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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated All Our Pretty Songs (Metamorphoses, #1) in Books
Feb 13, 2018
Two girls grow up, as close (or closer) as sisters, until a boy and a strange man (?) come between them. Aurora is the daughter of a famous musician, who died when she very young; her mother still spends most of her days in a drug-induced haze. It's up to her best friend (whose name we never learn -- she's simply the narrator of this tale) to protect Aurora, who is described as lovely and other-worldly, from herself. The girls spend their days together -- watching movies in Aurora's bed, partying hard, dancing in mosh pits at concerts, etc. One day they meet a musician named Jack, a beautiful man/boy, who enraptures the narrator, and seems to set them on a course to be torn apart.
This is a very strange book. The first half or so is actually pretty compelling and interesting. The story of Aurora and the narrator's friendship is fascinating, and their "girls gone wild" story is plausible, if not a little much. Aurora's mom could clearly care less where her daughter is. The narrator's mom, Cass, was friends with Aurora's mom, but they clearly fought when the girls were young and are not on speaking terms, though Cass cares deeply for Aurora. This is all good stuff.
Once Jack arrives and Aurora meets Minos, a bizarre music producer, things get weird. The book takes on this mystical, paranormal feel, and it's just strange. It almost feels like this part of the plot was forced into what was otherwise just a good (really, good) story about friendship and teenage girls and life. I won't go into many more details about the plot, but the narrator basically goes on a quest, which I didn't completely understand and then the book just ends, leaving you hanging and everything unresolved. And despite the fact that there is another book in the series, it looks to be about the girls' mothers, not the girls, therefore giving me no resolution whatsoever! Grr.
That's not to say that McCarry's writing isn't lovely. It's a beautiful, poetic book - almost too much at times, as I found myself practically skimming to get to the actual plot. The narrator was a compelling character, and the whole story was so well-written that I could imagine every person, every wild party, every journey. I just think that it almost would have been just as good, if not better, without all the crazy characters and odd mythology-type "stuff" thrown in. But what do I know, really? And I'll probably read the second book out of total curiosity because Maia (Aurora's mom) and Cass were pretty fascinating.
This was probably closer to 2.5 stars for my overall feeling at the end, but bumped up a bit for the beginning and the general writing.
This is a very strange book. The first half or so is actually pretty compelling and interesting. The story of Aurora and the narrator's friendship is fascinating, and their "girls gone wild" story is plausible, if not a little much. Aurora's mom could clearly care less where her daughter is. The narrator's mom, Cass, was friends with Aurora's mom, but they clearly fought when the girls were young and are not on speaking terms, though Cass cares deeply for Aurora. This is all good stuff.
Once Jack arrives and Aurora meets Minos, a bizarre music producer, things get weird. The book takes on this mystical, paranormal feel, and it's just strange. It almost feels like this part of the plot was forced into what was otherwise just a good (really, good) story about friendship and teenage girls and life. I won't go into many more details about the plot, but the narrator basically goes on a quest, which I didn't completely understand and then the book just ends, leaving you hanging and everything unresolved. And despite the fact that there is another book in the series, it looks to be about the girls' mothers, not the girls, therefore giving me no resolution whatsoever! Grr.
That's not to say that McCarry's writing isn't lovely. It's a beautiful, poetic book - almost too much at times, as I found myself practically skimming to get to the actual plot. The narrator was a compelling character, and the whole story was so well-written that I could imagine every person, every wild party, every journey. I just think that it almost would have been just as good, if not better, without all the crazy characters and odd mythology-type "stuff" thrown in. But what do I know, really? And I'll probably read the second book out of total curiosity because Maia (Aurora's mom) and Cass were pretty fascinating.
This was probably closer to 2.5 stars for my overall feeling at the end, but bumped up a bit for the beginning and the general writing.
Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated Two Days Gone (Ryan DeMarco Mystery #1) in Books
Mar 15, 2018
Also read my review here: http://bookbum.weebly.com/book-reviews/two-days-gone-by-randall-silvis
NOW AVAILABLE!
<i><b>But doesnt every guilty man hide his deeds behind his words and hide his thoughts behind his smile?</i></b>
This was perfectly set up to be a great novel, but unfortunately, like so many novel nowadays, it instead failed to excite and thrill me, and in the end, turned into an extremely mediocre read.
