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He came back to kill a tyrant. He found the Devil instead. An amazing historical novel with a...
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In an attempt to secure an unexpected inheritance—and hopefully find a few answers—two estranged...
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Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire (Blood and Ash #2) in Books
Jan 25, 2022
Surprisingly Good *Not The Teen Novel It Is Made Out To Be....Adult Content*
So much like the first book in the series, this one has a lot of adult content. That's as far as the warning is going to go this time.
I was pleasantly surprised when I opened this book and found that the first sentence in this one was the last sentence in the previous book. The transition from one book to another was so flawless that they actually could just be part one and two of the same book.
Right away we join Poppy on her journey away from the Ascended and towards Atlantia and her uncertain future. Casteel and Poppy are slowly navigating their relationship and trying to establish where they stand with each other and how far they are willing to take things. This is hard to accomplish when it seems like every time they turn around they face one problem after another be it Ascended, Craven, Descenters, or even unhappy and nervous Atlantians and Wolven.
No punches are pulled (literally) in this second Blood and Ash novel. The twists and turns are just as surprising as in the first if not a bit more confusing than before. While it is not quite as good as the first one because it falls into the trap that many fantasy books do when there are battles and the description of them causes that battle to drag on. However, that did not take too much away from how enjoyable this book is.
I was pleasantly surprised when I opened this book and found that the first sentence in this one was the last sentence in the previous book. The transition from one book to another was so flawless that they actually could just be part one and two of the same book.
Right away we join Poppy on her journey away from the Ascended and towards Atlantia and her uncertain future. Casteel and Poppy are slowly navigating their relationship and trying to establish where they stand with each other and how far they are willing to take things. This is hard to accomplish when it seems like every time they turn around they face one problem after another be it Ascended, Craven, Descenters, or even unhappy and nervous Atlantians and Wolven.
No punches are pulled (literally) in this second Blood and Ash novel. The twists and turns are just as surprising as in the first if not a bit more confusing than before. While it is not quite as good as the first one because it falls into the trap that many fantasy books do when there are battles and the description of them causes that battle to drag on. However, that did not take too much away from how enjoyable this book is.
Connor Sheffield (293 KP) rated Evil Never Dies by Lesbian Bed Death in Music
Jul 24, 2017
New vocals are powerful (2 more)
Awesome Rock
More classic horror references\songs
New Vocals, same great Rock!
Sienna Venom is absolutely awesome as the new vocals for Lesbian Bed Death. I was introduced to this band at the time of Kittie Racchea being the vocalist and was saddened to hear she was departing from the band, but also couldn't wait to hear someone new take over and bring us the new era of LBD music. Myself, like many fans were not disappointed.
Sienna Venom is strong and sexy and that comes across in her vocals. Songs like Book of the Dead, Drag Me To Hell and Son of a Thousand Maniacs show her strong dominating attitude whilst songs like Evil Never Dies, and Make Your Wish, bring out the sexiness that comes with having a female as the lead vocalist. That's not to say that Male vocalist's can't sound sexy to certain audiences, but I am simply stating that this band has always been lead by female vocals and that those vocals have always shown strength, beauty and sexiness, and Sienna Venom is carrying on that tradition in her own new way.
Book of the Dead is a song about the Necronomicon from Evil Dead, and Son of a Thousand Maniacs, (Watch the music video) is inspired by and certainly has aspects of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. The horror movie connections have always been something I love about this band, and the lyrics are always brilliantly written and performed to a rocking beat, that'll easily get stuck on repeat in your head.
If you haven't listened to this album yet, then what are you waiting for? Watch the music video's above, and listen to the rest of the album. They're awesome and so is their music!
Sienna Venom is strong and sexy and that comes across in her vocals. Songs like Book of the Dead, Drag Me To Hell and Son of a Thousand Maniacs show her strong dominating attitude whilst songs like Evil Never Dies, and Make Your Wish, bring out the sexiness that comes with having a female as the lead vocalist. That's not to say that Male vocalist's can't sound sexy to certain audiences, but I am simply stating that this band has always been lead by female vocals and that those vocals have always shown strength, beauty and sexiness, and Sienna Venom is carrying on that tradition in her own new way.
