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Lottie disney bookworm (1056 KP) rated Frozen 2: Dangerous Secrets: The Story of Iduna and Agnarr in Books
Dec 29, 2020
Dangerous Secrets is the greatly anticipated prequel to Frozen II which, for the first time in forever, shines the spotlight onto King Agnarr and Queen Iduna of Arendelle.
The 2019 film undoubtedly revealed some of these secrets, such as Iduna being Northuldra and saving Agnarr as a child as well as the two of them venturing to Ahtohallan to find the answers behind Elsa’s powers. Unfortunately, thanks to the film, we also know that they never completed their journey.
Cue Mari Mancusi who expertly bring the monarchs back to life through her writing and forms these little-known characters into best friends, young lovers and torn parents, always just trying to do the next right thing.
The back stories of Agnarr and Iduna are nothing short of brilliant: the reader meets both characters in the Enchanted Forest on the fateful day of the dam celebration and we experience the wonder of both worlds colliding, along with the following danger and confusion from a first-person perspective.
I thoroughly appreciated how Mari Mancusi didn’t have to explain what had happened between the Arendellian forces and the Northuldra: Mancusi knows that the reader already knows the true turn of events from the movie. All throughout Dangerous Secrets this “inside knowledge” is used beautifully: allowing us to experience events as our protagonists do, but without diluting the tension and excitement with explanations.
The reader grows up alongside the future King and Queen, seeing their friendship blossom and experiencing their respective heartbreaks and secrets. The Northuldra are widely believed to be enemies of Arendelle due to the King’s death and the rumours surrounding it. Iduna’s hardship of hiding her true identity is matched only by her grief of losing the only family she has ever known. Similarly, Agnarr has lost a father, his best friend General Matthias and now has to learn how to be a King. Even when they find solace in their friendship and the later romance that this grows into, Iduna is not royalty: their love is doomed from the start…isn’t it?
Regular readers of my reviews will know I loved Jen Calonita’s “Let it Go” but felt that towards the end the writing emulated the movie verbatim in places. I found Kamilla Benko’s “Forest of Shadows” interesting and unique but ultimately it tried too hard to insert different elements into the Frozen universe that we know and love.
In my opinion, Dangerous Secrets contains none of these criticisms.
Elements of the movie are included, of course they are! Agnarr and Iduna’s reading tree is taken straight out of Elsa’s/Ahtohallan’s ice memories; Oaken’s trading post and sauna is briefly mentioned as a rest stop during one of the couple’s adventures and the wonder of chocolate is something Elsa and Anna definitely inherited from their parents!
The difference with this novel is that any references to the movie are easter eggs: elements that we love to spot; they are not brash and in-your-face; they are subtle and add to the story rather than creating it entirely. For example, I loved the inclusion of Grand-Pabbie and the trolls. I also suspect we may have met Kristoff’s mother – perhaps opening the door to another book from Mari Mancusi?
Of course, Dangerous Secrets can only end with the fateful voyage made by the royal couple and, true to form, this made me cry my little heart out. I know from the author’s note that Mari Mancusi is a mother herself but I feel that I would have known this anyway through the sheer heartbreak she portrays through Iduna, and later Agnarr. From their first discovery of Elsa’s powers; to Anna’s accident; to acknowledging that they were endangering Elsa by asking her to “conceal, don’t feel” right up until the couple’s realisation that they will never see their daughters again: the writing is powerful, hard-hitting and, with Ahtohallan’s last gift, stunningly beautiful.
This is a five-star glimpse into the King and Queen of Arendelle and a must-read for any fan of Frozen.
Will Mancusi reveal the secret of the ice-gatherer woman’s identity next?
Only Ahtohallan knows.
The 2019 film undoubtedly revealed some of these secrets, such as Iduna being Northuldra and saving Agnarr as a child as well as the two of them venturing to Ahtohallan to find the answers behind Elsa’s powers. Unfortunately, thanks to the film, we also know that they never completed their journey.
Cue Mari Mancusi who expertly bring the monarchs back to life through her writing and forms these little-known characters into best friends, young lovers and torn parents, always just trying to do the next right thing.
The back stories of Agnarr and Iduna are nothing short of brilliant: the reader meets both characters in the Enchanted Forest on the fateful day of the dam celebration and we experience the wonder of both worlds colliding, along with the following danger and confusion from a first-person perspective.
I thoroughly appreciated how Mari Mancusi didn’t have to explain what had happened between the Arendellian forces and the Northuldra: Mancusi knows that the reader already knows the true turn of events from the movie. All throughout Dangerous Secrets this “inside knowledge” is used beautifully: allowing us to experience events as our protagonists do, but without diluting the tension and excitement with explanations.