It wasnt until around 70% of the way through this book that I realised how dislikable DeMarco, our supposed hero, was. His anger and grief was completely understandable after the loss of his wife and child, but I felt he was unnecessarily unkind to his peers and overly passive aggressive in general. <spoiler>Plus can we talk about how much of a shitty cop he was? Getting into a car with a bleeding out dead body to chase an armed, highly fragile man and not alerting anyone? <b>Murdering</b> the main suspect on a case just because he could? Only in fiction.</spoiler>However, out of our two main characters, I was happy to read more about DeMarco than Thomas. I found Thomas PoV to be slow and a little pointless. Again, I understood his anguish and shame etc, but I guess I just couldnt connect to his character and summon up the right emotions to care about his story that much.
This was a slow read for me, but I kept pushing through it because: 1) it wasnt <i>that</i> bad and 2) I was led to believe, by some other reviews, that an amazing twist was going to be revealed. <i>Unfortunately,</i> we got the amazing twist and my reaction was more of an oh than a whoa!! <spoiler>I guess I wanted to the book to feel more realistic, I wanted some innate human darkness to be the cause of the murders, I didnt want a book about revenge.</spoiler> The plot, overall, wasnt too bad, there were some exciting moments, but for the most part this could only just hold my interest.
<i>Two Days Gone</i> didnt grab my attention well enough for me to rate it anything higher than 3 stars. It was an average story, with average characters and an average plot twist. Its a shame because had high hopes for this one, but nevermind, you win some, you lose some. I see Amazon have specified this as a Ryan DeMarco novel so Im assuming we may be seeing a series come out from Silvis, but I wont be keeping up with it.
Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
NOW AVAILABLE!
<i><b>But doesnt every guilty man hide his deeds behind his words and hide his thoughts behind his smile?</i></b>
This was perfectly set up to be a great novel, but unfortunately, like so many novel nowadays, it instead failed to excite and thrill me, and in the end, turned into an extremely mediocre read.
It wasnt until around 70% of the way through this book that I realised how dislikable DeMarco, our supposed hero, was. His anger and grief was completely understandable after the loss of his wife and child, but I felt he was unnecessarily unkind to his peers and overly passive aggressive in general. <spoiler>Plus can we talk about how much of a shitty cop he was? Getting into a car with a bleeding out dead body to chase an armed, highly fragile man and not alerting anyone? <b>Murdering</b> the main suspect on a case just because he could? Only in fiction.</spoiler>However, out of our two main characters, I was happy to read more about DeMarco than Thomas. I found Thomas PoV to be slow and a little pointless. Again, I understood his anguish and shame etc, but I guess I just couldnt connect to his character and summon up the right emotions to care about his story that much.
This was a slow read for me, but I kept pushing through it because: 1) it wasnt <i>that</i> bad and 2) I was led to believe, by some other reviews, that an amazing twist was going to be revealed. <i>Unfortunately,</i> we got the amazing twist and my reaction was more of an oh than a whoa!! <spoiler>I guess I wanted to the book to feel more realistic, I wanted some innate human darkness to be the cause of the murders, I didnt want a book about revenge.</spoiler> The plot, overall, wasnt too bad, there were some exciting moments, but for the most part this could only just hold my interest.
<i>Two Days Gone</i> didnt grab my attention well enough for me to rate it anything higher than 3 stars. It was an average story, with average characters and an average plot twist. Its a shame because had high hopes for this one, but nevermind, you win some, you lose some. I see Amazon have specified this as a Ryan DeMarco novel so Im assuming we may be seeing a series come out from Silvis, but I wont be keeping up with it.
Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
Link! - Expanded Edition
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"Link" is a modern take on the classic 80's game. Build bridges using wood and steel girders, and in...
Jamie Towell Cook (13 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Sonic Mania Plus in Video Games
Apr 6, 2020
Finally a Sonic game that lives up to the reputation that the mega drive days left us all begging for.
Sonic Mania sees you take control of Sonic and his team mates, Tails and Knuckles as you revisit some very familiar stages from Sonics past to take on Dr. Eggman (or Robotnik if your old school) and his latest creations. In a race to collect the seven chaos emeralds and save the day.
Mania Plus also sees the return of two characters that have been locked away in the vaults for some time now. Mighty The Armadillo & Ray The Flying (Gliding) Squirrel. All characters are equipped with their own unique skill set to help you traverse the levels and discover new areas and secrets.
