Search
Search results
Good dark fantasy in an interesting setting
Faithless takes place in a world where blacksmithing is a big deal. Those who master the arts of smithing are priests in the religion of the Forgefather. The lowest class of people are those spending their lives down mines, struggling to find anything more valuable than coal in order to meet their tally and avoid a whipping. This is the essence of the world we are in, with an established class system and clear economy, based on metal ores.
There is a hint of magic here, with chanting at the forge, but until the final few chapters it is unclear whether this is magic or simply a way to mark time and ensure the metal is at the right temperature and worked at the right pace. Not overly labouring the magic here was an excellent choice by the author, as it keeps the attention on the mundane aspects of life, which is excellently told.
The story follows two main characters, firstly Wynn, a young lad sold (or mis-sold in his mind) by his father, a struggling farmer, into the mines for a life of back-breaking work down cramped, dangerous caves, endlessly trying to find enough ore to avoid a beating. His only chance of escaping the mines is to pass the tests and have a chance of ascending to the temple and possibly priesthood. Some way through the book we then meet Kharios, a young adult who appears to have somewhat failed in his first attempts at entering the priesthood (smithing) and is trying to get back to the forge.
The characters' stories are very similar, with hard, thankless, dangerous labour and periods of learning. For some time I struggled to tell the difference between them, thinking they seemed like very similar characters, but I have since re-thought that for reasons.
I found the pacing a little off. There were times I felt like I was reading a biography of a miner, rather than a fantasy novel, as long chapters are essentially that. And then these develop into long chapters learning smithing, was again a bit of a slog. And then all of a sudden we have periods of conflict down the mines, accidents, cave-ins, and the eventual calamity that leads to the second half of the book. The changes in pace were sudden and exciting, but the change was a little extreme at times.
I loved the way the two stories seemed at times independent yet similar, but eventually start to overlap. Though again, we have a change in pace where exciting, cataclysmic events are put aside for another chapter of walloping hot iron.
These pacing issues aside, this was an interesting and well written book with an unusual setting and a good message on belief systems.
There is a hint of magic here, with chanting at the forge, but until the final few chapters it is unclear whether this is magic or simply a way to mark time and ensure the metal is at the right temperature and worked at the right pace. Not overly labouring the magic here was an excellent choice by the author, as it keeps the attention on the mundane aspects of life, which is excellently told.
The story follows two main characters, firstly Wynn, a young lad sold (or mis-sold in his mind) by his father, a struggling farmer, into the mines for a life of back-breaking work down cramped, dangerous caves, endlessly trying to find enough ore to avoid a beating. His only chance of escaping the mines is to pass the tests and have a chance of ascending to the temple and possibly priesthood. Some way through the book we then meet Kharios, a young adult who appears to have somewhat failed in his first attempts at entering the priesthood (smithing) and is trying to get back to the forge.
The characters' stories are very similar, with hard, thankless, dangerous labour and periods of learning. For some time I struggled to tell the difference between them, thinking they seemed like very similar characters, but I have since re-thought that for reasons.
I found the pacing a little off. There were times I felt like I was reading a biography of a miner, rather than a fantasy novel, as long chapters are essentially that. And then these develop into long chapters learning smithing, was again a bit of a slog. And then all of a sudden we have periods of conflict down the mines, accidents, cave-ins, and the eventual calamity that leads to the second half of the book. The changes in pace were sudden and exciting, but the change was a little extreme at times.
I loved the way the two stories seemed at times independent yet similar, but eventually start to overlap. Though again, we have a change in pace where exciting, cataclysmic events are put aside for another chapter of walloping hot iron.
These pacing issues aside, this was an interesting and well written book with an unusual setting and a good message on belief systems.
Debbiereadsbook (1444 KP) rated In Safe Keeping (Heroes and Babies #2) in Books
Sep 3, 2019
excellent follow up!
Independent reviewer for Divine Magazine, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is book two in the Heroes and Babies series, but you do NOT need to have read book one, In Safe Hands, before you read this one. There is (or I didn’t pick it up) no relation between the two books, save the Hero and the Baby! But I recommend you do read it, because its bloody brilliant!
Lucas couldn’t save his son, who died in a fire 3 years ago, but saving Owen and baby Mia goes a little way to help. But Owen in clearly running, from what Lucas doesn’t know. His protective instincts are out the roof for Owen and Mia, and Lucas will do anything to keep them safe.
Book one got me out of a bit of a book funk and blew me away, and book two did too!
Lucas’ pain isn’t immediate obvious, and it takes time for the full picture to become clear. I mean, two thirds of the book before you get it ALL laid out for you! And not everything is how you think it’s gonna be! Love being kept on my toes.
The attraction Lucas has for Owen is also slow to become clear, sort of sneaking up on him. While Lucas was married to a woman, he doesn’t question his attraction to Owen, and just runs with it.
