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Terminal Alliance
Terminal Alliance
Jim C. Hines | 2017 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
wit (1 more)
Creative Aliens
pronoun confusion (1 more)
ends too soon
After the humans became ravaged from a plague that reverted all human life to cannibalistic savages, the benevolent Krakau cured them, as best they could. No longer savages their presence is barely tolerated and seen as boogey men by other sentient species.
The crew of the EMCS Pufferfish suddenly revert back to this crazed feral state killing their command Krakau crew. the only ones not affected are Marion "Mops" Adamopoulos and her team of Hygiene and Sanitation specialists. Completely in over their heads this ragtag crew have to figure out how to fly the ship, what kind of bioweapon was used, who used it, and what they have to do to clean up someone else's mess. Their world will never be the same.
Jim C. Hines does a wonderful job of bringing this futuristic world to life. His wit and humor elevate the craziness of the situation wanting more and more. The alien species are spectacular in their creativity. Although, I would have liked to know that some of the alien species used certain pronouns earlier in the book. The Glacidae species are referred to in the plural Them/they. I took me forever to realize Grom was one "person". Just wait until you meet a Tjikko, talk about a confusion of pronouns. An extremely fun, quick, and action packed read.
  
How to Murder Your Life
How to Murder Your Life
Cat Marnell | 2017 | Biography
2
5.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Trivialises addiction, rather cringeworthy
It has been said that people who begin abusing drugs and alcohol at an early age, tend to stay stuck in that mindset - so it's hardly surprising that the shallow Cat Marnell writes like a teenager.

Marnell describes one ridiculous drug-fuelled event after another, and even talks about the $28,000 rehab facility her father pays for. She adds how she squandered one opportunity after another due to being completely unable to stay clean. And while you should feel sympathy for her, it's quite hard to do so.

So I can say without a doubt that I found this book rather irritating and narcisstic. After all, if Marnell wasn't a privileged white woman, she would have been in prison about 15 years ago. Her trivializing of her own addiction and frankly, bragging about her encounters, just represents how little understanding she has for the majority of other users. And though she does mention her privilege at times, it's almost an afterthought. The fact that the media have glorified her behaviour is equally despicable.

As someone who is aware of addiction, and knows those on the streets - about 90% of this book is cringeworthy. The last part is on her self realisation and it's the only honest part of the book and should have been placed as the prologue.
  
Ocean’s 8 (2018)
Ocean’s 8 (2018)
2018 | Comedy, Crime
Superb cast (2 more)
Snappy dialogue and didn't hold your hand
Sharp, clean camera work
It lulled a bit in the middle, needed to keep the pace up (1 more)
James Corden cannot act for toffee. Cast differently, his character might have made more impact
Crime Caper Fun
Contains spoilers, click to show
If I could, I would give it 7.5, my love for the cast meant a bump up rather than down.
The Ocean's films are a solid fixture in the crime caper/heist genre. This genre is never about changing the world or making a big statement. It's here to entertain as people more interesting and skilled than you pull off something amazing. This entry delivers this easily, and with style.

The characters slotted in nicely together and everyone had their part to play with authenticity. Cate Blanchett's 'Lou' had a screen presence dripping with confidence and played off Bullock's 'Debbie' with ease. You don't have to watch the PR tour interviews to know the cast got along well, it shows through the film.

I feel like it lacked a certain something to really make it pop, major conflict perhaps? Even the obvious obstacle with the investigator proved to be little more than a speed bump. Or maybe that's the point? Maybe the whole statement is that a well planned heist with the right people means nothing does go wrong. Think on that.
  
Storm Siren (Storm Siren #1)
Storm Siren (Storm Siren #1)
Mary Weber | 2014 | Young Adult (YA)
8
8.0 (7 Ratings)
Book Rating
Be prepared for a tale full of twists and turns that will knock you off your feet and steal the very breath from your lungs. Infused with the powers of the Elementals Storm Siren has everything a YA Fantasy novel should posses.

Epic battles, devastating loss, search for purpose, simmering romance, bad guys that are the most vicious sort of people and good guys that will sacrifice everything for the good of the people. Nym has totally swept me into her world and I am looking forward to reading the next books in the series (which I was SMART this time around and placed all three books on hold at the same time at my library).

