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Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Gypsy Blood (All The Pretty Monsters #1) in Books
Nov 19, 2020
193 of 200
Kindle
Gypsy Blood ( All the pretty monsters book 1)
By Kristy Cunning
I'm not all that special, really. Or uncommon. I'm sure there are a lot of girls with old gypsy blood who see the dead, have killer cults hunting their family, and turn into something that gets scary when they panic. Yep. Completely unoriginal, if I do say so myself.
Move along. Nothing to see here. Nope. I'm just an ordinary girl.
I wish people would believe that.
I've been labeled as one thing or another for most of my life:
Death Girl.
Crazy Gypsy Girl.
Gothic Chick.
Monster...
It took my mother's death for me to finally start getting answers about what's really been going on. Unfortunately, most of the answers come from men...who aren't just men. Somehow, I've gone and landed myself in a world truly filled with monsters, and I'm starting to think this is where I should have been all along.
Only...I don't understand what's going on. I'm walking into the middle of a story that's thousands of years old, and I'm the new girl on the block who doesn't have a clue how this world even works. My only guides happen to be the most lethal of the bunch.
They decide who lives or dies. They decide who gets stabbed or tortured.
Yeah...
I've gone and drawn attention to myself, and the ones paying attention are the ones everyone else seems to fear.
How do these things always happen to me?
I didn’t know what to except but found myself totally involved! I love the idea of these alphas and I love her Gypsy powers and how she still has so much to learn! We get to learn with her because this is written so you want to keep going! Anna her ghost is so bloody funny I laughed quite a bit woke my husband several times from sleep! I do think Ace was a bit obvious and she was a bit stupid there but now things get a bit more interesting
Kindle
Gypsy Blood ( All the pretty monsters book 1)
By Kristy Cunning
I'm not all that special, really. Or uncommon. I'm sure there are a lot of girls with old gypsy blood who see the dead, have killer cults hunting their family, and turn into something that gets scary when they panic. Yep. Completely unoriginal, if I do say so myself.
Move along. Nothing to see here. Nope. I'm just an ordinary girl.
I wish people would believe that.
I've been labeled as one thing or another for most of my life:
Death Girl.
Crazy Gypsy Girl.
Gothic Chick.
Monster...
It took my mother's death for me to finally start getting answers about what's really been going on. Unfortunately, most of the answers come from men...who aren't just men. Somehow, I've gone and landed myself in a world truly filled with monsters, and I'm starting to think this is where I should have been all along.
Only...I don't understand what's going on. I'm walking into the middle of a story that's thousands of years old, and I'm the new girl on the block who doesn't have a clue how this world even works. My only guides happen to be the most lethal of the bunch.
They decide who lives or dies. They decide who gets stabbed or tortured.
Yeah...
I've gone and drawn attention to myself, and the ones paying attention are the ones everyone else seems to fear.
How do these things always happen to me?
I didn’t know what to except but found myself totally involved! I love the idea of these alphas and I love her Gypsy powers and how she still has so much to learn! We get to learn with her because this is written so you want to keep going! Anna her ghost is so bloody funny I laughed quite a bit woke my husband several times from sleep! I do think Ace was a bit obvious and she was a bit stupid there but now things get a bit more interesting
Mel Rodriguez recommended Scarface (1983) in Movies (curated)
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Local Woman Missing in Books
May 27, 2021
I'm so excited to be a part of the blog tour for this dark, frantic page-turner of a thriller
First Shelby Tebow goes missing. A new mom, Shelby's husband is quickly suspected in her disappearance. Then Meredith Dickey and her young daughter, Delilah--who live just blocks from Shelby--vanish. The rest of the neighborhood, including couple Bea and Kate, are terrified. Are the cases related? An investigation is launched, with few results. Then, eleven years later, Delilah is found, bringing back memories of all the incidents, especially for her father Josh and brother Leo. Everyone wants answers, but Delilah is too traumatized to provide them. Besides, the secrets unearthed with Delilah's return may be too much for everyone.
"I don't know how old I am. I don't know how long they've been keeping me here."