Owen’s pain is equally slow in coming out, and it’s not easy reading, not at all. Owen’s attraction to Lucas is powerful, but Owen questions whether that is just the situation, rather than anything real. When they finally get to the “good stuff” though, Owen knows who he wants, he just hopes Lucas feels the same.
Because of the creeping up on Lucas thing, it is not especially explicit, but then again, it doesn’t need to be. It is hot though, it just takes a long time, right till nearly the end of the book!
Again, we get to hear from the bad guy, although said bad guy isn’t quite as bad as one would think, just a man in a really bad place. It is quite graphic, the level of violence that occurs but I think the IS needed, for Owen’s fright to be fully explained, for you to understand what it is he is running from.
Both have guys a say, and you know that makes me happy! I wasn’t sure if Owen would, at first, but he does. Both voices are different, and well written.
I am, currently, listening to book one, and I was hearing Michael Pauley narrate this, so I would hope he does narrate this as well as he does book one!
5 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
This is book two in the Heroes and Babies series, but you do NOT need to have read book one, In Safe Hands, before you read this one. There is (or I didn’t pick it up) no relation between the two books, save the Hero and the Baby! But I recommend you do read it, because its bloody brilliant!
Lucas couldn’t save his son, who died in a fire 3 years ago, but saving Owen and baby Mia goes a little way to help. But Owen in clearly running, from what Lucas doesn’t know. His protective instincts are out the roof for Owen and Mia, and Lucas will do anything to keep them safe.
Book one got me out of a bit of a book funk and blew me away, and book two did too!
Lucas’ pain isn’t immediate obvious, and it takes time for the full picture to become clear. I mean, two thirds of the book before you get it ALL laid out for you! And not everything is how you think it’s gonna be! Love being kept on my toes.
The attraction Lucas has for Owen is also slow to become clear, sort of sneaking up on him. While Lucas was married to a woman, he doesn’t question his attraction to Owen, and just runs with it.
Owen’s pain is equally slow in coming out, and it’s not easy reading, not at all. Owen’s attraction to Lucas is powerful, but Owen questions whether that is just the situation, rather than anything real. When they finally get to the “good stuff” though, Owen knows who he wants, he just hopes Lucas feels the same.
Because of the creeping up on Lucas thing, it is not especially explicit, but then again, it doesn’t need to be. It is hot though, it just takes a long time, right till nearly the end of the book!
Again, we get to hear from the bad guy, although said bad guy isn’t quite as bad as one would think, just a man in a really bad place. It is quite graphic, the level of violence that occurs but I think the IS needed, for Owen’s fright to be fully explained, for you to understand what it is he is running from.
Both have guys a say, and you know that makes me happy! I wasn’t sure if Owen would, at first, but he does. Both voices are different, and well written.
I am, currently, listening to book one, and I was hearing Michael Pauley narrate this, so I would hope he does narrate this as well as he does book one!
5 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
HerCrazyReviews (247 KP) rated Super Size Me (2004) in Movies
Sep 8, 2019 (Updated Sep 8, 2019)
Fast Food May Be Bad But Most Points Made In This Documentary Are Worse
We had to watch this film in school when I was younger and I remember agreeing with most of his points. After re-watching this though, I agree with a few of his statements but what mainly puts me off is how he conducted his thirty day challenge. He went from exercising every day (more then the average person) and eating extremely healthy to not exercising at all and ordering RIDICULOUS sized portions. After ordering these portions instead of saving some for later (you know, like most people do) he decided that he had to eat it all which caused him to constantly throw up. He did this over and over! His doctor also recommended to drink water instead of constantly drinking pop. Even told him that this would help him out a lot but he still didn’t listen. Like, DUDE, listen to your freaking doctors. Instead, he decided not to put his health in peril. I don’t get why he wouldn’t because obviously McDonalds serves water and not everyone gets pop.
This could have been a great documentary talking about how bad fast food is. Which I mean, most people already know about, but he still could have made serious points. And I will admit there were point in here that were good. Such as the Super Size portions are not necessary and when he interviewed that doctor whose family founded an ice cream business. When the doctor was describing the connection between his family’s severe health problems and their eating habits I felt like that was an excellent point! Other then that though most points aren’t proven in the best way possible. Plus, he was adding in bits that didn’t even connect to the fact that fast food is bad. For example, when he showed a child a card with Jesus on it and was surprised that the kid didn’t know Jesus but knew Ronald McDonald. Dude, there is more then one religion out there and not everyone is even religious! (This just upset me a ton!)
