Omega. Sometimes I wanted to whomp Daniel upside the head as he seemed to swing so much and vent his frustrations on the wrong person. Don't get me wrong, I liked Daniel but sweet Gregory was the one I fell for.
One thing I loved straight away in this book is the amount of shifters here - and it's not always cats or wolves! Scenting their mate is a big thing in most paranormal books but in this one, because Gregory is a water shifter, for him it's the sound of Daniel's voice. I loved that!!! The oh-so-simple idea that different shifters have different ways of knowing their mates. 😍
I don't know who's story is coming next but I can't wait for Winston and Henri's! If you love Omegavers stories and like a sweet, slow-burner then I have no hesitation in recommending this one!
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Gregory is amazed to find his fated mate when he is so young - only 100 plus years - and is determined to do the right thing and give his human mate a chance to learn about what a fated mate is. This goes against what his inner animal wants to do and causes strife between the two of them. Daniel hadn't known a human omega could even mate with a shifter so the whole thing came as a surprise to him. He is fascinated by Gregory, even more so when he gets a glimpse of his seal speaking through Gregory's human body. Understandably, though, his feelings swing like a pendulum as he doesn't understand just what is going on.
This is a lovely slow-burn romance with a sweet Alpha and a headstrong Omega. Sometimes I wanted to whomp Daniel upside the head as he seemed to swing so much and vent his frustrations on the wrong person. Don't get me wrong, I liked Daniel but sweet Gregory was the one I fell for.
One thing I loved straight away in this book is the amount of shifters here - and it's not always cats or wolves! Scenting their mate is a big thing in most paranormal books but in this one, because Gregory is a water shifter, for him it's the sound of Daniel's voice. I loved that!!! The oh-so-simple idea that different shifters have different ways of knowing their mates. 😍
I don't know who's story is coming next but I can't wait for Winston and Henri's! If you love Omegavers stories and like a sweet, slow-burner then I have no hesitation in recommending this one!
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Minecraft: The Survivors' Book of Secrets: An Official Minecraft Book from Mojang
Book
The official Minecraft Survivors' Book of Secrets from Mojang is brimming with tips and tactics that...
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Rejected (Shadow Beast Shifters, #1) in Books
Jan 7, 2021
I grabbed this one from Kindle Unlimited after taking advantage of their 6 months at a reduced cost offer because, you know, have you seen that cover?!
So this starts with Mera and her best friend heading to school while discussing the fact that they can't wait to have their first shift into their wolves so they can leave their pack after the abuse Mera has received off them after her father tried to kill the alpha when she was younger. Mera runs from the pack before her shift, knowing that death is likely to be her outcome either way - either from the shift itself or from the pack - but she's tracked down before then and brought back. Before long she shifts and finds her mate amongst her pack, only to be rejected by him and the intense pain both she and her wolf are in has her calling out to the Shadow Beast - the god of shifters - and he comes and takes her away.
I don't quite know how I feel about this book. It's like one extreme to another for all the males in Mera's life. Torin; doesn't like her and taunts her continuously but doesn't want her harmed by his father. Jaxson; one of her old best friends - torments her/attacks her almost daily but also seems to have feelings for her. Shadow; can't seem to stand her but won't let anyone else have her or touch her. I was so confused and conflicted by it. I wasn't cheering for anyone in particular. I even briefly wondered if it was going to turn into some reverse harem kind of thing...but nope. Or at least not in this one.
I honestly have no idea if I'm going to continue the series. It was the cover that pulled me into reading this one as it is...so maybe if the cover is as good...? I honestly don't know. I was expecting some romance and it was filled with an angry female and stupid alpha males, though there was a hot scene or two.
So this starts with Mera and her best friend heading to school while discussing the fact that they can't wait to have their first shift into their wolves so they can leave their pack after the abuse Mera has received off them after her father tried to kill the alpha when she was younger. Mera runs from the pack before her shift, knowing that death is likely to be her outcome either way - either from the shift itself or from the pack - but she's tracked down before then and brought back. Before long she shifts and finds her mate amongst her pack, only to be rejected by him and the intense pain both she and her wolf are in has her calling out to the Shadow Beast - the god of shifters - and he comes and takes her away.
I don't quite know how I feel about this book. It's like one extreme to another for all the males in Mera's life. Torin; doesn't like her and taunts her continuously but doesn't want her harmed by his father. Jaxson; one of her old best friends - torments her/attacks her almost daily but also seems to have feelings for her. Shadow; can't seem to stand her but won't let anyone else have her or touch her. I was so confused and conflicted by it. I wasn't cheering for anyone in particular. I even briefly wondered if it was going to turn into some reverse harem kind of thing...but nope. Or at least not in this one.
I honestly have no idea if I'm going to continue the series. It was the cover that pulled me into reading this one as it is...so maybe if the cover is as good...? I honestly don't know. I was expecting some romance and it was filled with an angry female and stupid alpha males, though there was a hot scene or two.