This was a captivating page-turner that I read in three breathless sittings. It's undeniably compelling and sucks you in from the beginning. It starts with Delilah's point of view, shocking and terrifying, and sort of never lets you go. Her voice and story are hard to forget. Among other narrators, we hear from Meredith, eleven years ago, and then Kate and Leo in the present. Working out how the various families and characters are interconnected is part of the challenge and honestly, I was truly shocked at various points in the story. How exactly these missing women and Delilah are tied together is incredibly dark and twisty.
I was completely into this book for most of the story and thought I was looking at 4.5+ star read. It started to dissolve a bit at the end, as things (including some characters) went a little crazy. Still, some of the twists were truly awesome and breathtaking. I think--in that way--this is one of Kubica's best in a while.
Overall, this is an addictive thriller filled with some truly shocking plot twists. It keeps you guessing the entire time, and its complex and layered plot is different and exciting. 4+ stars.
"I don't know how old I am. I don't know how long they've been keeping me here."
This was a captivating page-turner that I read in three breathless sittings. It's undeniably compelling and sucks you in from the beginning. It starts with Delilah's point of view, shocking and terrifying, and sort of never lets you go. Her voice and story are hard to forget. Among other narrators, we hear from Meredith, eleven years ago, and then Kate and Leo in the present. Working out how the various families and characters are interconnected is part of the challenge and honestly, I was truly shocked at various points in the story. How exactly these missing women and Delilah are tied together is incredibly dark and twisty.
I was completely into this book for most of the story and thought I was looking at 4.5+ star read. It started to dissolve a bit at the end, as things (including some characters) went a little crazy. Still, some of the twists were truly awesome and breathtaking. I think--in that way--this is one of Kubica's best in a while.
Overall, this is an addictive thriller filled with some truly shocking plot twists. It keeps you guessing the entire time, and its complex and layered plot is different and exciting. 4+ stars.
Erika (17789 KP) rated Cruella (2021) in Movies
Jun 1, 2021 (Updated Jun 1, 2021)
Cruella is the newest live-action adaptation of a cartoon character that Disney decided to give us. I only went to see the movie because there was nothing else out in the theater this weekend.
At an overly-long, bloated run time of 2 hours and 12 minutes, we get the entire life story of Cruella, prior to 101 Dalmatians, whose real name is Estella. Of course, it starts with the stereotypical birth scene, continuing through childhood to adulthood. She becomes orphaned, and meets her two future henchmen, played by Paul Walter Hauser and Joel Fry. They were pretty bumbling, and I found myself both amused and annoyed by them.
Estella dreams of a career in fashion, and by a series of events, ends up at the fashion house of the Baroness. There’s a connection from the Baroness to the events that caused Estella to be orphaned, and when that connection is made by Estella, she goes full on Cruella. I think Disney was attempting to show that Estella/Cruella has some sort of hereditary personality disorder, and I don’t know how I felt about that being used as a plot device. Cruella’s vendetta and revenge are sort of fun to watch, but there’s just too much. Every time you thought the movie was ending, something else happened.
Emma Stone does make Cruella interesting, which is a positive. Emma Thompson as the Baroness was so over the top, but at least Thompson seemed to enjoy playing someone that deranged.
For me, the only positives of this film were the costumes and music. The 60s/70s soundtrack was sick (in a good way), and the fashion was over the top and outrageous. The run time was so long, and Disney should have just slapped it on Disney+, for free, as a miniseries. The movie was not worth the price of a ticket, and definitely not worth that crazy premium pricing on VOD. If you’re interested, wait a couple of months and watch it for free when it joins the Disney+ library.
At an overly-long, bloated run time of 2 hours and 12 minutes, we get the entire life story of Cruella, prior to 101 Dalmatians, whose real name is Estella. Of course, it starts with the stereotypical birth scene, continuing through childhood to adulthood. She becomes orphaned, and meets her two future henchmen, played by Paul Walter Hauser and Joel Fry. They were pretty bumbling, and I found myself both amused and annoyed by them.
