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Merissa (13942 KP) rated Daughter of Rage and Beauty (Berserker Academy #1) in Books
Dec 22, 2019
DAUGHTER OF RAGE AND BEAUTY is the first book in the Berserker Academy series, and if this is any indication of what is to come, then I can't wait for book 2.
Elin is a half-breed, part Fae and part Berserker. She has been looked down upon by her father from birth, and now, at twenty-one, she is being shipped off to the Berserker Academy in a last-ditch attempt of her not 'sullying' the family name. Trouble is, Berserkers can be just as judgmental as her father!
I was completely engrossed in this story. I loved Hauk and the connection that grew between him and Elin. There are other characters that stand out that I hope will get their own stories. So many parts of this that I enjoyed, it's hard to narrow it down. One scene I will mention is the incredibly hot scene between Hauk and Elin. I think my kindle nearly melted. It was perfectly done, being sexy and sensuous without being gratuitous.
I found the pacing to be spot on with this, giving the reader enough time to enjoy each scene without it being stuck. The world-building was great and is one I hope to return to.
For a fun, sexy and adventurous Norse fantasy, then I have no hesitation in recommending this!
Elin is a half-breed, part Fae and part Berserker. She has been looked down upon by her father from birth, and now, at twenty-one, she is being shipped off to the Berserker Academy in a last-ditch attempt of her not 'sullying' the family name. Trouble is, Berserkers can be just as judgmental as her father!
I was completely engrossed in this story. I loved Hauk and the connection that grew between him and Elin. There are other characters that stand out that I hope will get their own stories. So many parts of this that I enjoyed, it's hard to narrow it down. One scene I will mention is the incredibly hot scene between Hauk and Elin. I think my kindle nearly melted. It was perfectly done, being sexy and sensuous without being gratuitous.
I found the pacing to be spot on with this, giving the reader enough time to enjoy each scene without it being stuck. The world-building was great and is one I hope to return to.
For a fun, sexy and adventurous Norse fantasy, then I have no hesitation in recommending this!
Rodney Barnes (472 KP) rated The Guyver (1991) in Movies
Dec 23, 2019 (Updated Dec 23, 2019)
Corny Sci fi fun
Contains spoilers, click to show
The Guyver....based on a manga with the same same. The bio booster armor. This is nothing more than a B movie. Loosely based on the manga. The movie has it as creation of a corporation called Chronos. A researcher is killed and his daughter and boyfriend suspect he was murdered. CIA agent Max Reed (Mark Hamill) gets involved. The boyfriend finds the armor and that is where the fun begins. The CEO of Chronos Fulton Balcus, who is actually an alien himself, sends out his alien hordes to get the Guyver back. The Guyver attaches itself to Sean and he becomes a superpowered armored hero who now can match the aliens in combat. The dialogue and banter is really funny and corny at times. One of the voices for the aliens in non other than Jimmy Walker...you know JJ from Goodtimes. Sean is defeated the first time around by the alien foes, but with the kidnapping of his girlfriend and the death of Max( yes Mark Hamill diesðŸ˜) he gets it together and defeats the hordes of Balcus. Then he faces off against and defeats Balcus himself. All in all, this movie is fun. If you like sci fi action hero type movies, you will like The Guyver
Lee (2222 KP) rated Little Women (2019) in Movies
Dec 30, 2019
If I’m honest, Little Women probably isn’t the kind of movie I’d generally watch. But I’d heard great things about it, and my wife and daughter both wanted to watch it, so I decided to give it a shot. I haven’t read Little Women the book, and I haven’t seen any of the numerous adaptations prior to this one either, so you should probably take my opinion with a pinch of salt.
Little Women switches between two different periods in the lives of four sisters - their current lives and their lives seven years earlier. And I quite often struggled to tell when it switched, leaving me slightly confused on more than one occasion. I eventually learned to identify which timeframe we were in depending on which of the sisters Laurie (Timothée Chalamet) was currently hitting on, but there was a lengthy period around the middle where the meandering story, and the rather hot cinema, saw me gently closing my eyes for a short while
But, after my short power nap, I actually grew to enjoy the last third of the movie. I’m a big fan of Saoirse Ronan and, along with Florence Pugh, who is currently having the most amazing year, they really make this movie. Relaxed, authentic dialogue and great chemistry between the sisters and the other characters made this a lot more bearable than I was expecting!