While the elements of faith are not blatantly in your face. I do recognize the threads weaving through the story. The constant battle between good and evil, the enemy being a deceiver, the good sacrificing everything. But maybe most importantly is seeing what is inside ourselves...and recognizing it for the GIFT it is rather than a curse.

If you enjoy Young Adult Fantasy with clean content and decent morals, you should definitely check this series out! Stay tuned for my thoughts on the remainder of the series.

I borrowed a copy of Storm Siren from my local library. I was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
  
TA
Thin Air (Weather Warden, #6)
Rachel Caine | 2009 | Fiction & Poetry
8
9.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Picking up almost exactly from where Firestorm left off, this novel starts with Joanne Baldwin waking up naked and freezing cold in a forest with no idea of who she is, or how she got there.

In other words, the good old amnesia plot.

As the novel progresses, Joanne must (re)learn how to use her powers, as well as struggling with the emergence of a new (to her) power, and with trying to reconnect with her past life. Alongside this, further insight is given into the state of affairs in ther Djinn 'nation' (is that the right word?), and we finally see a culmination to what has been brewing in the last couple of novels regarding Demons.

With all that in mind, and despite the fact that amnesia, in many ways, could provide a 'clean slate', this is definitely NOT a good chocie to enter the series on, with recurring characters and references to previous events (even if Joanne can't remember them, the people bringing them up can). For a change, this novel also does have an ending in its own right - indeed, it could be viewed as ending the plot strands introduced over the last 2 or 3 books in the series - while also leaving scope for more novels to be set in the same world with the same characters.
  
I'm Not Cinderella
I'm Not Cinderella
Tarrah Montgomery | 2014 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I received this book as a gift from my best friend who insisted I read it. (Thanks, Krystal. Darn you!) I ended up enjoying it more than I thought I would.

The story follows Brinlee, a 17-year-old girl from Idaho, as she accidentally switches places with Cinderella after finding a secret door in her attic bedroom. While stuck in this fairytale world, Brinlee threatens the happily ever after of this beloved tale; now with new mysteries surrounding the characters, Brinlee is determined to uncover those secrets. Along the way, she meets some new friends and finds unexpected love.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. Especially given the fact that I almost gave up on it. It started out slow and didn’t really hold my attention until about halfway through, at which point the story took off including an unexpected twist that had me hooked and anxious to see how it would play out.

Once the story picked up, I found it hard to put down. However, I was slightly disappointed with the ending and the introduction or revelation of the identities of characters that were only vaguely introduced to begin with.

Overall, I found it to be a good clean read that I would recommend to any fan of Cinderella.
  
40x40

Lee KM Pallatina (951 KP) rated the Xbox 360 version of The Testament of Sherlock Holmes in Video Games

Feb 3, 2020  
The Testament of Sherlock Holmes
The Testament of Sherlock Holmes
Action/Adventure
Graphics, story, voice overs (0 more)
Hints, objective steps, puzzles. (0 more)
Pretty good
Contains spoilers, click to show
Purchased on impulse, the testament of Sherlock Holmes is a clean puzzle based game with plenty of Victorian era style detective work that can become very confusing but is also quite a fun game.

The story follows holmes and Watson as they try to solve multiple murders & features classic Sherlock Holmes character Moriarty.

The game features some near perfect voice overs in very well built london areas.

During the game you are able to combine items in you inventory in order to progress, although knowing what and when can become mind numbing.

The control's are simple but character movement can be a tad bit glitchy (I just opened the closed inventory, it works)
The hint option is something I personally consider as broken...having to tap the left trigger when available and having to be facing the objective is annoying.

I love puzzles in games but in this case there isn't much to enjoy as there's no indication of what to do to complete it (not all are difficult)

There are times where you are able to play as watson which oddly seems better?
There's no auto save but it is a pre gen game.

The game has a nice mix of light and dark tones and to tend to put your brain to work.
  
    Step On Gregg

    Step On Gregg

    Games, Entertainment and Stickers

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

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    "A clean and clever puzzler" - PocketGamer.co.uk "Step On Gregg is cute, fun, upbeat, and...