Estella dreams of a career in fashion, and by a series of events, ends up at the fashion house of the Baroness. There’s a connection from the Baroness to the events that caused Estella to be orphaned, and when that connection is made by Estella, she goes full on Cruella. I think Disney was attempting to show that Estella/Cruella has some sort of hereditary personality disorder, and I don’t know how I felt about that being used as a plot device. Cruella’s vendetta and revenge are sort of fun to watch, but there’s just too much. Every time you thought the movie was ending, something else happened.
Emma Stone does make Cruella interesting, which is a positive. Emma Thompson as the Baroness was so over the top, but at least Thompson seemed to enjoy playing someone that deranged.
For me, the only positives of this film were the costumes and music. The 60s/70s soundtrack was sick (in a good way), and the fashion was over the top and outrageous. The run time was so long, and Disney should have just slapped it on Disney+, for free, as a miniseries. The movie was not worth the price of a ticket, and definitely not worth that crazy premium pricing on VOD. If you’re interested, wait a couple of months and watch it for free when it joins the Disney+ library.
This book was an absolute rollercoaster! I started off by not being too sure about the three main characters - each of which has chapters written for their own points of view and stories. Millie, the kleptomaniac granny who seems to enjoy getting herself into trouble; Aideen, the typical moody teenager who despises her twin; and Kevin who has to deal with them both whilst coming to terms that he has been laid off from his job. I wasn’t too keen on Millie at the start and was a bit indifferent to Aideen, but as the story went on I found myself growing to like them more and more with the outrageous situations they both seemed to get themselves into. However, towards the middle of the book, I really started to dislike Kevin because of the things he was getting up to (no spoilers!) but he then redeemed himself and towards the end of the book, I really liked him again and saw that the other two just had the knack of driving him a little crazy!
There are some funny situations that I could see so vividly in my head, from Millie sneaking out of a care home and being caught by security after she hid behind a potted plant and farted to Aideen and her friend being flashed whilst trying to meet up with the boy she likes and the difference in reactions between the three of them, there really are some moments that tickled me throughout this whole book.
It did get a little bit far fetched when they ran away to America, but if you take it as complete fiction, you can enjoy it for what it is without thinking too much into the logistics of what is happening.
I would definitely recommend this book for a little lighthearted reading, and would like to thank Rebecca Hardiman and Pigeonhole for letting me read this little gem of a book!
There are some funny situations that I could see so vividly in my head, from Millie sneaking out of a care home and being caught by security after she hid behind a potted plant and farted to Aideen and her friend being flashed whilst trying to meet up with the boy she likes and the difference in reactions between the three of them, there really are some moments that tickled me throughout this whole book.
It did get a little bit far fetched when they ran away to America, but if you take it as complete fiction, you can enjoy it for what it is without thinking too much into the logistics of what is happening.
I would definitely recommend this book for a little lighthearted reading, and would like to thank Rebecca Hardiman and Pigeonhole for letting me read this little gem of a book!
Kim Pook (101 KP) rated Would You Rather (2012) in Movies
Sep 15, 2020
Contains spoilers, click to show
Iris is a young woman who has returned to town to help her sick brother. She goes to a clinic to seek help for him only to be invited to a dinner party to play a game and whoever wins gets help for their loved one. Obviously she thinks it's a weird idea, says she will think about it and heads home.
After being turned down for a job and struggling to pay her bills, she decides to go to the dinner party. She is the 8th and final guest to arrive and is introduced to the group. Upon her arrival we skip to a scene with the host talking about the dinner party and you know somethings going to go down even though it isn't specifically mentioned,but it does leave you eager to find out.
A mini game starts almost immediately when Iris (a vegetarian) is told to eat meat for £10,000 which she reluctantly does. The host also tells a recovering alcoholic to drink alcohol for money.
The main game starts after dinner in which they take part in a game of 'would you rather' with a twist, the twist being they have to do their choice or face elimination. This is when it gets interesting because it is then known that if you try to leave you are shot!!
The first round is shock therapy and really messes with your head. Everybody has to choose to give an electric shock to themselves or someone else, and the rounds get worse as the game goes on, from stabbing each other to shooting another player.
