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Beckie Shelton (40 KP) rated The Land of the Beautiful Dead in Books
May 24, 2017
The Land of the beautiful dead If you like alternative dystopian fiction then give this a go it's an amazing read.
SHE WOULD DARE ANYTHING TO SAVE THE WORLD FROM HIS RULE.
EVEN HIS BED.
He ascended from the darkness years ago—Azrael the Eternal, Azrael the Undying, Azrael Who Is Death—bringing with him the black rains, the fires, the souring of the sky, and the Eaters. Now he rules in the walled city of Haven with his favoured Children and his dead court, while all that is left of the living struggles to survive in the ruins of a world that used to be their own. But even as extinction looms, humanity will never surrender to their monstrous conqueror.
For Lan, this brutal life has been the only one she’s ever known, but she still believes it can change. If the war can never truly end until the Eaters are ended, she will go to Haven, to Azrael himself, and demand he end them. To her surprise, she does not immediately die the hero’s death she expected. Instead, Azrael offers her a chance to convince him, and all she has to do is submit herself to the chill embrace of the lord of the Land of the Beautiful Dead.
From the author of The Scholomance and The Last Hour of Gann comes a new vision of erotic horror! This book contains explicit sex and gore and is intended for mature readers only.
I cannot say enough good things about this book, Land of the beautiful dead is a story I have lived and breathed over the last week,I have laughed and cried and become so emotionally attached to these two flawed characters Lan and Azrael ,I love R L Smith and did not think anything could surpass The Last Hour Of Gann for me but this did. My only criticism is it had to end, this book is one story I am unlikely to forget as it's so unique, I can honestly say I don't think I've ever read anything like this before.
If you like alternative dystopian fiction then give this a go it's an amazing read.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.beckiebookworm.com/
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/9460945-bex-beckie-bookworm
EVEN HIS BED.
He ascended from the darkness years ago—Azrael the Eternal, Azrael the Undying, Azrael Who Is Death—bringing with him the black rains, the fires, the souring of the sky, and the Eaters. Now he rules in the walled city of Haven with his favoured Children and his dead court, while all that is left of the living struggles to survive in the ruins of a world that used to be their own. But even as extinction looms, humanity will never surrender to their monstrous conqueror.
For Lan, this brutal life has been the only one she’s ever known, but she still believes it can change. If the war can never truly end until the Eaters are ended, she will go to Haven, to Azrael himself, and demand he end them. To her surprise, she does not immediately die the hero’s death she expected. Instead, Azrael offers her a chance to convince him, and all she has to do is submit herself to the chill embrace of the lord of the Land of the Beautiful Dead.
From the author of The Scholomance and The Last Hour of Gann comes a new vision of erotic horror! This book contains explicit sex and gore and is intended for mature readers only.
I cannot say enough good things about this book, Land of the beautiful dead is a story I have lived and breathed over the last week,I have laughed and cried and become so emotionally attached to these two flawed characters Lan and Azrael ,I love R L Smith and did not think anything could surpass The Last Hour Of Gann for me but this did. My only criticism is it had to end, this book is one story I am unlikely to forget as it's so unique, I can honestly say I don't think I've ever read anything like this before.
If you like alternative dystopian fiction then give this a go it's an amazing read.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.beckiebookworm.com/
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/9460945-bex-beckie-bookworm
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Wonder Woman (2017) in Movies
Apr 1, 2019
Solid Bounceback for the DCEU
After the safety of her homeland Themyscira is threatened, Diana (Gal Gadot), strongest of the Amazon warriors, hurls herself into the middle of World War I to find the source of the threat.
Acting: 10
Beginning; 2
The movie starts off a bit slow, but does pick up rather quickly after the first ten minutes. I wasn’t in love in how they tried to establish the land of the Amazonians. Felt too factual and not very story driven. I know it’s one of those things that has to be done, but I’ve seen it done way better a number of times before so I can’t excuse it.
Characters: 10
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
The beautiful shots of Themyscira and the Amazonian training rituals borders on poetic at times, something you might read about in a famous ballad. Director Patty Jenkins does an amazing job of capturing the sanctity of this place, a place you don’t want to see get violated. Themyscira is pictured perfectly, it’s not just a Hawaii with women warriors. You can feel the change when Diana hits the real world and things become darker.
I thought it might be hard to capture Wonder Woman’s true strength on the big screen, but it is done almost effortlessly here with gritty scenes and slow-motion shots on impact blows. While I thought BVS overdid things with its slow-motion efforts, Jenkins has a way of capturing the perfect mood when she slows the camera down rather than it being just a mere effect. She really captures the heart of the story in every shot.
Conflict: 10
Genre: 9
Memorability: 10
Pace: 10
Plot: 8
Story was great except…Did we really need that one scene between Diana and Steve (Chris Pine)? I thought, not only did it betray the overall message of the film, but it felt forced and unnecessary. I would much rather have watched Wonder Woman just kick ass and take names and remain true to who her character was.