I’m just going to jump straight into it and say this documentary pisses me off. While, yes, some people may be obese it isn’t always because they eat too much fast food. There are other reasons why they may not be societies perfect skinny ass version of the normal weight. I do understand though that he is focusing on people being overweight because of fast food not because health reasons or why the BMI index is wrong. I just think that he is going to extreme lengths on purpose which showed an inaccurate representation of what fast food does to the normal consumer because most people don’t eat fast food everyday like Don Gorske.
This could have been a great documentary talking about how bad fast food is. Which I mean, most people already know about, but he still could have made serious points. And I will admit there were point in here that were good. Such as the Super Size portions are not necessary and when he interviewed that doctor whose family founded an ice cream business. When the doctor was describing the connection between his family’s severe health problems and their eating habits I felt like that was an excellent point! Other then that though most points aren’t proven in the best way possible. Plus, he was adding in bits that didn’t even connect to the fact that fast food is bad. For example, when he showed a child a card with Jesus on it and was surprised that the kid didn’t know Jesus but knew Ronald McDonald. Dude, there is more then one religion out there and not everyone is even religious! (This just upset me a ton!)
I’m just going to jump straight into it and say this documentary pisses me off. While, yes, some people may be obese it isn’t always because they eat too much fast food. There are other reasons why they may not be societies perfect skinny ass version of the normal weight. I do understand though that he is focusing on people being overweight because of fast food not because health reasons or why the BMI index is wrong. I just think that he is going to extreme lengths on purpose which showed an inaccurate representation of what fast food does to the normal consumer because most people don’t eat fast food everyday like Don Gorske.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Groupers (2019) in Movies
Sep 16, 2019
Characters – Meg is the mastermind behind the plan, she wants to use the experiment for her studies and to get revenge on the bullies from her brother’s school experience, she does remain in control of the situation for the most part, until we learn she isn’t alone in her plan. Brad is the typical high school jock, he thinks he is gods gift to women and will pick on anybody different, including pushing homosexuals to limits they shouldn’t, he isn’t willing to accept them in his world and does struggle to deal with the situation. Dylan is the other bully, he is the type of bully that just follows the leader and when put in the situation the pair find themselves in, seems to start showing his true nature, one that Brad doesn’t like. Orin is the brother that was the victim of the hate crime, what happened to him pushes Meg into her actions. We do also have a couple of groups of colourful characters that put a spanner in the works of the plan.
Performances – We have an excellent cast here, with Nicole Dambro taking centre stage on the more serious side of the film, while Cameron Duckett getting the most laughs from the main cast. Peter Mayer-Klepchick does a great job too and for the final act we do have everyone hitting the high points in the performance.
Story – The story here follows a woman that wants to experiment on a couple of school bullies that treated her brother homophobically and wants to prove that you can’t choose whether to be homosexual or not. This does start by coming off like a twisted revenge styled movie, with the story coming off like that, it is the second half of the film where we get to put over the message that was wanted to put forward, even if it is done with the comical tone at times. The story does have the prospective rewind idea, which does give each scene a new light, which is good to see. This is a story that does go in a different direction that you would expect and will surprise you at times.
Comedy – The comedy does come in strong in the second half of the film, where everything adds up and gives us laugh in every line.
Settings – The film is set entirely in one location, the pool in the abandoned neighbourhood, it does give the events a real-time feel too.
Scene of the Movie – Durant settles everything.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Certain moments do get repeated too much.
Final Thoughts – This is a funny comedy that still manages to get the important message across too. It has great performance from the whole cast too.
Overall: Comedy that will make you laugh a lot.
Performances – We have an excellent cast here, with Nicole Dambro taking centre stage on the more serious side of the film, while Cameron Duckett getting the most laughs from the main cast. Peter Mayer-Klepchick does a great job too and for the final act we do have everyone hitting the high points in the performance.
Story – The story here follows a woman that wants to experiment on a couple of school bullies that treated her brother homophobically and wants to prove that you can’t choose whether to be homosexual or not. This does start by coming off like a twisted revenge styled movie, with the story coming off like that, it is the second half of the film where we get to put over the message that was wanted to put forward, even if it is done with the comical tone at times. The story does have the prospective rewind idea, which does give each scene a new light, which is good to see. This is a story that does go in a different direction that you would expect and will surprise you at times.
Comedy – The comedy does come in strong in the second half of the film, where everything adds up and gives us laugh in every line.
Settings – The film is set entirely in one location, the pool in the abandoned neighbourhood, it does give the events a real-time feel too.
Scene of the Movie – Durant settles everything.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Certain moments do get repeated too much.
Final Thoughts – This is a funny comedy that still manages to get the important message across too. It has great performance from the whole cast too.
Overall: Comedy that will make you laugh a lot.