It's a proper psychological thriller and incredibly disturbing in places but I couldn't stop watching, I needed to know who sees it through to the end. It definitely has a crazy shock ending which made me sick to the stomach. Overall though it was an enjoyable movie with an interesting plot, the acting was spot on and proceeded at a steady pace rather than rushed or being too slow.
After being turned down for a job and struggling to pay her bills, she decides to go to the dinner party. She is the 8th and final guest to arrive and is introduced to the group. Upon her arrival we skip to a scene with the host talking about the dinner party and you know somethings going to go down even though it isn't specifically mentioned,but it does leave you eager to find out.
A mini game starts almost immediately when Iris (a vegetarian) is told to eat meat for £10,000 which she reluctantly does. The host also tells a recovering alcoholic to drink alcohol for money.
The main game starts after dinner in which they take part in a game of 'would you rather' with a twist, the twist being they have to do their choice or face elimination. This is when it gets interesting because it is then known that if you try to leave you are shot!!
The first round is shock therapy and really messes with your head. Everybody has to choose to give an electric shock to themselves or someone else, and the rounds get worse as the game goes on, from stabbing each other to shooting another player.
It's a proper psychological thriller and incredibly disturbing in places but I couldn't stop watching, I needed to know who sees it through to the end. It definitely has a crazy shock ending which made me sick to the stomach. Overall though it was an enjoyable movie with an interesting plot, the acting was spot on and proceeded at a steady pace rather than rushed or being too slow.
Darren Fisher (2465 KP) rated Island of Death (1976) in Movies
Jan 11, 2021 (Updated Jan 11, 2021)
70's Exploitation At Its Best
Story has it that Greek director Nico Mastorakis saw the Texas Chainsaw Massacre at the cinema and was impressed that such a violent low budget horror film could make so much money. So with that in mind Nico decided to make an even more depraved feature than Tobe Hooper and therefore make even more money! He succeeded in the latter but as for make more money? Well, we can only guess not. I won't bother going into the plot as I assume most people already know about this depraved and sick little flick. All that I will say is that as far as 70's exploitation flicks go this is one of the best. Depravity has never been in so much abundance as is on show here. This will not be to many viewers taste (and a big "no, no" for the Snowflake Generation) as we are subjected to rape, gay rape, incest, drug abuse, beastiality, torture, urinating on pensioners and even a fart in the face as a downright insult. The list of depravity doesn't stop there but to list them all would take some time and spoil it for those that want to watch it for the first time...
The gore is kept to a mimimum and the acting is pretty bad, but as the film progresses this is not really an issue (there are some great bits of crazy dialogue throughout). The majority of death scenes are very imaginative, including deaths involving a plane flight, bulldozer and a pot of paint.
Also there is a cracking soundtrack provided by the legendery Nikos Lavranos (Destination Understanding being the obvious favourite of the 'cult elite').
I cannot recommend this film enough, it is superb, but if you are easily offended I would suggest giving this one a very wide berth. Maybe I need psychiatric help... A MUST SEE.
The gore is kept to a mimimum and the acting is pretty bad, but as the film progresses this is not really an issue (there are some great bits of crazy dialogue throughout). The majority of death scenes are very imaginative, including deaths involving a plane flight, bulldozer and a pot of paint.
Also there is a cracking soundtrack provided by the legendery Nikos Lavranos (Destination Understanding being the obvious favourite of the 'cult elite').
I cannot recommend this film enough, it is superb, but if you are easily offended I would suggest giving this one a very wide berth. Maybe I need psychiatric help... A MUST SEE.
First off... WTF?!?!
I did NOT want to put this book down! Unfortunately, the body cannot function without sleep and I'd denied mine too much in the days leading up to starting Verity. I know better than to begin a new book at night because I'm always convincing myself of one more chapter. But, I mean, it's Colleen Hoover, how could I deny myself the simple pleasure of just one... or eleven chapters before I lay my head down at night?