Little Women switches between two different periods in the lives of four sisters - their current lives and their lives seven years earlier. And I quite often struggled to tell when it switched, leaving me slightly confused on more than one occasion. I eventually learned to identify which timeframe we were in depending on which of the sisters Laurie (Timothée Chalamet) was currently hitting on, but there was a lengthy period around the middle where the meandering story, and the rather hot cinema, saw me gently closing my eyes for a short while
But, after my short power nap, I actually grew to enjoy the last third of the movie. I’m a big fan of Saoirse Ronan and, along with Florence Pugh, who is currently having the most amazing year, they really make this movie. Relaxed, authentic dialogue and great chemistry between the sisters and the other characters made this a lot more bearable than I was expecting!
Deborah (162 KP) rated Never Dare a Duke (Sons of Scandal, #2) in Books
Dec 21, 2018
I do enjoy unwinding with an historical romance and I know they are not generally examples of great literature, but I found this particular book to be a pretty weak offering. At times I found myself skim-reading over passages...
Abigail Shaw, daughter of a newspaper owner and potential journalist herself, with a little help from her friend insinuates herself into a house party at the home of the Duke of Madingley in the hope of uncovering a scandalous secret from his past, publishing it in daddy's newspaper and thereby saving it from ruin. That's put quite bluntly, but for me it made the 'heroine' seem pretty unattractive in character! I found it really difficult to see what on earth the hero saw in her, especially as he didn't trust her. OK, she didn't fawn over him, but her actions were pretty underhand.
Most of the supporting characters are pretty weak and underdeveloped too. Lady Gwen appeared tainted by the deception of her friend and the whole ghost hunt sub plot was a bit childish.
The 'scandal' when finally revealed seems a bit odd, as since witnesses seemed so keen to come forward, surely no one would have been able to keep it so totally under wraps for ten years?!
Not a winner for me; I won't be rushing to pick up another by the same author.
Abigail Shaw, daughter of a newspaper owner and potential journalist herself, with a little help from her friend insinuates herself into a house party at the home of the Duke of Madingley in the hope of uncovering a scandalous secret from his past, publishing it in daddy's newspaper and thereby saving it from ruin. That's put quite bluntly, but for me it made the 'heroine' seem pretty unattractive in character! I found it really difficult to see what on earth the hero saw in her, especially as he didn't trust her. OK, she didn't fawn over him, but her actions were pretty underhand.
Most of the supporting characters are pretty weak and underdeveloped too. Lady Gwen appeared tainted by the deception of her friend and the whole ghost hunt sub plot was a bit childish.
The 'scandal' when finally revealed seems a bit odd, as since witnesses seemed so keen to come forward, surely no one would have been able to keep it so totally under wraps for ten years?!
Not a winner for me; I won't be rushing to pick up another by the same author.
Hazel (2934 KP) rated A Nearly Normal Family in Books
Dec 13, 2019
A pretty good read
I don't read a lot of legal/courtroom stories and even less so-called Scandi-Noir type books but, for some reason, the blurb caught me and drew me in and, overall, I was pretty satisfied with "A Nearly Normal Family".
The book centres around a seemingly perfect family (they are anything but!) and is separated into three sections each told from the perspective of a family member following the arrest of the daughter for the murder of a man; each of these sections provided insight into each of the characters and a different take on the situation they find themselves in. What it also did was make this a slow burner with the tension mounting gradually towards the great ending which I found very satisfying.
I did have a couple of problems with this book though; one being that I couldn't connect with any of the main characters and struggled to empathise with any of them, the other being that I think there were times when things seem to have got lost in translation which made the story not flow quite as well as I was expecting.
Overall though a pretty good read and definitely worth the time I invested in reading it.