Mania ditches all the gimmicks that have been the sonic series' shortcomings and returns to simpler times of side scrolling fast paced action that are plucked straight from the early 90's. Familiar levels to any fan of the golden era and even more familiar soundtrack. This also brings back the dread of the underwater level and that inevitable countdown sound that has haunted your childhood dreams and will do once again.
The game isn't just for single players though, the main story is as much fun now with sonic and tails as it was for sonic 2 & 3. Where you will be constantly shouting at the player controlling sonic that they've left you behind and then using Tails as a meat shield to defeat the end of level bosses. There is a race mode for other players to join in on, time attack mode to keep besting your own personal score. An endless supply of blue sphere stages to unlock and even the return of Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine. There is plenty in this game to keep you entertained for a very long time.
Heres hoping that Mania 2 isn't too far away. Hopefully with even more character selection redeeming all those newer characters that have been unfortunate enough to be featured on some of the more questionable sonic titles. I personally would love to see Team Chaotix, Amy Rose, Cream & Chao, Big, Rouge, Shadow, Blaze and maybe even the babylon rogues. Maybe even a few blasts from the past like Johnny Lightfoot, Porker Lewis and Shortfuse from the sonic the comics.
All in all, a much better addition to the wounded Sonic series.
Sonic Mania sees you take control of Sonic and his team mates, Tails and Knuckles as you revisit some very familiar stages from Sonics past to take on Dr. Eggman (or Robotnik if your old school) and his latest creations. In a race to collect the seven chaos emeralds and save the day.
Mania Plus also sees the return of two characters that have been locked away in the vaults for some time now. Mighty The Armadillo & Ray The Flying (Gliding) Squirrel. All characters are equipped with their own unique skill set to help you traverse the levels and discover new areas and secrets.
Mania ditches all the gimmicks that have been the sonic series' shortcomings and returns to simpler times of side scrolling fast paced action that are plucked straight from the early 90's. Familiar levels to any fan of the golden era and even more familiar soundtrack. This also brings back the dread of the underwater level and that inevitable countdown sound that has haunted your childhood dreams and will do once again.
The game isn't just for single players though, the main story is as much fun now with sonic and tails as it was for sonic 2 & 3. Where you will be constantly shouting at the player controlling sonic that they've left you behind and then using Tails as a meat shield to defeat the end of level bosses. There is a race mode for other players to join in on, time attack mode to keep besting your own personal score. An endless supply of blue sphere stages to unlock and even the return of Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine. There is plenty in this game to keep you entertained for a very long time.
Heres hoping that Mania 2 isn't too far away. Hopefully with even more character selection redeeming all those newer characters that have been unfortunate enough to be featured on some of the more questionable sonic titles. I personally would love to see Team Chaotix, Amy Rose, Cream & Chao, Big, Rouge, Shadow, Blaze and maybe even the babylon rogues. Maybe even a few blasts from the past like Johnny Lightfoot, Porker Lewis and Shortfuse from the sonic the comics.
All in all, a much better addition to the wounded Sonic series.
Walking for Weight Loss PRO
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Now your walking will make you lose weight. Reach top results in less time by combining walking and...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2395 KP) rated 21st Birthday in Books
Jun 2, 2021
Needed Some Careful Editing to be Good
It all starts with a woman confronting Cindy Thomas in her office at the San Francisco Chronicle. The woman is certain that something bad has happened to her daughter and granddaughter, and her son-in-law is to blame. She wants Cindy to write stories about it and post about it on her blog, but Cindy quickly turns the woman over to her friend, San Francisco detective Lindsay Boxer, who pushes the police to start an investigation and make it a priority. Sadly, it isn’t long before a dead body turns up. Will Lindsay and the rest of the Women’s Murder Club figure out what is really happening?
Usually with this series, I complain about the characters having plotlines that rarely if ever intersect. Here, I was thrilled to see that the characters, including Claire and Yuki, are working together on one case, and they all get their moments to shine. While the characters are a bit thin, we did like them all and care enough to keep reading. The plot is compelling with twists that intrigue. However, the authors can’t land it. I get what we are supposed to think happened, but in the rush to wrap things up after the final twist, we don’t get a major plot point from earlier in the book explained. Meanwhile, the editing was sloppy, including students at a high school being in class on a Saturday, missing days, and Lindsay being in two places at once near the end of the book. This reads more like a first draft that needed an editor to help polish it up instead of a finished novel.