I finished the book as soon as I got up the next day, all in one sitting, my eyes refusing to be torn away from the pages. With each chapter, I grew more and more concerned. I was freaked out more often than not. There was still that oddly recognizable voice that belonged to Colleen in most areas, but there were moments when I had to remind myself who the author really was. At one particular point, I could literally describe myself as numb. I had to set my book down and stare vacantly at my wall for a solid five minutes, my eyes not even in focus, as I absorbed the insanity of what I was reading. With each word read from Verity's manuscript, I kept telling myself it couldn't get worse, but somehow it did. Then I reached the epilogue and thought, surely, it would focus on a happily ever after to cleanse my mind of the atrocious events leading up to it. But no. Colleen knew better than to do that. Instead, the epilogue ended on a twist so disturbing, so crazy, I'm still not sure what to believe!
For the last few months, before I heard about Verity's release and the genre Colleen was thinking about stepping her foot in, I'd been finding myself leaning more toward thriller mysteries instead of the romance I've always read. And now I know why. I was unknowingly preparing myself for Verity, putting myself in the right mindset and headspace. And Colleen still blew me away.
I did NOT want to put this book down! Unfortunately, the body cannot function without sleep and I'd denied mine too much in the days leading up to starting Verity. I know better than to begin a new book at night because I'm always convincing myself of one more chapter. But, I mean, it's Colleen Hoover, how could I deny myself the simple pleasure of just one... or eleven chapters before I lay my head down at night?
I finished the book as soon as I got up the next day, all in one sitting, my eyes refusing to be torn away from the pages. With each chapter, I grew more and more concerned. I was freaked out more often than not. There was still that oddly recognizable voice that belonged to Colleen in most areas, but there were moments when I had to remind myself who the author really was. At one particular point, I could literally describe myself as numb. I had to set my book down and stare vacantly at my wall for a solid five minutes, my eyes not even in focus, as I absorbed the insanity of what I was reading. With each word read from Verity's manuscript, I kept telling myself it couldn't get worse, but somehow it did. Then I reached the epilogue and thought, surely, it would focus on a happily ever after to cleanse my mind of the atrocious events leading up to it. But no. Colleen knew better than to do that. Instead, the epilogue ended on a twist so disturbing, so crazy, I'm still not sure what to believe!
For the last few months, before I heard about Verity's release and the genre Colleen was thinking about stepping her foot in, I'd been finding myself leaning more toward thriller mysteries instead of the romance I've always read. And now I know why. I was unknowingly preparing myself for Verity, putting myself in the right mindset and headspace. And Colleen still blew me away.
Becs (244 KP) rated Max Einstein: the Genius Experiment in Books
Oct 8, 2019
fast-paced (2 more)
adventure packed
great lessons for young and old
Everybody should read this!
You can also find this review on my blog: bookingwayreads.wordpress.com
TRIGGER WARNINGS: a bit of violence, anger issues, absent parent(s), manipulation, attempted kidnapping
REVIEW:
Okay, I don’t typically read middle grade novels but this series seriously makes me want to start! I loved and devoured every second of Max Einstein’s story. When I finished, I craved more. I really hope this is longer than a two (2) book series as I really love Max Einstein’s kick ass heroine character.
I’ve not read much, if anything (?), by James Patterson and his writing really drew me into the story. I was not disappointed one bit! One thing I really loved about this series, is that Max Einstein was portrayed in a way that she could be a role model to not only those younger than her but to the elder crowd as well. James Patterson wrote Max in a way that empowers the reader to think and act on their actions and in the world in a positive way.
The main character, Max, was portrayed to be open-minded, confident, ambitious, observant, thoughtful, and a genius child. She’s not used to having friends and working on a team is something new she works through. But the way the team put their differences behind them and came together to save the world was pure bliss!
Another thing I enjoyed was all the Albert Einstein quotes and the math/science lessons that were taught throughout. There were also villains added to the story, to give it the thriller vibe. IT WORKED! The Genius Experiment was fast-paced, a page turner, humorous, extremely easy to read, and promoted teamwork.
I highly recommend to everyone to read this crazy novel!
“The world is more threatened by those who tolerate evil or support it than by the evildoers themselves.”