The reader grows up alongside the future King and Queen, seeing their friendship blossom and experiencing their respective heartbreaks and secrets. The Northuldra are widely believed to be enemies of Arendelle due to the King’s death and the rumours surrounding it. Iduna’s hardship of hiding her true identity is matched only by her grief of losing the only family she has ever known. Similarly, Agnarr has lost a father, his best friend General Matthias and now has to learn how to be a King. Even when they find solace in their friendship and the later romance that this grows into, Iduna is not royalty: their love is doomed from the start…isn’t it?
Regular readers of my reviews will know I loved Jen Calonita’s “Let it Go” but felt that towards the end the writing emulated the movie verbatim in places. I found Kamilla Benko’s “Forest of Shadows” interesting and unique but ultimately it tried too hard to insert different elements into the Frozen universe that we know and love.
In my opinion, Dangerous Secrets contains none of these criticisms.
Elements of the movie are included, of course they are! Agnarr and Iduna’s reading tree is taken straight out of Elsa’s/Ahtohallan’s ice memories; Oaken’s trading post and sauna is briefly mentioned as a rest stop during one of the couple’s adventures and the wonder of chocolate is something Elsa and Anna definitely inherited from their parents!
The difference with this novel is that any references to the movie are easter eggs: elements that we love to spot; they are not brash and in-your-face; they are subtle and add to the story rather than creating it entirely. For example, I loved the inclusion of Grand-Pabbie and the trolls. I also suspect we may have met Kristoff’s mother – perhaps opening the door to another book from Mari Mancusi?
Of course, Dangerous Secrets can only end with the fateful voyage made by the royal couple and, true to form, this made me cry my little heart out. I know from the author’s note that Mari Mancusi is a mother herself but I feel that I would have known this anyway through the sheer heartbreak she portrays through Iduna, and later Agnarr. From their first discovery of Elsa’s powers; to Anna’s accident; to acknowledging that they were endangering Elsa by asking her to “conceal, don’t feel” right up until the couple’s realisation that they will never see their daughters again: the writing is powerful, hard-hitting and, with Ahtohallan’s last gift, stunningly beautiful.
This is a five-star glimpse into the King and Queen of Arendelle and a must-read for any fan of Frozen.
Will Mancusi reveal the secret of the ice-gatherer woman’s identity next?
Only Ahtohallan knows.
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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Fast & Furious 6 (2013) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
Paul Walker and Vin Diesel are back in “Fast & Furious 6” the latest chapter in the hugely popular “Fast & Furious” series. This time out the renegade crew is enticed from their comfortable and no-extradition lifestyles with the promise of full pardons by Agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson). Hobbs is willing to meet the team’s high demands due to the international threat posed by a team of drivers who are headed by a former military specialist named Owen Shaw (Luke Evans).
A rough first encounter and pursuit through London not only proves just how dangerous and skilled Shaw and his crew are, but brings Dominic (Vin Diesel), face to face with Letty (Michelle Rodriquez), who was thought to have been killed years ago. Battling conflicting emotions with finding Letty not only alive but also on the team he’s trying to bring down, Dominic must get the crew into shape to discover where Shaw will strike next. Thankfully Brian( Paul Walker) is able to use his skills from his law enforcement days in order to get a much needed lead despite the peril it costs him to do so. In a race against time, the crew must risk it all to thwart Shaw who is the most skilled and dangerous foe they have encountered to date. What follows is an action-packed, adrenaline-fueled all out romp that is a solid action film.
The movie requires you to take great leaps of logic and faith even for a film of this type and while it does not work as well as the previous two entries, Director Justin Lin knows his audience and delivers what they want. There is plenty of racing and action and the film does use plenty of actual stunts rather than CGI and the Fast & Furious crew throw themselves into the highly physical roles. The cast works well with one another and seem to be having a good time being back with one another, which is a good thing as the jaw-dropping after credits scene promises that the series still has enough gas in the tank to thrill audiences.
A rough first encounter and pursuit through London not only proves just how dangerous and skilled Shaw and his crew are, but brings Dominic (Vin Diesel), face to face with Letty (Michelle Rodriquez), who was thought to have been killed years ago. Battling conflicting emotions with finding Letty not only alive but also on the team he’s trying to bring down, Dominic must get the crew into shape to discover where Shaw will strike next. Thankfully Brian( Paul Walker) is able to use his skills from his law enforcement days in order to get a much needed lead despite the peril it costs him to do so. In a race against time, the crew must risk it all to thwart Shaw who is the most skilled and dangerous foe they have encountered to date. What follows is an action-packed, adrenaline-fueled all out romp that is a solid action film.
The movie requires you to take great leaps of logic and faith even for a film of this type and while it does not work as well as the previous two entries, Director Justin Lin knows his audience and delivers what they want. There is plenty of racing and action and the film does use plenty of actual stunts rather than CGI and the Fast & Furious crew throw themselves into the highly physical roles. The cast works well with one another and seem to be having a good time being back with one another, which is a good thing as the jaw-dropping after credits scene promises that the series still has enough gas in the tank to thrill audiences.
