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Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated The Little Mermaid in Books
Nov 16, 2018
Full review can also be found on my blog: www.diaryofdifference.com
I grew up with Disney movies, and my favourite one was the one with the mermaid that has long red hair, and I loved her love story, and also enjoyed watching the rest of the movie series that followed years later.
And while loving Ariel for so long, I have never actually read the original story. So a few weeks ago, I decided to cherish it properly, as a true childhood love deserves to be cherished.
And I was left with my jaw dropped and my mouth open, unable to sleep. I can’t say this book crushed my childhood love, but it definitely shook me quite hard.
If you are expecting to read about the little mermaid, and her adventures in the water, and how she would give anything to see how people live on Earth, and fall in love with a prince – you will get all that. In fact – the book description is far better compared to the movie. Incomparable, actually. The book glows with bright colourful descriptions of the world under the sea, and it is so vividly enchantingly explained.
But if you are expecting to read about the adorable love story of Ariel and the prince, and their happily ever after – that is not happening. Because things go wrong. Horribly wrong. With a crushing, terrible end, that will torture you in your dreams.
It wasn’t my intention to make this review so dark. The story is still wonderful, and full of life. However, there is no happy ending, and that, for me, was crucial to not enjoy it.
And I am not usually upset with unhappy endings. It happens so often. But this one was so brutal and cruel, that it felt so disturbing. Maybe, because it is my favorite childhood movie. Maybe, because I knew this to be a happy story. Maybe, because I didn’t expect this at all.
Hans Christian Andersen is an amazing writer. I have read many of his stories, and enjoyed them greatly. I honestly don’t know what was going on in his life when he was writing this, but wow. Just wow.
I grew up with Disney movies, and my favourite one was the one with the mermaid that has long red hair, and I loved her love story, and also enjoyed watching the rest of the movie series that followed years later.
And while loving Ariel for so long, I have never actually read the original story. So a few weeks ago, I decided to cherish it properly, as a true childhood love deserves to be cherished.
And I was left with my jaw dropped and my mouth open, unable to sleep. I can’t say this book crushed my childhood love, but it definitely shook me quite hard.
If you are expecting to read about the little mermaid, and her adventures in the water, and how she would give anything to see how people live on Earth, and fall in love with a prince – you will get all that. In fact – the book description is far better compared to the movie. Incomparable, actually. The book glows with bright colourful descriptions of the world under the sea, and it is so vividly enchantingly explained.
But if you are expecting to read about the adorable love story of Ariel and the prince, and their happily ever after – that is not happening. Because things go wrong. Horribly wrong. With a crushing, terrible end, that will torture you in your dreams.
It wasn’t my intention to make this review so dark. The story is still wonderful, and full of life. However, there is no happy ending, and that, for me, was crucial to not enjoy it.
And I am not usually upset with unhappy endings. It happens so often. But this one was so brutal and cruel, that it felt so disturbing. Maybe, because it is my favorite childhood movie. Maybe, because I knew this to be a happy story. Maybe, because I didn’t expect this at all.
Hans Christian Andersen is an amazing writer. I have read many of his stories, and enjoyed them greatly. I honestly don’t know what was going on in his life when he was writing this, but wow. Just wow.
Cherish Me (Banger Triolgy #3)
5.5
Rate It
Book
She wants a sexy summer fling. He wants more. And he won’t stop until he gets it. NOTE: This...
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Catch (Angler, #2) in Books
Sep 5, 2019
*Copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
I read the first book, Bait, back in February 2012 and loved it. I still remember a lot of what happened and with how many books I read, that's a miracle! I think it was the whole using humans as bait to catch evil vampires that drew me in and hooked me.
This carries on from the last with just a few months passing and Connie and Rurik are in Rio. I will say that you don't necessarily need to read the first book for this to make sense but it does help to understand the connection between Rurik, Connie and Tane.
The author has this way of writing that draws you in and makes you want to get lost in the world she weaves. I will quite happily get lost in it. (Bring on book 3!)
Tane was an odd one for me, through both books, but he evolved a lot in this and we got to know him a lot more and it's obvious he isn't as bad as previously thought. Rurik is still the protective, nice, sexy vampire from the first and Connie still likes to kick arse when she can.
