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Tamsin Clark (15 KP) rated La Belle Sauvage: The Book of Dust in Books
Jan 19, 2018
Storyline (5 more)
Characters
Setting
Writing standard
Depth of character relationships
Tie in with His Dark Materials
Worth the wait since His Dark Materials
I could honestly not put this book down at all. Of course we needed another His Dark Materials book! We need many, many more! There's still so much to understand about their world and The Book of Dust thrusts us right in at the crux of it.
We meet Malcolm (who, if anyone wants to check, is indeed in the Dark Materials trilogy) as a young boy, living life in his parent's inn and being generally as curious as a young child naturally is about his world. A world which, with the arrival of a baby at the local convent, will become entirely ripped apart at the seams.
I don't do spoilers but from the very first page, I was hooked. I bought this in hardback and even the cover is a pure delight to touch and hold (something important to my reading experience). Pullman is his usual, exceptional self with his writing, forcing us face first into some uncomfortable realities and even more uncomfortable impossibilities. This series will certainly be much darker than the last but I cannot wait for the second to come out!
We meet Malcolm (who, if anyone wants to check, is indeed in the Dark Materials trilogy) as a young boy, living life in his parent's inn and being generally as curious as a young child naturally is about his world. A world which, with the arrival of a baby at the local convent, will become entirely ripped apart at the seams.
I don't do spoilers but from the very first page, I was hooked. I bought this in hardback and even the cover is a pure delight to touch and hold (something important to my reading experience). Pullman is his usual, exceptional self with his writing, forcing us face first into some uncomfortable realities and even more uncomfortable impossibilities. This series will certainly be much darker than the last but I cannot wait for the second to come out!
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Happiness for Humans in Books
Jan 17, 2019
Bonkers, but hugely entertaining
My manager gave me this book to read, and I’m not entirely sure if she was trying to tell me something, or just trying to cheer me up. The situation the main character Jen finds herself in right at the start of this book is so similar to my own experience (right down to the name of her ex), that I couldn’t help but connect with this book. Admittedly I don’t have an AI named Aiden trying to sort out my romantic life, but maybe one day...
It’s not everyday you’d read a romantic comedy novel about AIs, but I’m pleased to say this is a highly entertaining read. It’s funny and has some great endearing and humanly flawed characters (even the AIs). The plot is bonkers, and gets even crazier towards the end, and you do have to suspend your disbelief at times. I did prefer the first half of the story, when it was mainly AI matchmaking rather than the darker (and crazier) side, but it was still all very enjoyable. Not one that’s going to win any literary prices, but still well written and very entertaining. I’m holding out now for my own personal matchmaker AI.
It’s not everyday you’d read a romantic comedy novel about AIs, but I’m pleased to say this is a highly entertaining read. It’s funny and has some great endearing and humanly flawed characters (even the AIs). The plot is bonkers, and gets even crazier towards the end, and you do have to suspend your disbelief at times. I did prefer the first half of the story, when it was mainly AI matchmaking rather than the darker (and crazier) side, but it was still all very enjoyable. Not one that’s going to win any literary prices, but still well written and very entertaining. I’m holding out now for my own personal matchmaker AI.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019) in Movies
Nov 11, 2019 (Updated Nov 11, 2019)
A Family Picture
Contains spoilers, click to show
Maleficent: Mistress of evil- is a good sequel to the oringal movie. Its a better story, a better tale, better acting, a better villian and a more darker movie. Especially the third act which i will go into. So lets begin the review with the plot:
Maleficent travels to a grand old castle to celebrate young Aurora's upcoming wedding to Prince Phillip. While there, she meets Aurora's future mother-in-law -- a conniving queen who hatches a devious plot to destroy the land's fairies. Hoping to stop her, Maleficent joins forces with a seasoned warrior and a group of outcasts to battle the queen and her powerful army.
This movie like i said adds more to the oringal source, its more twisted and dark and for a PG disney film that is true. The third act has so many deaths, so many. You lose count on how many deaths their are. Michele Preiffer is soo great as the villian and her plot is so dark and twisted. Angelina Jolie is good again as Maleficent and Elle Fanning is good again as Aurora.
If you have liked and seen the first one, than you will like this one.
Maleficent travels to a grand old castle to celebrate young Aurora's upcoming wedding to Prince Phillip. While there, she meets Aurora's future mother-in-law -- a conniving queen who hatches a devious plot to destroy the land's fairies. Hoping to stop her, Maleficent joins forces with a seasoned warrior and a group of outcasts to battle the queen and her powerful army.
This movie like i said adds more to the oringal source, its more twisted and dark and for a PG disney film that is true. The third act has so many deaths, so many. You lose count on how many deaths their are. Michele Preiffer is soo great as the villian and her plot is so dark and twisted. Angelina Jolie is good again as Maleficent and Elle Fanning is good again as Aurora.
If you have liked and seen the first one, than you will like this one.
Nick Beaty (70 KP) rated The Grinch (2018) in Movies
Dec 8, 2019 (Updated Dec 8, 2019)
Unnecessary to say the least...
Where to start with Illuminations take on this classic Christmas tale. It felt very uninspiring, underwhelming and unnecessary.
From the get go the narration from Pharrell Williams was very poor and don't get me started on the music. Every time I felt like I could get into this movie the next awful track came on and ruined the moment.
There were very few likeable Characters, with the exception of Max the dog and a screaming goat that had my 3 year old laughing, I believe this is very much their target audience though.
It is very hard not to compare it to Jim Carrey's version or even the 1966 original short which are much darker, creepier and grumpier, all of the things you would expect from The Grinch. This version looks too clean cut, the voice of Benedict Cumberbatch is too friendly in my opinion and the whole thing just feels like a sugar coated version aimed at very young children.
I personally believe there was no real need for this movie to have ever been made other than to cash in on a brilliant Christmas story, that has already been told in much better ways than this.
From the get go the narration from Pharrell Williams was very poor and don't get me started on the music. Every time I felt like I could get into this movie the next awful track came on and ruined the moment.
There were very few likeable Characters, with the exception of Max the dog and a screaming goat that had my 3 year old laughing, I believe this is very much their target audience though.
It is very hard not to compare it to Jim Carrey's version or even the 1966 original short which are much darker, creepier and grumpier, all of the things you would expect from The Grinch. This version looks too clean cut, the voice of Benedict Cumberbatch is too friendly in my opinion and the whole thing just feels like a sugar coated version aimed at very young children.
I personally believe there was no real need for this movie to have ever been made other than to cash in on a brilliant Christmas story, that has already been told in much better ways than this.
There Must be Evil: The Life and Murderous Career of Elizabeth Berry
8.0
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Book
In 1887, Elizabeth Berry, an attractive young nurse from the grim Oldham workhouse, found notoriety...
IR
In Real Life: Love, Lies & Identity in the Digital Age
Book
If there's anyone who knows about the darker side of online dating, it's Nev Schulman. The...
The Twelves Lives of Samuel Hawley
8.8
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Samuel Hawley isn’t like the other fathers in Olympus, Massachusetts. A loner who spent years...
The Almost Nearly Perfect People: Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia
Book
"The next Bill Bryson." (New York Times). Winner of the Best Narrative Travel Book Award from the...
The Reaction
Book
'The next J. K. Rowling' Today Programme, USA The Reaction is the explosive sequel to Helena...