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Awix (3310 KP) rated Behind the Curve (2018) in Movies
Feb 24, 2019 (Updated Feb 24, 2019)
Engaging and humane look at what has always been a byword for fruitcake pseudoscience, and more specifically the people who promote these theories. Quite sensibly the film doesn't bother trying to explain to Flat Earth adherents why their beliefs are incorrect, but examines their culture from a not-unsympathetic sociological and psychological point of view; as a result the Flat Earthers are elegantly given more than enough rope to debunk themselves.
Still, with some of the personalities involved, the film can't help but be entertaining, and it does make some important points about the dangerous results of excluding and isolating people, and the importance of education rather than mockery. Has already been denounced as a hatchet job by people in the Flat Earth community, but then you could probably have guessed that. Highly entertaining and thought-provoking; possibly worth watching just for the scenes showing the reactions of Flat Earthers when their painstaking experiments to prove the world has no curvature predictably give the opposite result. You can't win 'em all, guys.
Still, with some of the personalities involved, the film can't help but be entertaining, and it does make some important points about the dangerous results of excluding and isolating people, and the importance of education rather than mockery. Has already been denounced as a hatchet job by people in the Flat Earth community, but then you could probably have guessed that. Highly entertaining and thought-provoking; possibly worth watching just for the scenes showing the reactions of Flat Earthers when their painstaking experiments to prove the world has no curvature predictably give the opposite result. You can't win 'em all, guys.
Rodney Barnes (472 KP) rated Avengers: Infinity War (2018) in Movies
Mar 5, 2019
The Finale..Part 1
Contains spoilers, click to show
Thanos did what? Yes this is what MCU was building up to.....A final battle with our favorite heroes and Thanos. This movie was well done and well balanced. It had so many heroes in this movie but it wasn't all cluttered up and all run together. That being said, the combined might of the Avengers, Black Panther, Dr. Strange and The Guardians of the Galaxy was not enough to stop Thanos. Thanos had a strong resolve to bring balance to the universe. A villain with a resolve like that of our heroes is a dangerous one. His argument is so convincing that it will have you almost agreeing with him. In the end, Thanos' resolve makes him victorious as he gets all of the Infinity Stones and wipes out half of the universe, including some of our favorite heroes. Will there be anyway the remaining Avengers can undo Thanos' Decimation? We have to wait till the next movie.
Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated Watchers of the Fallen (Second Death, #1) in Books
May 22, 2019
Fallen angels were sent to kill Frank when he was a boy.
Hes been killing them ever since.
When a Watcher is gruesomely murdered, the Order suspects its one of the Fallen and tasks Frank with apprehending the killer. But nothing could prepare Frank or the Order for what he finds during the investigation:
Someone has used stolen magic to free Arraziel, a fallen angel who feeds on the life force of humans. Frank needs to stop Arraziel and find the killer before more of the Fallen are freed.
If he fails, the human race may not survive.
This is an amazing book!
It has loads of action and intrigue to keep you hooked to the end.
The plot was intriguing and exciting. It focuses on Frank, a watcher and Jessie, a girl who had a horrible life and is now in communication with a dangerous demon.
It's Angel vs. Demons in this series and I am so hooked and need the next book now!
Recommend reading!
I received this book free and this is my honest voluntary review.
Hes been killing them ever since.
When a Watcher is gruesomely murdered, the Order suspects its one of the Fallen and tasks Frank with apprehending the killer. But nothing could prepare Frank or the Order for what he finds during the investigation:
Someone has used stolen magic to free Arraziel, a fallen angel who feeds on the life force of humans. Frank needs to stop Arraziel and find the killer before more of the Fallen are freed.
If he fails, the human race may not survive.
This is an amazing book!
It has loads of action and intrigue to keep you hooked to the end.
The plot was intriguing and exciting. It focuses on Frank, a watcher and Jessie, a girl who had a horrible life and is now in communication with a dangerous demon.
It's Angel vs. Demons in this series and I am so hooked and need the next book now!
Recommend reading!
I received this book free and this is my honest voluntary review.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2440 KP) rated Farmed and Dangerous (Local Foods Mystery, #3) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Winter has settle on Massachusetts, but farmer Cam Flaherty is still very busy. She’s growing food in her hoop house and hoping to land a contract to provide produce during the summer at the local assisted living facility. However, the night that her food is served, one of the residents dies from poison. With local gossip and the police looking at her, Cam must dive in to the mystery to clear her reputation.
The book did start a little slowly, but once the murder takes place, things pick up. I was turning pages as quickly as I could until I reached the satisfying ending. It was great to spend time with these characters again, and the suspects were equally engaging. Be sure to read through the recipes, too, since there is a joke in one of them.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/06/book-review-farmed-and-dangerous-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
The book did start a little slowly, but once the murder takes place, things pick up. I was turning pages as quickly as I could until I reached the satisfying ending. It was great to spend time with these characters again, and the suspects were equally engaging. Be sure to read through the recipes, too, since there is a joke in one of them.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/06/book-review-farmed-and-dangerous-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.