Though there are a few sex scenes throughout the story, there is also a good, strong plot to get lost in. I guess I should mention that it has a ménage scene in it near the end (M/M/F) that had been brewing for a long time and it was quite hot.
I cant wait to read the third book in the series to find out what's going to happen next.
I read the first book, Bait, back in February 2012 and loved it. I still remember a lot of what happened and with how many books I read, that's a miracle! I think it was the whole using humans as bait to catch evil vampires that drew me in and hooked me.
This carries on from the last with just a few months passing and Connie and Rurik are in Rio. I will say that you don't necessarily need to read the first book for this to make sense but it does help to understand the connection between Rurik, Connie and Tane.
The author has this way of writing that draws you in and makes you want to get lost in the world she weaves. I will quite happily get lost in it. (Bring on book 3!)
Tane was an odd one for me, through both books, but he evolved a lot in this and we got to know him a lot more and it's obvious he isn't as bad as previously thought. Rurik is still the protective, nice, sexy vampire from the first and Connie still likes to kick arse when she can.
Though there are a few sex scenes throughout the story, there is also a good, strong plot to get lost in. I guess I should mention that it has a ménage scene in it near the end (M/M/F) that had been brewing for a long time and it was quite hot.
I cant wait to read the third book in the series to find out what's going to happen next.
Empire Four Kingdoms - MMO War
Games and Entertainment
5.7
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Build a fortress, fight an army and conquer enemies in this epic multiplayer game! Use your strategy...
Debbiereadsbook (1097 KP) rated Ascendant (The Made Ones Sage #3) by Vicki Stiefel in Books
Jun 10, 2022
a fitting end, the best one!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is book 3 in The Made Ones Saga and cannot be read as a stand alone book. You NEED to read book one, Changed, and book 2, Altered, before this one. Not only will it give you Kit and Bree’s stories, it will fill in the questions to the answers that are given here!
Sybi is the third sister and her story is a little different, having been kept in stasis for some time. Kestrel knows she is his, but given his genetic make up, and what happened to him before, he is reluctant to fully bond with Sybi. But he has to, to get them out of a pickle!
Kestrel’s full story isn’t made clear for quite some time, and I wanted it sooner cos I’m greedy like that! Also, Sybi’s is quite drawn out, and I got a little frustrated at times with Mother Tree and her cryptic clues!
Kes and Sybi’s relationship kinda gets lost in the plans for the battle to bring the Alchemists down, though, and I really wanted more of them two, dealing with their feelings for the other and what it all means.
That said, I really thought this was a fitting ending and I bloody loved it! Best of the three!
I loved how all three sisters knew that they had to defy their mates, but also that said mates KNEW that they would. I loved that the entire planet comes together to stop Fukkes and thwart his plans to take over Earth.
It’s dark in places, when they discover to what extent Fukkes has been experimenting on the people of Eleutia. It’s emotional, when the three sisters are fully reunited. It’s a bit amusing: the sisters way they defy their mates made me giggle a time or two! There is some smexy times between Sybi and Kes, but it does get a bit lost.
I do feel, though, (and ya’ll know I’m ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL about the book feelings) that this is NOT the end. Yes, they’ve saved Eleutia from Fukkes, and the Overseers have apologised for not keeping a tighter reign on him, and the Clans have come together, and the female birth rate is already increasing, but Mother Tree is growing, and Marie grows, and what the chuffing heck does that mean! Marie was the youngest sister who died when she was ten ( I think!) on Earth so how can she be growing??? Questions, people! I’m left with unanswered questions!
So, do I gotta beg for another visit to this world and the people in it? Cos I will, you know! I’ll get down on my knees if needed (might need a lift back up though!)
5 full and shiny stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
This is book 3 in The Made Ones Saga and cannot be read as a stand alone book. You NEED to read book one, Changed, and book 2, Altered, before this one. Not only will it give you Kit and Bree’s stories, it will fill in the questions to the answers that are given here!
Sybi is the third sister and her story is a little different, having been kept in stasis for some time. Kestrel knows she is his, but given his genetic make up, and what happened to him before, he is reluctant to fully bond with Sybi. But he has to, to get them out of a pickle!