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated The Girl of Ink & Stars in Books
Jun 24, 2019
This is quite a short YA novel, a standalone book that I just picked up on impulse. I immediately got the impression that this was aimed at slightly younger teens - the protagonist was only thirteen, so I didn't really connect that much. It's that awkward age where you think you're old, but you're not. I could imagine thirteen-year-old me would enjoy this quite a bit.
Isabella lives alone with her father, a skilled cartographer. Her mother and twin brother had passed away, leaving the two alone. The Governor had taken control of the land, and his daughter, Lupe, attended the same school as Isabella. The two were very close, and Isabella's angered outburst causes Lupe to run off into the Hidden Territories to prove she wasn't "rotten". A classmate of theirs had recently been found dead, and Lupe was going to find the killer.
Isabella, disguised as her deceased brother, shows Lupe's note to her father and a small group begin going after her, Isabella included. They follow a map passed down to Isabella's mother, through blackened forests scattered with bones. They do find Lupe, along with the Banished and, worst of all, the hell dogs from Isabella's favourite myth.
This myth turns out to play an important role in their journey, and Lupe discovers something about her father when he sacrifices himself to fend off the wolves. They face Yote himself - the mythical fire demon - and Isabella finds herself returning home without Lupe.
It is quite a young teen book, as I said, and the plot develops all because of Isabella calling Lupe's family "rotten". This drama and exaggeration is pretty typical of a children's/teen book, I find, and seemed a little immature to me. The writing was great, I just couldn't get over the simplicity and immaturity of the plot at times.
For a teen book, it was quite dark at times - a lot of death was included. The ending was both happy and sad, which is nice. I get quite fed up of too many happy endings. 3 stars.
Isabella lives alone with her father, a skilled cartographer. Her mother and twin brother had passed away, leaving the two alone. The Governor had taken control of the land, and his daughter, Lupe, attended the same school as Isabella. The two were very close, and Isabella's angered outburst causes Lupe to run off into the Hidden Territories to prove she wasn't "rotten". A classmate of theirs had recently been found dead, and Lupe was going to find the killer.
Isabella, disguised as her deceased brother, shows Lupe's note to her father and a small group begin going after her, Isabella included. They follow a map passed down to Isabella's mother, through blackened forests scattered with bones. They do find Lupe, along with the Banished and, worst of all, the hell dogs from Isabella's favourite myth.
This myth turns out to play an important role in their journey, and Lupe discovers something about her father when he sacrifices himself to fend off the wolves. They face Yote himself - the mythical fire demon - and Isabella finds herself returning home without Lupe.
It is quite a young teen book, as I said, and the plot develops all because of Isabella calling Lupe's family "rotten". This drama and exaggeration is pretty typical of a children's/teen book, I find, and seemed a little immature to me. The writing was great, I just couldn't get over the simplicity and immaturity of the plot at times.
For a teen book, it was quite dark at times - a lot of death was included. The ending was both happy and sad, which is nice. I get quite fed up of too many happy endings. 3 stars.
Feral Sins (The Phoenix Pack #1)
4.0
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Book
If your inner wolf and your body react rather enthusiastically to a psychotic Alpha male who’s own...
Coercion: The Complete Collection (The Montana Dragons 1)
7.0
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Book
A Montana Wolves crossover romance... Book One: When Willa Stone is cast aside by the...
Dragons Shifter Paranormal Werewolves Romance
The Bringer of Wrath (The King & Alpha #2)
8.0
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Book
Shifter and Vampire True Mates story. Alek’s older brother, Justice—the Alpha Zenith—was...
MM Paranormal Romance Vampires Shifters
David McK (3623 KP) rated Death to the Emperor (Macro and Cato #21) in Books
Apr 10, 2023
The Year 2001.
I wondered into a local branch of Eason's, and saw Under the Eagle on offer, sold for an introductory price (which I can't even remember), and with a blurb that sounded interesting. That, and a quote from the king of historical action-adventure fiction Bernard Cornwell that 'I really don't need this kind of competition ... a great read'.
Jump forward just over 20 years, and we're now onto book #20 in the series, and back in the Roman province of Brittania after the intervening books have had us all over the Roman Empire.
The series has also lost the 'Eagle' that was always included somewhere in the earlier titles (Under the Eagle, The Eagle's Conquest, The Eagle and the Wolves etc), with that word last used in the title in entry # 7 (The Eagle in the Sand).
That's not all that has changed: Cato is no longer the scared young man he had been in the first entries; Macro no longer the seasoned Centurion. Now, Macro is retired from active service whilst Cato - who now has a family of his own - has risen in rank above that that Macro ever reached but is still firm friends with the latter.
We've now also reached a pivotal moment in Roman Britain history, with the Boudicean revolt just about to kick off (as it does here) and as the Romans finally capture and raze the Druid stronghold of Mona.
Those two events form the backbone of this novel, with Cato involved in the attack on Mona whilst Macro is charged with the defence of Camulodunum (Colchester) and in charge of the Roman Reserves there whilst the main army is away on campaign, just after the Governor of Britain has further alienated their Icenian allies.
