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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Playing the Palace in Books
Jul 29, 2021
Funny and sweet romantic comedy
Carter Ogden fantasized about the Prince of England growing up--who didn't? Openly gay Prince Edgar is handsome and easy to adore. When Carter meets Edgar through a work event, sparks fly. Before he knows it, it seems like the two are dating. But their relationship receives intense media scrutiny--and the disapproval of the Queen of England. Can they find a happily ever after when it seems like everything--and everyone--are against them?
"He was destined to become the king of England, and I was a nice Jewish boy from New Jersey; we both knew what we were supposed to be doing, but we were fighting it. When it came to emotional stability, neither of us had a prayer."
This is a cute and funny story overall. We have Carter, who is reeling from a breakup and does not feel worthy of love and then Edgar, who is scared to trust. It's not easy to be in a relationship when you're the Prince of England. As Edgar states, he's "a symbol and an institution." The two meet at the United Nations and there's definitely some insta-chemistry, but they are also pretty sweet together. You can't help but root for this pair.
"Because ever since I can remember, there's been only one unthinkable sin, and that was disgracing my family and my country, in any way. I was being held to a different standard, which I agreed with. I had one job: to represent the royal household and to make England proud, and I was a calamity."
The book is a little ping pong-ish in its highs and lows. Everything is good... and then it's not. Rinse and repeat. At times, it seems a little insane that Edgar and his family cannot trust Carter, yet you can understand how utterly crazy and invasive the British media is--we see it all the time. I would have liked to see the two communicate a bit more, but new relationships are hard.
The cast of characters in PALACE are wonderful--completely engaging. Carter's family and friends are adorable, especially his sister and aunt Miriam. They make you laugh and cry. There's an excellent vomiting scene with poor Carter that will have you cringing and chuckling. Parts of this story are just plain hilarious. But it's also serious in its look at finding love after loss, insight into homophobia, and seeking acceptance for yourself and your partner, no matter what kind of relationship you may be in.
Overall, this is a fast and fluffy romantic read that also offers a good take on acceptance. 3.5 stars.
"He was destined to become the king of England, and I was a nice Jewish boy from New Jersey; we both knew what we were supposed to be doing, but we were fighting it. When it came to emotional stability, neither of us had a prayer."
This is a cute and funny story overall. We have Carter, who is reeling from a breakup and does not feel worthy of love and then Edgar, who is scared to trust. It's not easy to be in a relationship when you're the Prince of England. As Edgar states, he's "a symbol and an institution." The two meet at the United Nations and there's definitely some insta-chemistry, but they are also pretty sweet together. You can't help but root for this pair.
"Because ever since I can remember, there's been only one unthinkable sin, and that was disgracing my family and my country, in any way. I was being held to a different standard, which I agreed with. I had one job: to represent the royal household and to make England proud, and I was a calamity."
The book is a little ping pong-ish in its highs and lows. Everything is good... and then it's not. Rinse and repeat. At times, it seems a little insane that Edgar and his family cannot trust Carter, yet you can understand how utterly crazy and invasive the British media is--we see it all the time. I would have liked to see the two communicate a bit more, but new relationships are hard.
The cast of characters in PALACE are wonderful--completely engaging. Carter's family and friends are adorable, especially his sister and aunt Miriam. They make you laugh and cry. There's an excellent vomiting scene with poor Carter that will have you cringing and chuckling. Parts of this story are just plain hilarious. But it's also serious in its look at finding love after loss, insight into homophobia, and seeking acceptance for yourself and your partner, no matter what kind of relationship you may be in.
Overall, this is a fast and fluffy romantic read that also offers a good take on acceptance. 3.5 stars.
Jennifer Daniell (108 KP) rated A Wrinkle in Time (2018) in Movies
Apr 17, 2018
A Solid Attempt
I didn't have very high hopes when I saw that they were making this movie, but I think they did an okay job. I love the casting choices for the most part, although Oprah doesn't make a ton of sense for me. That being said I think that however random the casting of the Misses seems they did make it work. I really love that they chose to feature an interracial family and placed emphasis and importance on the acceptance and self love for and of natural hair and features. It is a message little brown girls rarely hear from the world and its an important one. The main issue I had with the movie was that it was very very rushed. Because they crammed multiple books into one movie a lot of details and imagery that make the books so fantastical was lost. The worlds and landscapes they did build and feature were beautifully done, as were the costumes - with one glaring exception - Oprah's eyebrows. Maybe its just me but they were always slightly crooked and just off in general and it was glaring and distracting. If you haven't read the books you will probably enjoy it more than if you have, but you should read them, they're good.
Frecklesxoxo (6 KP) rated This Mortal Coil in Books
Feb 27, 2019
This book has held me hostage for 24hrs. That is how long it took me to read it, I could not put it down.
The story telling is on point, it is descriptive and flows really well. You are there with them, you're emotionally invested in these characters and I love the futuristic technology advanced aspect to this book.
Ironically I had just finished Dan Browns origin novel before starting the mortal coil (I don't want to give any spoilers but if anyone has read it you'll know why I mentioned it) but I was already in this mindset of what happens in the future? what will mankind invent next? Will technology become one with humans so we end up not being quite so human due to technology and this was a really awesome place to fast forward to from that thinking I had before I started reading this novel.
I don't want to give any spoilers about this book but it is full of drama, heartache, loneliness, love, acceptance and so much more. It's full of technology that I have absolutely no clue about and wouldn't know where to start but it doesn't alienate the readers who cannot code or have an understanding about coding or dna it is explained well and I just really loved reading this and cannot wait for the next book!!
The story telling is on point, it is descriptive and flows really well. You are there with them, you're emotionally invested in these characters and I love the futuristic technology advanced aspect to this book.
Ironically I had just finished Dan Browns origin novel before starting the mortal coil (I don't want to give any spoilers but if anyone has read it you'll know why I mentioned it) but I was already in this mindset of what happens in the future? what will mankind invent next? Will technology become one with humans so we end up not being quite so human due to technology and this was a really awesome place to fast forward to from that thinking I had before I started reading this novel.
I don't want to give any spoilers about this book but it is full of drama, heartache, loneliness, love, acceptance and so much more. It's full of technology that I have absolutely no clue about and wouldn't know where to start but it doesn't alienate the readers who cannot code or have an understanding about coding or dna it is explained well and I just really loved reading this and cannot wait for the next book!!
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