Kestrel’s full story isn’t made clear for quite some time, and I wanted it sooner cos I’m greedy like that! Also, Sybi’s is quite drawn out, and I got a little frustrated at times with Mother Tree and her cryptic clues!
Kes and Sybi’s relationship kinda gets lost in the plans for the battle to bring the Alchemists down, though, and I really wanted more of them two, dealing with their feelings for the other and what it all means.
That said, I really thought this was a fitting ending and I bloody loved it! Best of the three!
I loved how all three sisters knew that they had to defy their mates, but also that said mates KNEW that they would. I loved that the entire planet comes together to stop Fukkes and thwart his plans to take over Earth.
It’s dark in places, when they discover to what extent Fukkes has been experimenting on the people of Eleutia. It’s emotional, when the three sisters are fully reunited. It’s a bit amusing: the sisters way they defy their mates made me giggle a time or two! There is some smexy times between Sybi and Kes, but it does get a bit lost.
I do feel, though, (and ya’ll know I’m ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL about the book feelings) that this is NOT the end. Yes, they’ve saved Eleutia from Fukkes, and the Overseers have apologised for not keeping a tighter reign on him, and the Clans have come together, and the female birth rate is already increasing, but Mother Tree is growing, and Marie grows, and what the chuffing heck does that mean! Marie was the youngest sister who died when she was ten ( I think!) on Earth so how can she be growing??? Questions, people! I’m left with unanswered questions!
So, do I gotta beg for another visit to this world and the people in it? Cos I will, you know! I’ll get down on my knees if needed (might need a lift back up though!)
5 full and shiny stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Upgrade (2018) in Movies
Oct 2, 2018 (Updated Oct 3, 2018)
World Building (2 more)
VFX
Logan Marshall-Green
A Fresh, Fun Dose of Sci-Fi Fun
For years, I have been wanting to see what Leigh Whannell could do outside of the Horror genre. He wrote the first 3 Saw movies, (AKA the good ones,) and the Insidious trilogy, so he has proved himself as a titan in that genre, but I have been wanting to see him expand to another style, in a similar way that we have seen James Wan do.
Well this is it.
Upgrade is a Sci-Fi movie that doesn't follow the most unique concept in the genre, but does it in such a fresh and fun way that it works incredibly well. Upgrade also does a really good job at making you feel some genuine emotions of sadness and pity, something that I really didn't expect to get from a movie like this. When it comes to the action and violence in the movie, Upgrade embraces it's B-movie inspiration and gives us some awesome grisly practical effects along with some cool action choreography to go with it.
There are some elements to the plot that may seem bizarre to those not familiar with the more campy side of this genre and the movie does slightly feel like a video game at times. However, I don't feel that this is to the movie's detriment and instead, actually adds to the fun ride that the film is taking you on.
I also like the way the movie ended, although I saw the reveal of who the big bad was going to be coming a mile away, what happened afterward was really surprising and pretty bold and risky. I don't want to spoil anything here if I can help it, but let's just say I thought that they were going one way, which would have been a really poor, cliché ending for a movie like this and then they went in totally the opposite direction, subverting expectations and instead, choosing to end the film on a genuinely unexpected note. Whether you like the ending or not, I think that the guts it took to pull it off, deserves some praise.
Overall, Upgrade is a really fun watch. It has it's high octane action sequences as advertised in the trailer and it also has some surprisingly tender, heartfelt moments to go along with all of the stunts and gore. Definitely worth a watch if you are a sci-fi fan looking for a thrilling, bloody good time.
Well this is it.
Upgrade is a Sci-Fi movie that doesn't follow the most unique concept in the genre, but does it in such a fresh and fun way that it works incredibly well. Upgrade also does a really good job at making you feel some genuine emotions of sadness and pity, something that I really didn't expect to get from a movie like this. When it comes to the action and violence in the movie, Upgrade embraces it's B-movie inspiration and gives us some awesome grisly practical effects along with some cool action choreography to go with it.