TRIGGER WARNINGS: a bit of violence, anger issues, absent parent(s), manipulation, attempted kidnapping
REVIEW:
Okay, I don’t typically read middle grade novels but this series seriously makes me want to start! I loved and devoured every second of Max Einstein’s story. When I finished, I craved more. I really hope this is longer than a two (2) book series as I really love Max Einstein’s kick ass heroine character.
I’ve not read much, if anything (?), by James Patterson and his writing really drew me into the story. I was not disappointed one bit! One thing I really loved about this series, is that Max Einstein was portrayed in a way that she could be a role model to not only those younger than her but to the elder crowd as well. James Patterson wrote Max in a way that empowers the reader to think and act on their actions and in the world in a positive way.
The main character, Max, was portrayed to be open-minded, confident, ambitious, observant, thoughtful, and a genius child. She’s not used to having friends and working on a team is something new she works through. But the way the team put their differences behind them and came together to save the world was pure bliss!
Another thing I enjoyed was all the Albert Einstein quotes and the math/science lessons that were taught throughout. There were also villains added to the story, to give it the thriller vibe. IT WORKED! The Genius Experiment was fast-paced, a page turner, humorous, extremely easy to read, and promoted teamwork.
I highly recommend to everyone to read this crazy novel!
“The world is more threatened by those who tolerate evil or support it than by the evildoers themselves.”
Becs (244 KP) rated Max Einstein: Rebels with a Cause in Books
Oct 8, 2019
fast-paced (2 more)
adventure packed
lessons that are taught within
Amazing sequel to Max Einstein: the Genius Experiment
You can also find this review on my blog: bookingwayreads.wordpress.com
TRIGGER WARNINGS: a bit of violence, anger issues, absent parent(s), manipulation, kidnapping
REVIEW:
Rebels with a Cause is book two (2) of the Max Einstein series and it was just as great as book one (1)! The adventures that were packed into this little novel along side Max Einstein still being a great role model was seriously so refreshing.
In Rebels with a Cause, we get to see more of Max thinking on her feet and implementing crazy plans to save not only herself, but her team and the world as well. You also learn more about the villains in this novel, which made for an interesting addition to the plot!
Again, James Patterson really knows how to write a captivating story that is not only well-written but fast-paces as well. There are more math/science lessons in Rebels with a Cause and I really enjoyed that they were applied to real life problems. The way that each were explained were written in an extremely easy to understand way so that the reader, young or old, can know what is being put into the solution.
The task that Max and her team were given to fix was a water crisis and I really loved that this was the main problem in the story. Having clean water available to all is a real world crisis. Water is an extremely important part of the human survival and this topic really hit the spot while reading. James wrote Rebels with a Cause again with a fast-paced, adventure packed, and informative nature. I highly recommend to all!
"I believe that Ghandi's views were the most enlightened among all the political men of our time. We should strive to do things in his spirit; not to use violence in fighting for a cause, but by non-participation and what we believe is evil. - Albert Einstein”
TRIGGER WARNINGS: a bit of violence, anger issues, absent parent(s), manipulation, kidnapping
REVIEW:
Rebels with a Cause is book two (2) of the Max Einstein series and it was just as great as book one (1)! The adventures that were packed into this little novel along side Max Einstein still being a great role model was seriously so refreshing.
In Rebels with a Cause, we get to see more of Max thinking on her feet and implementing crazy plans to save not only herself, but her team and the world as well. You also learn more about the villains in this novel, which made for an interesting addition to the plot!
Again, James Patterson really knows how to write a captivating story that is not only well-written but fast-paces as well. There are more math/science lessons in Rebels with a Cause and I really enjoyed that they were applied to real life problems. The way that each were explained were written in an extremely easy to understand way so that the reader, young or old, can know what is being put into the solution.
The task that Max and her team were given to fix was a water crisis and I really loved that this was the main problem in the story. Having clean water available to all is a real world crisis. Water is an extremely important part of the human survival and this topic really hit the spot while reading. James wrote Rebels with a Cause again with a fast-paced, adventure packed, and informative nature. I highly recommend to all!
"I believe that Ghandi's views were the most enlightened among all the political men of our time. We should strive to do things in his spirit; not to use violence in fighting for a cause, but by non-participation and what we believe is evil. - Albert Einstein”