Usually with this series, I complain about the characters having plotlines that rarely if ever intersect. Here, I was thrilled to see that the characters, including Claire and Yuki, are working together on one case, and they all get their moments to shine. While the characters are a bit thin, we did like them all and care enough to keep reading. The plot is compelling with twists that intrigue. However, the authors can’t land it. I get what we are supposed to think happened, but in the rush to wrap things up after the final twist, we don’t get a major plot point from earlier in the book explained. Meanwhile, the editing was sloppy, including students at a high school being in class on a Saturday, missing days, and Lindsay being in two places at once near the end of the book. This reads more like a first draft that needed an editor to help polish it up instead of a finished novel.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Death's Daughter (Calliope Reaper-Jones, #1) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
As soon as this book became available, I made sure to pick it up from the library. Since I'm a big Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan, of course Amber Benson was a big draw and I was curious about her writing ability. Not to mention this is the type of book I like to read regardless of who wrote it.
Ms. Benson is a capable writer, but she tends to over describe when it's really not necessary. The story matter and the whole world she created was very interesting, but throughout the book, I felt there was something missing. The main character, Callie, is okay - I didn't hate her, but I didn't love her either. I guess I'm just tiring of the same old twenty- and thirty-somethings in chick-lit-esque books that seem to pop up ad nauseum these days. I just don't understand or relate to "women" who are very ditzy, but still manage to save the day and/or end up with the guy, complain all the time, and lust after every cute guy that comes within a 50-foot radius of them. Not to mention, why are these protagonists always surrounded by pretty, perfect people that make them look even more inferior? That's not totally relatable. Maybe I'm getting older or more mature, or maybe it was just how I felt when I read it. Who knows for sure? Of all the characters, Kali was my favorite, she was pretty cool and brought some spice to the story.
Overall, the book was a fairly easy read and I do think I'll check out the second in the series to see how it progresses (and hope it shakes some of the first entry's jitters off and is more solid). I would recommend that if you're interested in reading this to get it at the library first, or else find it used.
Minor quibble: I don't know who picked the cover, but it's not how I picture Callie at all and it's rather sucky. Hopefully, the second book will improve not just in content. ;P
Ms. Benson is a capable writer, but she tends to over describe when it's really not necessary. The story matter and the whole world she created was very interesting, but throughout the book, I felt there was something missing. The main character, Callie, is okay - I didn't hate her, but I didn't love her either. I guess I'm just tiring of the same old twenty- and thirty-somethings in chick-lit-esque books that seem to pop up ad nauseum these days. I just don't understand or relate to "women" who are very ditzy, but still manage to save the day and/or end up with the guy, complain all the time, and lust after every cute guy that comes within a 50-foot radius of them. Not to mention, why are these protagonists always surrounded by pretty, perfect people that make them look even more inferior? That's not totally relatable. Maybe I'm getting older or more mature, or maybe it was just how I felt when I read it. Who knows for sure? Of all the characters, Kali was my favorite, she was pretty cool and brought some spice to the story.
Overall, the book was a fairly easy read and I do think I'll check out the second in the series to see how it progresses (and hope it shakes some of the first entry's jitters off and is more solid). I would recommend that if you're interested in reading this to get it at the library first, or else find it used.
Minor quibble: I don't know who picked the cover, but it's not how I picture Callie at all and it's rather sucky. Hopefully, the second book will improve not just in content. ;P
Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019) in Movies
Jul 7, 2020
Prepare For War
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum is a 2019 neo-noir action film directed by Chad Stahelski and written by Derek Kolstad, Shay Hatten, Chris Collins, and Marc Abrams. The movie is based on a story by Derek Kolstad and produced by Thunder Road Pictures, 87Eleven Productions and distributed by Summit Entertainment. It stars Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry, Laurence Fishburne, Ian McShane and Marc Dacascos.
After an unsanctioned killing at the New York City Continental, John Wick is now a marked man on the run. He is declared "excommunicado" and a $14 million dollar bounty placed on his head. Meanwhile, an adjudicator with the "High Table" meets with both Winston (Ian McShane), manager of the Continental, and the King of the Bowery (Laurence Fishburne), leader of a group of vagrant assassins. The adjudicator gives an ultimatum to both, give up their offices in seven days or face the consequences for aiding John Wick.