There are some elements to the plot that may seem bizarre to those not familiar with the more campy side of this genre and the movie does slightly feel like a video game at times. However, I don't feel that this is to the movie's detriment and instead, actually adds to the fun ride that the film is taking you on.
I also like the way the movie ended, although I saw the reveal of who the big bad was going to be coming a mile away, what happened afterward was really surprising and pretty bold and risky. I don't want to spoil anything here if I can help it, but let's just say I thought that they were going one way, which would have been a really poor, cliché ending for a movie like this and then they went in totally the opposite direction, subverting expectations and instead, choosing to end the film on a genuinely unexpected note. Whether you like the ending or not, I think that the guts it took to pull it off, deserves some praise.
Overall, Upgrade is a really fun watch. It has it's high octane action sequences as advertised in the trailer and it also has some surprisingly tender, heartfelt moments to go along with all of the stunts and gore. Definitely worth a watch if you are a sci-fi fan looking for a thrilling, bloody good time.
Kim Kardashian: Hollywood
Games and Entertainment
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Join KIM KARDASHIAN on a red carpet adventure in Kim Kardashian: Hollywood! Create your own aspiring...
Dana (24 KP) rated The Crown's Game (The Crown's Game, #1) in Books
Mar 23, 2018
This review, like all others before it, will have spoilers in it. Read at your own risk.
This book was pretty cool! It is not like a lot of the other fantasy novels I read because it is set in Russia in 1825 and has some actual historical people and ideas in it. By the way, that is one of my favorite parts of this book. The fact that it is able to mix fact and fiction together so well is a feat not many can do, so I applaud Ms. Skye for doing just that.
The world felt so real and very well developed. I got the feeling that a lot of research went into creating this book and I am glad she did because it feels authentic and inhabited which is often a problem in fantasy novels such as this. Though she draws on history and fact, she understands she is able to pull in here own creative licenses because she has to make a world that will fit her story. I enjoyed those facts a lot and I am excited to see what else we will get to see in the next book (which I still need to buy).
Now onto characters, then plot.
The main character Vika is a very strong female lead, which I love in any story, not just in fantasy. She is powerful and she knows it. While this can lead to arrogance and a little too much self-esteem, but she is brought to be humbled quite a bit throughout the book, which is actually nice. It grounds her. While she is a strong character, this fact gets her into trouble sometimes because she thinks too much of herself. This arrogance is inevitably what kills her father. She is blinded by the strength she now has and, instead of questioning why she all of the sudden got so much stronger, she just rolls on without a care in the world.
I love Nikolai. In my humble opinion, he is so much better than Pasha because he opens himself up to being hurt but doesn't get angry or act like a spoiled brat when people do something wrong. Nikolai is a dreamer, something I appreciate a lot. He has his heads in the clouds sometimes and needs someone to bring him back down. While he is competitive, just like Vika, he is also very thoughtful. He could have done many things with his magic, but each time, he did something for the people, whether to bring them joy or to restore the magic of what they once knew, he does it for people other than himself. MAJOR SPOILER IS COMING UP NEXT: In his final act of the book, he gives his life to save Vika and if that isn't selfless, I don't know what is. He is caring and kind and I just wished he could have been completely happy. He loved Vika and he deserved so much more than he got. Also, that plot twist that he is the tsar's son, holy crap, I did not see that coming at all.
Now onto Pasha. I am not really a fan of Pasha, to be completely honest. He thinks he is so worthless in comparison to Nikolai even though he is going to be the tsar of Russia. Why is he making everything into a pissing match with his best friend after he finds out Nikolai also loves Vika? Seriously, he could have anyone he wanted, but no. He just has to have an enchantress. He is very selfish and does not think about how his actions will always have consequences and that is a little too reckless for me. Even though he knows he is going to become the tsar, he doesn't take his responsibility seriously at all. I am just not a fan of him. I hope he does not end up with Vika because she deserves so much more than him.
What I love most about these characters is that they have faults and issues that they have to overcome and deal with before they can move on to the next stages of their lives (well, some of them at least).
Onto the plot!
I thought this story was very well structured. I enjoyed the pacing and the flow of everything as well. It felt like it was an actual competition to see who could get my attention the most. (It was Vika and Nikolai as my top two, the others were kinda annoying at times).