Book of the Dead is a song about the Necronomicon from Evil Dead, and Son of a Thousand Maniacs, (Watch the music video) is inspired by and certainly has aspects of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. The horror movie connections have always been something I love about this band, and the lyrics are always brilliantly written and performed to a rocking beat, that'll easily get stuck on repeat in your head.
If you haven't listened to this album yet, then what are you waiting for? Watch the music video's above, and listen to the rest of the album. They're awesome and so is their music!
Barundar (12 KP) rated Avengers: Endgame (2019) in Movies
Apr 27, 2019
Story (2 more)
Ending
Effects
Endgame No Spoiler Review!
The Epic ending to last year's Infinity War was all you could hope it to be. Not only did this film have to wrap up the devastating cliffhanger we were left hanging on after the 'snap', it also had to tie up all the character arcs the MCU has built so far for the original Avengers. Somehow this film delivers it all!
The three hour run time may seem daunting to some, but to those who have invested in the last 21 films it's just right. Each character has their moments and the film is filled with the usual MCU humor and action.
The first two hours move at a steady pace, fleshing out the characters and story while building up to the third hour and final act. The ending, as expected, was beyond epic and highly satisfying in every way. The story doesn't drag during the three hours, nor is it straight action. In between we get plenty of 'fan moments' that are just perfect and well earned after all these films.
There is a lot to take in with three hours of story. You may need to see it again as you are sure to be blown away by something you may miss something else. Some moments need to be seen again and at some point you may need a critical bathroom break too.
The film does not have any after credit scenes only a 'sound' at the very end. It's enjoyable for the casual MCU fan to the die-hard fan, having seen Infinity War being a prerequisite in my opinion.
Avengers: Endgame is PG-13, so as far as little ones seeing it, if they could handle Infinity War they can handle this.
This is a must see for any MCU fan and an A+ from me.
The three hour run time may seem daunting to some, but to those who have invested in the last 21 films it's just right. Each character has their moments and the film is filled with the usual MCU humor and action.
The first two hours move at a steady pace, fleshing out the characters and story while building up to the third hour and final act. The ending, as expected, was beyond epic and highly satisfying in every way. The story doesn't drag during the three hours, nor is it straight action. In between we get plenty of 'fan moments' that are just perfect and well earned after all these films.
There is a lot to take in with three hours of story. You may need to see it again as you are sure to be blown away by something you may miss something else. Some moments need to be seen again and at some point you may need a critical bathroom break too.
The film does not have any after credit scenes only a 'sound' at the very end. It's enjoyable for the casual MCU fan to the die-hard fan, having seen Infinity War being a prerequisite in my opinion.
Avengers: Endgame is PG-13, so as far as little ones seeing it, if they could handle Infinity War they can handle this.
This is a must see for any MCU fan and an A+ from me.
Eleanor (1463 KP) rated B is for Burglar (Kinsey Millhone, #2) in Books
May 29, 2019
Ok mystery bogged down in detail
I listened to the audio book of this read by Mary Peiffer.
Another outing with the independent PI Kinsey Millhone. This time she is approached to track down the missing sister of Beverly Danziger in what appears to be a straightforward case. It quickly starts to look a lot more suspicious when even the sister herself doesn't seem to want Kinsey to get to the bottom of the matter. A lot of different threads appear for Kinsey to try and unravel.
I found this book to really get bogged down in minor details and excessive descriptions of every little thing, making it a bit of a drag. The strong female lead was wasted on a bit of a drawn out story line, I felt it lacked something to keep the reader engaged (descriptions of egg sandwiches just doesn't cut it).
