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Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
2013 | Action, Sci-Fi
The second Thor movie is a visual representation of the word "meh". It has all the right ingredients, but somehow manages to fall flat.

The general plot is an issue. It's not a terrible narrative, but it's the kind of bloated fantasy stuff you would find in an early 2000s superhero movie, not a franchise that is eight films in and includes The Avengers.
The only purpose it serves in the grand scheme of things is the introduction of another Infinity Stone. Other than that it's just stuffed with exposition and kind of bland.
Another issue is, you guess it, the villain. Malekith isn't necessarily a bad choice for the movies antagonist, but his execution feels inconsequential and boring. Christopher Eccleston does the best with what he has but the stakes never feel high with this guy, although I do enjoy his comic- accurate appearance from the halfway mark.

Visually, The Dark World looks great. The CGI is pretty decent, the locations such as Asgard are just as well realised as the first film. Returning cast members include Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgård, Rene Russo, Kat Dennings, Idris Elba and Natalie Portman, as well as the always awesome Chris Hemsworth. Nothing wrong here, although I do feel that Lady Sif and The Warriors Three are wasted this time around.

The final set piece is pretty damn entertaining to be fair, and borders on suitable comic-book absurdity at points. The attack on Asgard by the Dark Elves is also pretty thrilling, but everything else is a little so so.

I still like Thor: The Dark World for what it's worth, it's just a little by the numbers and uninspired, and is probably my least favourite of the MCU movies to date.
  
A Tale of Two Kingdoms (Knights of Black Swan #6)
A Tale of Two Kingdoms (Knights of Black Swan #6)
Victoria Danann | 2014 | Paranormal, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The story of star-crossed lovers has been around for a while and if asked, most people would say that Romeo & Juliet is the most famous one. Well think again because Duff and Aelsong are about to take that crown! This story has been a long time coming as we met Duff and Aelsong in Book 2 (The Witch's Dream) but it is well worth the wait. Duff has decided that he has waited long enough and makes a plan to ensure that he and Aelsong are together. He enlists the help of some friends, new and old and along the way you get a glimpse of what the royal lives are like for both the Fae and the Elves. Are they really that different? How do you fight prejudice that is so ingrained no one can actually remember why it all started in the first place?

This is a romance primarily but it also deals with issues like prejudice, history, war and even all of the above in one family! This book does not disappoint on any level and the standard of Victoria Danann's writing just keeps on getting better. No, this isn't as long as the others and NO this definitely doesn't affect the quality. It just meant that I was able to sit and read this in one sitting with no interfering habits, like sleeping, getting in the way!

This is part of a series and I would highly recommend that you read them in order. As a taster, the first book - The Familiar Stranger - is FREE. Get this one, take a deep breath, enter another dimension and never look back.
 
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
April 10, 2021
  
29 of 230
Book
Blackbird Rising ( The Witch Kings Crown book )
By Keri Arthur
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A modern fantasy novel inspired by the King Arthur legend...

For hundreds of years, the Witch King’s sword has been buried in stone awaiting the next hand to draw it.

Many have tried. None have succeeded.

Gwen is the last in a long line of De Montfort witches whose duty it is to protect the sword of all power. But when she returns to King Island to perform the blessing, a mysterious pulse of blue light tells her that someone has attempted to draw the sword. Before she can investigate any further, demons attack. She only survives with the help of a mysterious stranger who disappears as quickly as he appears.

Gwen and her grandmother, Moscelyne, soon discover that minor gateways into Darkside—the traditional home of both demons and dark elves—are being forced open by magic. Even worse, someone is now sending demons after the Witch King’s heirs.

As vital artifacts are stolen by Darkside and the deaths draw altogether too close to home, Gwen and Mo—with the help of old gods and an ancient order of knights once thought dead—scramble to unravel the clues and stop the murderous would-be king from claiming the crown.

If they fail and the wrong hand draws the sword of power, he can unlock the main gateway into Darkside and unleash utter hell onto an unsuspecting and unprepared England....

Another of Keri Arthur’s books I just just loved. King Arthur inspired based in England with some brilliant characters. Finished it quite quickly and can’t wait to start the next! Although it’s been added to a very long tbr pile 😂
  
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Wolfhound Century
Wolfhound Century
Peter Higgins | 2014 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
When I first started reading (well, listening) to this book, I got a little confused and disoriented. There were a lot of names and places that, although they were English, they weren’t words or names that I knew, so I had trouble keeping track of what was going on. Part of the problem was I listened to a chapter here, a chapter there. So I put it aside, listened to something else, and went back to it later when I had hours upon hours to invest into it.

Boy am I glad I listened to this story.

I cannot describe to you how beautiful this story was. It was exciting and nerve wracking and terrifying. It was totally new and different and unique from anything else I’ve ever read. It had a love story, but it was an epic love story, not a romance as defined by the modern-day genre. It was sweet and beautiful and enthralling. It’s fantasy, but it’s not “elves and dwarves and fairies” fantasy… it’s fantastical and imaginary and connected with nature, but there aren’t warlocks. Higgins has his own set of creatures, his own city and country, his own history, his own world, and I loved it (though I didn’t want to live there. Read the summary, you wouldn’t either). On top of that, the writing was descriptive and concrete, and I felt like I was a part of the world. I felt like I was Lom an Marucia and Raku (I have no idea how to spell their names because I listened to the audio). I seriously didn’t want it to end.

Man, it’s been a good year for audiobooks! Guys, get this one asap. Give it thirty minutes of your time, and you’ll be sucked in.

Neil Dickson, the narrator, was also wonderful. He’s done a few other audiobooks, including the dramatized edition of The Importance of Being Earnest, and James Patterson’s The Jester. I’m definitely going to keep my eyes open for other work he does.

Content/Recommendation: Some violence, darker themes. Ages 16+