Becs (244 KP) rated Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1) in Books
Aug 23, 2019
Captivating story that leaves you enthralled
You can also find this review along with others on my blog: bookingwayreads.wordpress.com
TRIGGER WARNINGS: violence, manipulation, death, blood, absent of parent(s), emotional abuse, anger issues, anxiety – panic attacks, talk of hallucinations
Review:
Firstly, I did not realize that Shadow and Bone was set in Russia or should I say – based on Russia and spun into a fantasy filled folklore novel. It starts off strong in the prologue and holds that captivating appeal throughout. I was enthralled with the whole basis of the story.
The one thing that knocked half of a star off of this review is the extremely overused trope of “the main character is ordinary and then finds out that they are extraordinary.” In Leigh Bardugo’s doing, this trope works perfectly well with the plot line of this story. But it made me really dislike the main character, Alina, quite a lot. Behind that awful trope, lies a girl who is not only strong, but shows intelligence and loyalty. Alina was also extremely relatable through her sarcastic perceptiveness but there was something else about her that I couldn’t put my finger on and found rather annoying.
The Darkling on the other hand was this morally gray character that fascinated me. For example: how he is willing to be ruthless just to pursue his goal of freeing Ravka from the Shadow Fold. His sarcasm that outwits Alina’s. His good looks and charms. I love to hate him! Plus that one scene had me heated from head to toe. If only The Darkling were real…
Overall, all of the characters were multidimensional and extremely interesting! The pacing of Shadow and Bone was done excruciating well and I was absorbed in this fantastical world of magic and war, love and mystery. Finding out more of who the Grisha truly were, kept me turning page after page. The chemistry between characters was even amazing! There was a bit of a love triangle style of trope, yet it wasn’t quite that exactly. All in all, Leigh did an excellent job with giving Alina more than one love interest but showing how vastly different feelings she feels for each.
The plot was extremely engaging and continued on, even after the climax. It enthralled the reader, calling them with a whisper that is interwoven with a dark energy, seeking to break your heart. I did not notice any spelling and/ or grammatical errors that took away from the story. I do however want to know more of not only Alina’s and Ravkas fate, but The Darklings as well.
Leigh Bardugo, why do you do cruel things to me…
“What is infinite? The universe and the greed of men.”
TRIGGER WARNINGS: violence, manipulation, death, blood, absent of parent(s), emotional abuse, anger issues, anxiety – panic attacks, talk of hallucinations
Review:
Firstly, I did not realize that Shadow and Bone was set in Russia or should I say – based on Russia and spun into a fantasy filled folklore novel. It starts off strong in the prologue and holds that captivating appeal throughout. I was enthralled with the whole basis of the story.
The one thing that knocked half of a star off of this review is the extremely overused trope of “the main character is ordinary and then finds out that they are extraordinary.” In Leigh Bardugo’s doing, this trope works perfectly well with the plot line of this story. But it made me really dislike the main character, Alina, quite a lot. Behind that awful trope, lies a girl who is not only strong, but shows intelligence and loyalty. Alina was also extremely relatable through her sarcastic perceptiveness but there was something else about her that I couldn’t put my finger on and found rather annoying.
The Darkling on the other hand was this morally gray character that fascinated me. For example: how he is willing to be ruthless just to pursue his goal of freeing Ravka from the Shadow Fold. His sarcasm that outwits Alina’s. His good looks and charms. I love to hate him! Plus that one scene had me heated from head to toe. If only The Darkling were real…
Overall, all of the characters were multidimensional and extremely interesting! The pacing of Shadow and Bone was done excruciating well and I was absorbed in this fantastical world of magic and war, love and mystery. Finding out more of who the Grisha truly were, kept me turning page after page. The chemistry between characters was even amazing! There was a bit of a love triangle style of trope, yet it wasn’t quite that exactly. All in all, Leigh did an excellent job with giving Alina more than one love interest but showing how vastly different feelings she feels for each.
The plot was extremely engaging and continued on, even after the climax. It enthralled the reader, calling them with a whisper that is interwoven with a dark energy, seeking to break your heart. I did not notice any spelling and/ or grammatical errors that took away from the story. I do however want to know more of not only Alina’s and Ravkas fate, but The Darklings as well.
Leigh Bardugo, why do you do cruel things to me…
“What is infinite? The universe and the greed of men.”
Hurricane Tracker
Weather
App
8 years of tracking storms on iOS! Hurricane Tracker launched in Aug 2009! Reviewed by CNN as the...
Speak & Translate - Translator
Productivity and Reference
App
Speak & Translate is an indispensable voice and text translator that allows you to communicate...
World Conqueror 1945
Games and Entertainment
App
World Conqueror 1945 is a new style strategy game on the background of WWⅡ(Super Risk). In the...
MyBrushes Pro: Paint and Draw
Photo & Video and Entertainment
App
On Sale. Original $4.99. MyBrushes Pro is a revolutionary, infinite canvas drawing app that allows...