This movie does not disappoint. I cannot stress that enough. It's an adrenaline ride from beginning to end. The action scenes are just masterfully choreographed and the special effects make each kill more brutal than the last. It feels like they raised the bar with the violence and gore in this one. The introduction of Halle Berry's character and her dogs were a welcome addition and made this film unique when compared to the previous two. Also the adjudicator was a really good character and i liked the way she played into the plot throughout the whole movie. Marc Dacascos was probably my favorite character in this movie. I liked his character's personality a lot and how his faction had a big part in the film. He was actually pretty funny in certain scenes and i liked it, but I can see how some people would be critical of the lightheartedness in such a grim movie. If it wasn't for some villains giving John a chance when they shouldn't, and the fact that the 3rd act couldn't hold up with the first two, I couldn't find a lot to complain about in this film. It was freaking awesome. I give it a 8/10 and I give it my "must see seal of approval".
After an unsanctioned killing at the New York City Continental, John Wick is now a marked man on the run. He is declared "excommunicado" and a $14 million dollar bounty placed on his head. Meanwhile, an adjudicator with the "High Table" meets with both Winston (Ian McShane), manager of the Continental, and the King of the Bowery (Laurence Fishburne), leader of a group of vagrant assassins. The adjudicator gives an ultimatum to both, give up their offices in seven days or face the consequences for aiding John Wick.
This movie does not disappoint. I cannot stress that enough. It's an adrenaline ride from beginning to end. The action scenes are just masterfully choreographed and the special effects make each kill more brutal than the last. It feels like they raised the bar with the violence and gore in this one. The introduction of Halle Berry's character and her dogs were a welcome addition and made this film unique when compared to the previous two. Also the adjudicator was a really good character and i liked the way she played into the plot throughout the whole movie. Marc Dacascos was probably my favorite character in this movie. I liked his character's personality a lot and how his faction had a big part in the film. He was actually pretty funny in certain scenes and i liked it, but I can see how some people would be critical of the lightheartedness in such a grim movie. If it wasn't for some villains giving John a chance when they shouldn't, and the fact that the 3rd act couldn't hold up with the first two, I couldn't find a lot to complain about in this film. It was freaking awesome. I give it a 8/10 and I give it my "must see seal of approval".
Kristina (502 KP) rated All About You (Love & Hate, #1) in Books
Dec 7, 2020
Contains spoilers, click to show
Let me just say, I'm so freaking pi$$ed! First off, I gave the book a 2 star rating because I felt like the writing was bad. I trudged through the first 2-3 chapters because I've realized that, sometimes it takes a book a few chapters to "loosen up". Unfortunately for me, the storyline was too interesting to stop reading. When I first understood what was happening, I was instantly angry. I know entering college doesn't make a person automatically mature, but do people seriously still continue to bully at that part of their life? At first, I didn't care for India, because she bullied Oliver; I felt awful when I found out what Christian had done to her, but I still don't feel like that excused the way she treated Oliver. Anyway, I was glad she wanted to apologize and make amends, though it's easier to say you forgive someone than to actually forgive them when it comes to bullying. So, I was literally sick of watching India get tortured and made fun of -do these kids not have anything better to do with their lives?? I kept reading because I wanted Oliver to shove his foot up his rear when he found out what his brother did to her. Then they became friends. I was immediately, like, "No, no. India, don't do it. No!" Of course, a book character can't hear the reader screaming at them, so she didn't listen. By the end, after Oliver's final attempt to tear India down and break her spirit, I had to do one of two things: gently set down my tablet and bite my pillow or throw my tablet against the wall and scream bloody murder. I love my tablet too much to abuse it, so my pillow took the brunt of my anger. Heck, I'm still angry and it's been 6 days! Part of me doesn't want to spend the money on the next 2 or 3 books in this series - like I said, I didn't care for the writing. But, at the same time, I HAVE to know what's going to happen. I don't know about India, but Oliver could save her life and I still wouldn't forgive him.
Lost Horizon
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[ The classic point ‘n click adventure by Animation Arts and Deep Silver FISHLABS comes to the App...