Resolution: 10
Overall: 89
After a couple crappy movies, DC finally began to right the ship with Wonder Woman. I am hoping the future will bring more movies like this and less movies like Suicide Squad. Not only is it a great film for women superheroes, but it’s just a great film period.
Acting: 10
Beginning; 2
The movie starts off a bit slow, but does pick up rather quickly after the first ten minutes. I wasn’t in love in how they tried to establish the land of the Amazonians. Felt too factual and not very story driven. I know it’s one of those things that has to be done, but I’ve seen it done way better a number of times before so I can’t excuse it.
Characters: 10
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
The beautiful shots of Themyscira and the Amazonian training rituals borders on poetic at times, something you might read about in a famous ballad. Director Patty Jenkins does an amazing job of capturing the sanctity of this place, a place you don’t want to see get violated. Themyscira is pictured perfectly, it’s not just a Hawaii with women warriors. You can feel the change when Diana hits the real world and things become darker.
I thought it might be hard to capture Wonder Woman’s true strength on the big screen, but it is done almost effortlessly here with gritty scenes and slow-motion shots on impact blows. While I thought BVS overdid things with its slow-motion efforts, Jenkins has a way of capturing the perfect mood when she slows the camera down rather than it being just a mere effect. She really captures the heart of the story in every shot.
Conflict: 10
Genre: 9
Memorability: 10
Pace: 10
Plot: 8
Story was great except…Did we really need that one scene between Diana and Steve (Chris Pine)? I thought, not only did it betray the overall message of the film, but it felt forced and unnecessary. I would much rather have watched Wonder Woman just kick ass and take names and remain true to who her character was.
Resolution: 10
Overall: 89
After a couple crappy movies, DC finally began to right the ship with Wonder Woman. I am hoping the future will bring more movies like this and less movies like Suicide Squad. Not only is it a great film for women superheroes, but it’s just a great film period.
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Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated Some Sunny Day in Books
Nov 27, 2018
Full review on www.diaryofdifference.com
Some Sunny Day was one of those books that go slowly, and tell a story of another times, reviving memories and emotions. A story of a lady that is sent to India to take care for the British Soldiers in the Second World War.
A beautiful memoir, full of lively descriptions that make the scenes more realistic. A powerful story of love, bravery, tragedy, sacrifices and hope.
Madge is a character that all people can relate to. Even though a nurse, and sent to another country, Madge is also a lady just like any other, capable of making decisions, mistakes, fall in love, lose the people she loves and hope for a better future.
A very relatable and non-distant character, too realistic for our own good. I loved her so much, and I was eager to know her story.
The pace, however, for me, was too slow. It took me a while to finish this book, and I stopped reading it two times before I finally finished it. The line between this being a great read and a DNF was very thick. That is why a few of my stars have to go away.
I love memoirs, I love stories behind the scenes of wars. Being born and growing up in the Balkans, this is something that triggers us very close to the heart. Being taught in school to protect each other, and living with our father’s stories of how they went and served in the army is something we can all relate to, and respect all these people that are ready to give their lives for a country.
Those were times when I couldn’t have been easy at all, being away from your family, your loved ones. Hard times not only for the people serving the army, but also the people at home, that miss them and pray for them every single day.
What are we all fighting for? How can war bring peace?
Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan, for providing me an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.
Some Sunny Day was one of those books that go slowly, and tell a story of another times, reviving memories and emotions. A story of a lady that is sent to India to take care for the British Soldiers in the Second World War.
A beautiful memoir, full of lively descriptions that make the scenes more realistic. A powerful story of love, bravery, tragedy, sacrifices and hope.
Madge is a character that all people can relate to. Even though a nurse, and sent to another country, Madge is also a lady just like any other, capable of making decisions, mistakes, fall in love, lose the people she loves and hope for a better future.
A very relatable and non-distant character, too realistic for our own good. I loved her so much, and I was eager to know her story.
The pace, however, for me, was too slow. It took me a while to finish this book, and I stopped reading it two times before I finally finished it. The line between this being a great read and a DNF was very thick. That is why a few of my stars have to go away.
I love memoirs, I love stories behind the scenes of wars. Being born and growing up in the Balkans, this is something that triggers us very close to the heart. Being taught in school to protect each other, and living with our father’s stories of how they went and served in the army is something we can all relate to, and respect all these people that are ready to give their lives for a country.
Those were times when I couldn’t have been easy at all, being away from your family, your loved ones. Hard times not only for the people serving the army, but also the people at home, that miss them and pray for them every single day.
What are we all fighting for? How can war bring peace?
Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan, for providing me an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.
BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated For Such a Time in Books
Jan 2, 2019
In a place where hope struggles to survive and lives are torn apart, Hadassah Benjamin will do whatever it takes to save her people.
"And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?"