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I am excited to pick up the next one! If you have not already, give this book a read and tell me what you think!
This book was pretty cool! It is not like a lot of the other fantasy novels I read because it is set in Russia in 1825 and has some actual historical people and ideas in it. By the way, that is one of my favorite parts of this book. The fact that it is able to mix fact and fiction together so well is a feat not many can do, so I applaud Ms. Skye for doing just that.
The world felt so real and very well developed. I got the feeling that a lot of research went into creating this book and I am glad she did because it feels authentic and inhabited which is often a problem in fantasy novels such as this. Though she draws on history and fact, she understands she is able to pull in here own creative licenses because she has to make a world that will fit her story. I enjoyed those facts a lot and I am excited to see what else we will get to see in the next book (which I still need to buy).
Now onto characters, then plot.
The main character Vika is a very strong female lead, which I love in any story, not just in fantasy. She is powerful and she knows it. While this can lead to arrogance and a little too much self-esteem, but she is brought to be humbled quite a bit throughout the book, which is actually nice. It grounds her. While she is a strong character, this fact gets her into trouble sometimes because she thinks too much of herself. This arrogance is inevitably what kills her father. She is blinded by the strength she now has and, instead of questioning why she all of the sudden got so much stronger, she just rolls on without a care in the world.
I love Nikolai. In my humble opinion, he is so much better than Pasha because he opens himself up to being hurt but doesn't get angry or act like a spoiled brat when people do something wrong. Nikolai is a dreamer, something I appreciate a lot. He has his heads in the clouds sometimes and needs someone to bring him back down. While he is competitive, just like Vika, he is also very thoughtful. He could have done many things with his magic, but each time, he did something for the people, whether to bring them joy or to restore the magic of what they once knew, he does it for people other than himself. MAJOR SPOILER IS COMING UP NEXT: In his final act of the book, he gives his life to save Vika and if that isn't selfless, I don't know what is. He is caring and kind and I just wished he could have been completely happy. He loved Vika and he deserved so much more than he got. Also, that plot twist that he is the tsar's son, holy crap, I did not see that coming at all.
Now onto Pasha. I am not really a fan of Pasha, to be completely honest. He thinks he is so worthless in comparison to Nikolai even though he is going to be the tsar of Russia. Why is he making everything into a pissing match with his best friend after he finds out Nikolai also loves Vika? Seriously, he could have anyone he wanted, but no. He just has to have an enchantress. He is very selfish and does not think about how his actions will always have consequences and that is a little too reckless for me. Even though he knows he is going to become the tsar, he doesn't take his responsibility seriously at all. I am just not a fan of him. I hope he does not end up with Vika because she deserves so much more than him.
What I love most about these characters is that they have faults and issues that they have to overcome and deal with before they can move on to the next stages of their lives (well, some of them at least).
Onto the plot!
I thought this story was very well structured. I enjoyed the pacing and the flow of everything as well. It felt like it was an actual competition to see who could get my attention the most. (It was Vika and Nikolai as my top two, the others were kinda annoying at times).
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I am excited to pick up the next one! If you have not already, give this book a read and tell me what you think!
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in Books
Nov 14, 2019
What can be said about Douglas Adams' freewheeling science fiction comedy that hasn't been said before? Probably nothing but that doesn't mean it doesn't deserve a review.
I first came to the Hitchhiker's Guide series through this book. It was about 1981 I suppose and it was recommended by a school friend. I hadn't been aware of the radio series (although as luck would have it it was repeated on BBC Radio 4 within a few weeks) and it was a little while before the television adaptation appeared (which for all its faults - mainly a lack of budget - stayed true to the spirit of the books and the radio series rather more successfully than the film).
From the point I opened this and started reading I couldn't get enough Hitchhiker's Guide. Adams' style is so much like a swan on a lake - it all seems effortless on the surface but underneath there's a lot going on. As Adams' friend John Lloyd has commented, he had the ability to write backwards, so he would start with several pages of (what to other people would be) excellent material and after a couple of days' furious writing it would be down to 2 pages, but each sentence a carefully crafted gem. The result is like the difference between beer and vodka. You will enjoy drinking the beer but the distilled and concentrated vodka will knock you out.