Thanks go to the good people of Pan Macmillan via NetGalley for my copy in return for an unbiased review.
The book centres around a seemingly perfect family (they are anything but!) and is separated into three sections each told from the perspective of a family member following the arrest of the daughter for the murder of a man; each of these sections provided insight into each of the characters and a different take on the situation they find themselves in. What it also did was make this a slow burner with the tension mounting gradually towards the great ending which I found very satisfying.
I did have a couple of problems with this book though; one being that I couldn't connect with any of the main characters and struggled to empathise with any of them, the other being that I think there were times when things seem to have got lost in translation which made the story not flow quite as well as I was expecting.
Overall though a pretty good read and definitely worth the time I invested in reading it.
Thanks go to the good people of Pan Macmillan via NetGalley for my copy in return for an unbiased review.
Doesn't tax the brain too much
This book is a pretty successful debut and follows the struggles for both Allison, who miraculously survived a plane crash, and her mum Maggie, who, along with everyone else, thinks she didn't. Told from both the perspectives of Allison and Maggie, covering the past and the present, the story is not only of survival but one of the sometimes difficult relationship between a mother and her daughter.
Written at good pace, I raced through this book helped by short chapters. I admit it wasn't the most unpredictable of endings however, the drip-drip of suspense and gradual revealing of secrets makes this a compelling read.
The two main characters of Allison and Maggie are very well developed with Maggie being a particular favourite of mine. The story captures both of their strengths and weaknesses extremely well together with their determination and resilience.
There are a few flaws with the plot that have been mentioned in other reviews but although these were a little annoying, they didn't detract too much from my overall enjoyment of this book.
Overall, I would recommend this to people who enjoy an easy and quick mystery that doesn't tax the brain too much.
Thank you to Random House UK, Vintage Publishing via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.
Written at good pace, I raced through this book helped by short chapters. I admit it wasn't the most unpredictable of endings however, the drip-drip of suspense and gradual revealing of secrets makes this a compelling read.
The two main characters of Allison and Maggie are very well developed with Maggie being a particular favourite of mine. The story captures both of their strengths and weaknesses extremely well together with their determination and resilience.
There are a few flaws with the plot that have been mentioned in other reviews but although these were a little annoying, they didn't detract too much from my overall enjoyment of this book.
Overall, I would recommend this to people who enjoy an easy and quick mystery that doesn't tax the brain too much.
Thank you to Random House UK, Vintage Publishing via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.
ClareR (6129 KP) rated The Animals at Lockwood Manor in Books
Apr 3, 2020
The Animals at Lockwood Manor is a creepy, gothic tale, set during World War Two. Hetty Cartwright is unusual, in that she has been put in charge of the Natural History Museums mammal collection, and the task of removing it from London to Lockwood Manor. She is expected to keep the collection safe, and to keep it in good condition. She is well aware that she only holds the post because the men who would have had the post have all gone to war. Hetty knows that the role will be challenging, but she hasn’t counted on Lord Lockwood, who is bullish, overbearing and opinionated. His daughter, Lucy, is another matter. She seems to be completely controlled by him, and is constantly reminded about her delicate mental health by her father. Hetty feels drawn to Lucy, and tries to help her with her anxiety and her grief at the loss of her mother and grandmother.
This is no fast-moving thriller, but it is creepy, haunting (in fact, is Lockwood Manor haunted?) with a malevolent undercurrent. It’s like the Manor itself is alive. It’s also a story of secrets: family secrets and secret love.
This was a pleasure to read; it’s richly descriptive language described the house, people and the time in history beautifully. If you enjoy a creepy, slow burner, you’ll love this book. I did.
This is no fast-moving thriller, but it is creepy, haunting (in fact, is Lockwood Manor haunted?) with a malevolent undercurrent. It’s like the Manor itself is alive. It’s also a story of secrets: family secrets and secret love.
This was a pleasure to read; it’s richly descriptive language described the house, people and the time in history beautifully. If you enjoy a creepy, slow burner, you’ll love this book. I did.
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