Written in the 80s I do love the nostalgia of a world pre mobile phones, saving the “battery died” line most books feel the need to throw in now. I also like having a female protagonist that doesn't get bogged down in a romantic relationship storyline which seems to be a habit in crime books with a female lead.
Kinsey has a good level of dogged determination and we were given numerous avenues of investigation to explore keeping the mystery engaging (although her missing an obvious clue which seemed totally unfathomable for her or any PI to miss drove me a little potty.). The main let down with this book though was the ending where it just seemed to go off the tracks a bit with unnecessary risk taking and crazy plot device.
The audio-book is a nice easy listen so I’ll probably continue on with Kinsey in that format.
Another outing with the independent PI Kinsey Millhone. This time she is approached to track down the missing sister of Beverly Danziger in what appears to be a straightforward case. It quickly starts to look a lot more suspicious when even the sister herself doesn't seem to want Kinsey to get to the bottom of the matter. A lot of different threads appear for Kinsey to try and unravel.
I found this book to really get bogged down in minor details and excessive descriptions of every little thing, making it a bit of a drag. The strong female lead was wasted on a bit of a drawn out story line, I felt it lacked something to keep the reader engaged (descriptions of egg sandwiches just doesn't cut it).
Written in the 80s I do love the nostalgia of a world pre mobile phones, saving the “battery died” line most books feel the need to throw in now. I also like having a female protagonist that doesn't get bogged down in a romantic relationship storyline which seems to be a habit in crime books with a female lead.
Kinsey has a good level of dogged determination and we were given numerous avenues of investigation to explore keeping the mystery engaging (although her missing an obvious clue which seemed totally unfathomable for her or any PI to miss drove me a little potty.). The main let down with this book though was the ending where it just seemed to go off the tracks a bit with unnecessary risk taking and crazy plot device.
The audio-book is a nice easy listen so I’ll probably continue on with Kinsey in that format.
Cynthia Armistead (17 KP) rated Hunt the Moon (Cassandra Palmer, #5) in Books
Mar 1, 2018
Chance must have thought readers were bored with the Cassandra/Mircea match, because much of this book is spent with Cassie falling for Pritkin without really being aware that she's getting into dangerous territory.
Palmer isn't one of my favorite characters. She isn't an ass-kicker, but she's probably somewhat more realistic than most paranormal heroines for that fact. She's coming into her own by standing up to Mircea more in this volume, but she does it in childish ways. I find her annoying partially because I'd hate to try protecting her from herself, much less anyone else.
I don't honestly understand why Mircea and Pritkin are attracted to her, either, but part of the romance formula is the heroine has to be irresistible to at least one, preferably more than one man. I do find Mircea and Pritkin interesting (they just have bad taste in women), so they and the plots hold my interest.
To be fair, Cassie seems to be growing up a little bit. Not entirely, but she's growing a little. She does vehemently claim to care about whether or not other people get hurt trying to protect her.
This book also serves as backstory time for Mircea and Pritkin, as we learn a lot more about their pasts. Things drag a bit while they relate their stories, and in fact there seems to be little point in what we hear from Mircea (readers of the series already know a lot about his family and history).
Altogether, I wouldn't have read it if I weren't already so far into the series. I do wish Chance would switch focus to another character. (I'm aware of the Dorina Basarab series set in the same universe, and consider them to be better books in general). I suppose that's unlikely, seeing as it's the Cassandra Palmer series.
Palmer isn't one of my favorite characters. She isn't an ass-kicker, but she's probably somewhat more realistic than most paranormal heroines for that fact. She's coming into her own by standing up to Mircea more in this volume, but she does it in childish ways. I find her annoying partially because I'd hate to try protecting her from herself, much less anyone else.
I don't honestly understand why Mircea and Pritkin are attracted to her, either, but part of the romance formula is the heroine has to be irresistible to at least one, preferably more than one man. I do find Mircea and Pritkin interesting (they just have bad taste in women), so they and the plots hold my interest.