As with all of the Simon Scarrow books I've read, the history is worn lightly enough to make an enjoyable read: this is not a dry, stuffy retelling of events but rather uses the real historical events as the backbone for the story being built around it.
This, I have to say, is also the first in the series that I can remember ending in a definite cliffhanger ...
(I might have to go back and re-read the previous now)
I wondered into a local branch of Eason's, and saw Under the Eagle on offer, sold for an introductory price (which I can't even remember), and with a blurb that sounded interesting. That, and a quote from the king of historical action-adventure fiction Bernard Cornwell that 'I really don't need this kind of competition ... a great read'.
Jump forward just over 20 years, and we're now onto book #20 in the series, and back in the Roman province of Brittania after the intervening books have had us all over the Roman Empire.
The series has also lost the 'Eagle' that was always included somewhere in the earlier titles (Under the Eagle, The Eagle's Conquest, The Eagle and the Wolves etc), with that word last used in the title in entry # 7 (The Eagle in the Sand).
That's not all that has changed: Cato is no longer the scared young man he had been in the first entries; Macro no longer the seasoned Centurion. Now, Macro is retired from active service whilst Cato - who now has a family of his own - has risen in rank above that that Macro ever reached but is still firm friends with the latter.
We've now also reached a pivotal moment in Roman Britain history, with the Boudicean revolt just about to kick off (as it does here) and as the Romans finally capture and raze the Druid stronghold of Mona.
Those two events form the backbone of this novel, with Cato involved in the attack on Mona whilst Macro is charged with the defence of Camulodunum (Colchester) and in charge of the Roman Reserves there whilst the main army is away on campaign, just after the Governor of Britain has further alienated their Icenian allies.
As with all of the Simon Scarrow books I've read, the history is worn lightly enough to make an enjoyable read: this is not a dry, stuffy retelling of events but rather uses the real historical events as the backbone for the story being built around it.
This, I have to say, is also the first in the series that I can remember ending in a definite cliffhanger ...
(I might have to go back and re-read the previous now)
Merissa (13382 KP) rated Hot Fey Moon (Wildeward Academy #4) in Books
Aug 10, 2021 (Updated Jul 17, 2023)
HOT FEY MOON is the fourth book in the Wildeward Academy series and we rejoin Victoria and her coterie as they prepare to leave Wildeward. Frankie is back in the fold but hasn't... erm... 'completed' his bond with Victoria.
I LOVE THE LODGE!!! Ms Blythe, please! I'm begging you. Somehow, please get Victoria back to the Lodge. I'm not bothered about the Academy, but if she could get her Lodge back, I'd be eternally grateful. Thanking you in advance!
Ahem, now, back to the story. Achoris continues to be shady although this time you find out a little more about it. I can't wait for his story, just to find out all about him. He keeps so much hidden.
Frankie and Victoria want to complete their bond but the timing is never quite right. This is unfortunate as he becomes hot property once they're in Fairyland. Oh, and what a wonderful place that is. Really made me want to go for a visit! And because I know the written word doesn't always convey the meaning, let me just clarify that that was sarcasm! What a place. And those cuffs. Eurgh!!!
Some secrets are spoken, but more are still kept hidden. Teasers abound (I think I know who the wolves were with Flis) and the story continues to amaze. The ending was just perfect. Victoria is showing her strength and it is simply perfect. I love how I am drawn into each book fully, loving the story and the character it focuses on. But, once it has been completed, with the hints given by this amazing author, I am immediately looking forward to the next.
This series continues to enthral me with every word and scene. A fantastic story that I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending... but, please, start from book one so you get the full picture.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Aug 10, 2021
I LOVE THE LODGE!!! Ms Blythe, please! I'm begging you. Somehow, please get Victoria back to the Lodge. I'm not bothered about the Academy, but if she could get her Lodge back, I'd be eternally grateful. Thanking you in advance!
Ahem, now, back to the story. Achoris continues to be shady although this time you find out a little more about it. I can't wait for his story, just to find out all about him. He keeps so much hidden.
Frankie and Victoria want to complete their bond but the timing is never quite right. This is unfortunate as he becomes hot property once they're in Fairyland. Oh, and what a wonderful place that is. Really made me want to go for a visit! And because I know the written word doesn't always convey the meaning, let me just clarify that that was sarcasm! What a place. And those cuffs. Eurgh!!!
Some secrets are spoken, but more are still kept hidden. Teasers abound (I think I know who the wolves were with Flis) and the story continues to amaze. The ending was just perfect. Victoria is showing her strength and it is simply perfect. I love how I am drawn into each book fully, loving the story and the character it focuses on. But, once it has been completed, with the hints given by this amazing author, I am immediately looking forward to the next.
This series continues to enthral me with every word and scene. A fantastic story that I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending... but, please, start from book one so you get the full picture.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Aug 10, 2021