There is real genius in the wit, ideas seemingly being pulled from nowhere and taking on a whole new aspect (towels for example). Delightful non-sequitors (especially from aliens who turn out to be pretty ordinary - or frequently less than ordinary), brilliant and inventive word play and sheer imagination and brio run through every page, all joined together by delightful asides from 'the book'.
The story itself is based on the radio series of the same name which was pretty much made up as it went along, Adams following whatever idea seemed to give him the best scope for a quick gag at the time. But somehow this all works and the story is remarkably coherent (although the book does veer away from the thread of the radio series at the very end). It has been said before that it resembles Gulliver's Travels as each new world reveals new wonders (or new banalities shining a light on our own humdrum existences here on Earth).
Oh the story? The book essentially follows one Arthur Dent, a completely unremarkable and normal human being apart from two things. Firstly his house is about to be demolished to make way for a bypass, a fact he was previously unaware of. Secondly his friend Ford Prefect (the book explains the name) is not from Guildford after all but from a small planet somewhere in the vicinity of Betelgeuse. When aliens show up to demolish the whole Earth to make way for an interstellar bypass, Ford saves Arthur from certain death and reveals he is a reporter for a book called The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy and he got stuck on Earth for rather a long time.
Arthur proceeds to have a rather horrible time being shot at, thrown out of spaceships, patronised and generally baffled by everything that is going on around him. But The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy is always on hand to try to explain things.
Incredibly amusing, brilliantly written and ultimately quoteable this not just a good book, it is something that really everyone should read.
I first came to the Hitchhiker's Guide series through this book. It was about 1981 I suppose and it was recommended by a school friend. I hadn't been aware of the radio series (although as luck would have it it was repeated on BBC Radio 4 within a few weeks) and it was a little while before the television adaptation appeared (which for all its faults - mainly a lack of budget - stayed true to the spirit of the books and the radio series rather more successfully than the film).
From the point I opened this and started reading I couldn't get enough Hitchhiker's Guide. Adams' style is so much like a swan on a lake - it all seems effortless on the surface but underneath there's a lot going on. As Adams' friend John Lloyd has commented, he had the ability to write backwards, so he would start with several pages of (what to other people would be) excellent material and after a couple of days' furious writing it would be down to 2 pages, but each sentence a carefully crafted gem. The result is like the difference between beer and vodka. You will enjoy drinking the beer but the distilled and concentrated vodka will knock you out.
There is real genius in the wit, ideas seemingly being pulled from nowhere and taking on a whole new aspect (towels for example). Delightful non-sequitors (especially from aliens who turn out to be pretty ordinary - or frequently less than ordinary), brilliant and inventive word play and sheer imagination and brio run through every page, all joined together by delightful asides from 'the book'.
The story itself is based on the radio series of the same name which was pretty much made up as it went along, Adams following whatever idea seemed to give him the best scope for a quick gag at the time. But somehow this all works and the story is remarkably coherent (although the book does veer away from the thread of the radio series at the very end). It has been said before that it resembles Gulliver's Travels as each new world reveals new wonders (or new banalities shining a light on our own humdrum existences here on Earth).
Oh the story? The book essentially follows one Arthur Dent, a completely unremarkable and normal human being apart from two things. Firstly his house is about to be demolished to make way for a bypass, a fact he was previously unaware of. Secondly his friend Ford Prefect (the book explains the name) is not from Guildford after all but from a small planet somewhere in the vicinity of Betelgeuse. When aliens show up to demolish the whole Earth to make way for an interstellar bypass, Ford saves Arthur from certain death and reveals he is a reporter for a book called The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy and he got stuck on Earth for rather a long time.
Arthur proceeds to have a rather horrible time being shot at, thrown out of spaceships, patronised and generally baffled by everything that is going on around him. But The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy is always on hand to try to explain things.
Incredibly amusing, brilliantly written and ultimately quoteable this not just a good book, it is something that really everyone should read.
Ross (3282 KP) Nov 16, 2018 (Updated Nov 16, 2018)
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) Nov 16, 2018