Hadassah is hiding in plain sight as Stella Muller, secretary to SS Kommandant Colonel Aric von Schmidt at Theresienstadt. In 1944 the camp is a stopping point from which many are sent to Auschwitz. As she puts her life on the line to try and save her people she suspects that the Colonel has a tender heart despite his role as an SS officer. As their relationship grows, they will have to face their drastic differences. With this unconventional love Hadassah struggles to find the meaning behind it all. She does not understand how God could abandon His people to slaughter. But has the Lord brought them together for a bigger plan? Will Stella be able to save her people as well as the man she has grown to love?
A book written about the atrocities of the Holocaust is never easy to read. It is full of emotion and the history is tragic. Kate Breslin did not soften the details of the horrors of the second World War, even though this is a romance. However, she did give us a new perspective of love during the war. I was drawn in by the intriguing story line. I had never imagined a romance like this. However, there are true stories of similar relationships taking place: Edith Hahn Beer and Helena Citronova. Although Stella and Aric's story is different, it is a wonderful book. In every page you can feel the battle raging within Stella as she falls deeper in love with Aric. There were many times that I found myself grinning from ear to ear while reading one page and crying on the next. Be prepared for a wealth of emotion to overcome you as you read this book, but it is worth it! For Such a Time is a truly remarkable story of redemption through faith. We are reminded that God's love for us never fails and His forgiveness is never out of reach.
"And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?"
Hadassah is hiding in plain sight as Stella Muller, secretary to SS Kommandant Colonel Aric von Schmidt at Theresienstadt. In 1944 the camp is a stopping point from which many are sent to Auschwitz. As she puts her life on the line to try and save her people she suspects that the Colonel has a tender heart despite his role as an SS officer. As their relationship grows, they will have to face their drastic differences. With this unconventional love Hadassah struggles to find the meaning behind it all. She does not understand how God could abandon His people to slaughter. But has the Lord brought them together for a bigger plan? Will Stella be able to save her people as well as the man she has grown to love?
A book written about the atrocities of the Holocaust is never easy to read. It is full of emotion and the history is tragic. Kate Breslin did not soften the details of the horrors of the second World War, even though this is a romance. However, she did give us a new perspective of love during the war. I was drawn in by the intriguing story line. I had never imagined a romance like this. However, there are true stories of similar relationships taking place: Edith Hahn Beer and Helena Citronova. Although Stella and Aric's story is different, it is a wonderful book. In every page you can feel the battle raging within Stella as she falls deeper in love with Aric. There were many times that I found myself grinning from ear to ear while reading one page and crying on the next. Be prepared for a wealth of emotion to overcome you as you read this book, but it is worth it! For Such a Time is a truly remarkable story of redemption through faith. We are reminded that God's love for us never fails and His forgiveness is never out of reach.
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ClareR (6106 KP) rated Where Every Man (Inspector James Given #4) in Books
Oct 26, 2020
Where Every Man by Charlie Garrett is set in rural France at the beginning of the second World War. James Given has retired from the police force back in England and has moved with his wife Rachel, to work on a farm. He seems happy with the work, and their plan is to move south with the good weather. This looks increasingly less likely as time progresses because of the approach of the German army towards France’s borders. Regardless, James and Rachel love their lives in the small French town, and consider staying anyway. Rachel teaches local students to play the violin, and it’s one of these students who draws James back in to his role as an investigator when the local librarian dies unexpectedly. The local policeman believes its merely a cycling accident, but it increasingly looks like it’s murder. When James looks further in to the accident, it appears there is a German spy in the village. Before he can do anything about it, the spy disappears. Did the spy have anything to do with the death of the librarian?
This mystery played out so well, and I loved the interactions between James and the violin student. She wants to work as a police officer when she leaves school - much to her fathers disapproval. The students role in the story was a really good way of showing how James approached the task of solving a murder.
I have to say, I read a lot of this with a feeling of mild panic, especially when James goes to visit his uncle and his family nearby. It showed the vulnerable position he and his family were in as Jews in France. Even though James and Rachel have forged passports that showed that they were Christians, there was still that worry for them and their family - and the spectre of the Nazis is hanging over this whole story.
I always enjoy these James Given books, and I’m intrigued to see what comes for him next as war approaches.
Many thanks to Sapere Books for a copy of this book to read and honestly review - I really enjoy this series (I bought books 2 and 3 myself, if that’s anything to go by!)
This mystery played out so well, and I loved the interactions between James and the violin student. She wants to work as a police officer when she leaves school - much to her fathers disapproval. The students role in the story was a really good way of showing how James approached the task of solving a murder.
I have to say, I read a lot of this with a feeling of mild panic, especially when James goes to visit his uncle and his family nearby. It showed the vulnerable position he and his family were in as Jews in France. Even though James and Rachel have forged passports that showed that they were Christians, there was still that worry for them and their family - and the spectre of the Nazis is hanging over this whole story.
I always enjoy these James Given books, and I’m intrigued to see what comes for him next as war approaches.
Many thanks to Sapere Books for a copy of this book to read and honestly review - I really enjoy this series (I bought books 2 and 3 myself, if that’s anything to go by!)
stacey (81 KP) May 25, 2017
Beckie Shelton (40 KP) May 28, 2017