To be fair, Cassie seems to be growing up a little bit. Not entirely, but she's growing a little. She does vehemently claim to care about whether or not other people get hurt trying to protect her.
This book also serves as backstory time for Mircea and Pritkin, as we learn a lot more about their pasts. Things drag a bit while they relate their stories, and in fact there seems to be little point in what we hear from Mircea (readers of the series already know a lot about his family and history).
Altogether, I wouldn't have read it if I weren't already so far into the series. I do wish Chance would switch focus to another character. (I'm aware of the Dorina Basarab series set in the same universe, and consider them to be better books in general). I suppose that's unlikely, seeing as it's the Cassandra Palmer series.
Kristin (149 KP) rated Awaken Me (Connected, #1) in Books
Dec 7, 2018
“Awaken Me” is the story of Aimee, a young woman about to get married to Derek. She was told that six years ago, when she first met Derek and his mother, Elizabeth, she was recovering from an accident, during which she lost her mother, as well as her memory. However, she suddenly finds that all is not what it seems in her little world, and everything she thought she knew about herself gets thrown out the window in a hurry.
I really enjoyed this story, and it definitely held my interest from start to finish. Learning along with Aimee, about her past, who she actually is, about Derek and his family, was like a roller-coaster ride, and I couldn’t wait to see what happened on the next page. The supporting characters of Alec, Iva, and Marcus are all very fun to read about, as well, and I really like their interactions with one another, as well as with Aimee.
However, there were a couple times that I thought the story was rather repetitive, especially when Aimee talks about who she is, once she learns the facts. It seemed like every couple of chapters towards the end there was a “refresher course,” which would be good if you had set the book down for a while, but as I was reading it pretty much straight through, it did get slightly annoying to read the same thing over and over. It didn’t drag me down from enjoying the story, though, and I don’t think it was worth dropping a star from my rating.
All-in-all, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes paranormal reads with a little revenge and romance thrown in the mix, and if you like a heroine who can kick butt, this one’s for you!
5 stars =)
I really enjoyed this story, and it definitely held my interest from start to finish. Learning along with Aimee, about her past, who she actually is, about Derek and his family, was like a roller-coaster ride, and I couldn’t wait to see what happened on the next page. The supporting characters of Alec, Iva, and Marcus are all very fun to read about, as well, and I really like their interactions with one another, as well as with Aimee.
However, there were a couple times that I thought the story was rather repetitive, especially when Aimee talks about who she is, once she learns the facts. It seemed like every couple of chapters towards the end there was a “refresher course,” which would be good if you had set the book down for a while, but as I was reading it pretty much straight through, it did get slightly annoying to read the same thing over and over. It didn’t drag me down from enjoying the story, though, and I don’t think it was worth dropping a star from my rating.
All-in-all, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes paranormal reads with a little revenge and romance thrown in the mix, and if you like a heroine who can kick butt, this one’s for you!
5 stars =)
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Ted 2 (2015) in Movies
Jun 19, 2019
The foul-mouthed but lovable Ted is back in a brand new adventure bigger and more outrageous than the first film. The new film opens with Ted (Seth MacFarlane), marrying Tami-Lynn and in the first five minutes floors the audience with drug, Gay, and sex jokes, with a Flash Gordon sighting and a musical number to boot.
When Ted attempts to adopt a baby, he triggers a chain of events into motion that cause him to be classified as property. As such he has no legal rights and cannot hold a job, have a bank account, adopt, and marry which causes everything Ted has worked for to vanish.
Thankfully for Ted his best friend John (Mark Wahlberg), is by his side no matter what and helps him find a new lawyer named Samantha (Amanda Seyfried), who decides to take on the case and resolves to get Ted recognized as a person.
Naturally things do not go as planned as Ted and John keep getting into trouble despite their best intentions and combined with a threat from Ted’s past emerging once again, things are looking bleak indeed.
Along the way there are more than a few celebrity cameos and tons of rude, crude, and often very funny jokes to go along with the constant drug humor. Ted is not for everyone but there is a softer side to the character, and Mac Farlane keeps things moving at a fast clip, which never lets the film drag on without unleashing a new barrage of comedic situations on the audience.
If you liked the first film, you will likely enjoy “Ted 2” as I found it a very pleasant and often funny film that actually improved on the first film.
http://sknr.net/2015/06/26/ted-2/
When Ted attempts to adopt a baby, he triggers a chain of events into motion that cause him to be classified as property. As such he has no legal rights and cannot hold a job, have a bank account, adopt, and marry which causes everything Ted has worked for to vanish.
Thankfully for Ted his best friend John (Mark Wahlberg), is by his side no matter what and helps him find a new lawyer named Samantha (Amanda Seyfried), who decides to take on the case and resolves to get Ted recognized as a person.
Naturally things do not go as planned as Ted and John keep getting into trouble despite their best intentions and combined with a threat from Ted’s past emerging once again, things are looking bleak indeed.
Along the way there are more than a few celebrity cameos and tons of rude, crude, and often very funny jokes to go along with the constant drug humor. Ted is not for everyone but there is a softer side to the character, and Mac Farlane keeps things moving at a fast clip, which never lets the film drag on without unleashing a new barrage of comedic situations on the audience.
If you liked the first film, you will likely enjoy “Ted 2” as I found it a very pleasant and often funny film that actually improved on the first film.
http://sknr.net/2015/06/26/ted-2/
Kelly (279 KP) rated Dumplin' (2018) in Movies
Dec 12, 2018
Great casting (1 more)
Strong female characters
A feel good movie
Contains spoilers, click to show
‘Dumplin’’ is an overweight teenager with a little bit of a Dolly Parton obsession - not your usual hero for a movie. She is overshadowed by her mother, a former beauty pageant winner, and current judge, played by Jennifer Aniston. The movie tells the story of Willowdean’s (Dumplin’), journey into discovering her own sense of worth after signing up to a beauty pageant planned by her mother, alongside a small group who are protesting against the standard perceived norms.
I really enjoyed the film, and felt that Jennifer Aniston in particular played a really good role, portraying a mother who really loves her daughter but can never foresee her in the pageant world- there is a really touching scene at the end where she tells Willowdean how proud she is of her, which was believable and brought a lump to my throat.
Danielle Macdonald, who played Willowdean did so masterfully, showing us what it would really be like to be an overweight teenager in a community obsessed with thin beauty queens.
I felt the introduction of the Dolly Parton drag queen acts were a touch of genius adding an element of lightheartedness to the movie. I personally would have liked to see more from this group, particularly around the preparation of our small group of pageant underdogs, and felt that their role in building the self esteem of the characters was very much underplayed.
I also enjoyed the fact that although the group were recognised within the pageant (one winning second place), they didn’t actually win overall. I think if this had of happened it would have made the film less realistic, as is often the case with Hollywood movies.
Overall, this was a very good film, and well worth the watch.
I really enjoyed the film, and felt that Jennifer Aniston in particular played a really good role, portraying a mother who really loves her daughter but can never foresee her in the pageant world- there is a really touching scene at the end where she tells Willowdean how proud she is of her, which was believable and brought a lump to my throat.
Danielle Macdonald, who played Willowdean did so masterfully, showing us what it would really be like to be an overweight teenager in a community obsessed with thin beauty queens.
I felt the introduction of the Dolly Parton drag queen acts were a touch of genius adding an element of lightheartedness to the movie. I personally would have liked to see more from this group, particularly around the preparation of our small group of pageant underdogs, and felt that their role in building the self esteem of the characters was very much underplayed.
I also enjoyed the fact that although the group were recognised within the pageant (one winning second place), they didn’t actually win overall. I think if this had of happened it would have made the film less realistic, as is often the case with Hollywood movies.
Overall, this was a very good film, and well worth the watch.