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Ali A (82 KP) rated How To Succeed in Witchcraft in Books
Sep 27, 2022
Trigger Warnings: Grooming, prejudice, racism
Shay Johnson is a junior at T.K. Anderson Magical Magnet School and has done everything she possibly can to win the full-ride Brockton Scholarship - her ticket into the university of her dreams. Her only real competition is Ana Alvarez, but Shay also knows if she can impress Mr.B, the drama teacher and head of the scholarship committee, she’ll have an upper leg.
When Mr.B “persuades” Shay into being in the school’s racially diverse musical, in their no-so-diverse school, she agrees, and lands the leading role. But Ana is right behind her playing the second female lead. With the start of rehearsals, Shay realizes Ana isn’t the intense enemy she’s always thought she was… perhaps, she would be a friend, or more?
But when Shay gets asked by Mr.B to do some one-on-one practicing for the musical, she finds herself on the receiving end of Mr.B’s unpleasant and unwanted attention. When Shay learns she’s not the first witch to experience his inappropriate behavior, she must decide if she’ll come forward. But, will speaking out cancel her opportunity for the scholarship - her future?
This book deals with a lot of hard topics: grooming, prejudice, abuse of power, racism. I feel like Aislinn Brophy did a good job in writing the predatory actions that Mr.B was doing with Shay - every time something between them happened, it made my skin crawl.
I did enjoy the enemy-to-lovers storyline; or should I say misunderstandings-to-lovers storyline? It was cute and adorable and nothing drastically changed afterwards (besides more cuteness).
Though the title I feel like the title is a little deceiving, I still liked that magic was a part of the world here, but that magic doesn’t fix everything. Even in a world where you can fly around on brooms and make potions to help you wake up, the world is still far from perfect.
Overall, this is a magic-filled book that dives into where one draws the line on what they will allow to happen in order to get something they’ve worked so hard for their entire life. A good read for the witchy season coming up, but also a good read for the message behind it.
*Thank you G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Reads and BookishFirst for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Shay Johnson is a junior at T.K. Anderson Magical Magnet School and has done everything she possibly can to win the full-ride Brockton Scholarship - her ticket into the university of her dreams. Her only real competition is Ana Alvarez, but Shay also knows if she can impress Mr.B, the drama teacher and head of the scholarship committee, she’ll have an upper leg.
When Mr.B “persuades” Shay into being in the school’s racially diverse musical, in their no-so-diverse school, she agrees, and lands the leading role. But Ana is right behind her playing the second female lead. With the start of rehearsals, Shay realizes Ana isn’t the intense enemy she’s always thought she was… perhaps, she would be a friend, or more?
But when Shay gets asked by Mr.B to do some one-on-one practicing for the musical, she finds herself on the receiving end of Mr.B’s unpleasant and unwanted attention. When Shay learns she’s not the first witch to experience his inappropriate behavior, she must decide if she’ll come forward. But, will speaking out cancel her opportunity for the scholarship - her future?
This book deals with a lot of hard topics: grooming, prejudice, abuse of power, racism. I feel like Aislinn Brophy did a good job in writing the predatory actions that Mr.B was doing with Shay - every time something between them happened, it made my skin crawl.
I did enjoy the enemy-to-lovers storyline; or should I say misunderstandings-to-lovers storyline? It was cute and adorable and nothing drastically changed afterwards (besides more cuteness).
Though the title I feel like the title is a little deceiving, I still liked that magic was a part of the world here, but that magic doesn’t fix everything. Even in a world where you can fly around on brooms and make potions to help you wake up, the world is still far from perfect.
Overall, this is a magic-filled book that dives into where one draws the line on what they will allow to happen in order to get something they’ve worked so hard for their entire life. A good read for the witchy season coming up, but also a good read for the message behind it.
*Thank you G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Reads and BookishFirst for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
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Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated Guns Akimbo (2019) in Movies
Jan 17, 2021
Contains spoilers, click to show
I'll start by saying that 'Guns Akimbo' is not for everyone. It's an ultra-violent, stupid, no brain action/comedy movie, and it doesn't pretended to be anything else. If you've seen the picture/meme of Daniel Radcliffe standing in a street in a dressing gown and bear-feet slippers waving two guns around then you've seen a publicity shot (and in some cases the DVD/Blu-ray cover) for' Guns Akimbo'.
The films premise is simple(ish), Miles (Daniel 'Harry Potter' Radcliffe) is a programmer for a mobile games company who's main outlet it getting inappropriate videos taken down and confronting internet Trolls. One day he comes across a site for 'Skizm', a real life, ultra violent game. Skizm don't take kindly to some of Miles's comments and break into his home and drug him. When Miles wakes up he has a gun bolted to both of his hands and is told that he has to kill Nix, the current top Skizm player or she will kill him.
'Guns Akimbo' does not hold back on anything, the film is filled with violence and drug use (including comparing the use of an asthma inhaler to taking cocaine), the humour is often immature (see Miles trying to work out how to go to the loo with guns bolted to his hands) and the sound track is fast and thumping. The film is made to feel like a real life computer game almost in the same way as 'Scott Pilgrim vs the World' and, in some ways comparing Guns Akimbo to Scott Pilgrim isn't wrong, Guns Akimbo is a lot more violent but, if Scot Pilgrim is a fighting game (such as Mortal Combat) then Guns Akimbo is a Doom Style shoot 'em Up. Guns Akimbo even has Scot Pilgrim style graphics occasionally interspersed through out.
The main problem I had with 'Guns Akimbo' is that it hasn't got a U.K. release, it's been released almost everywhere else but not here and, with no information as to why or when I can only assume that it's because our all powerful BBFC won't rate it or, at the very least want too many cuts to make it 15.
So, if you want an over the top violent film that you don't need to think about and you don't mind drug use, blood and daft humour then give 'Guns Akimbo' a go. Oddly there is no sex, I think this must be because it would get in the way of the violence.
The films premise is simple(ish), Miles (Daniel 'Harry Potter' Radcliffe) is a programmer for a mobile games company who's main outlet it getting inappropriate videos taken down and confronting internet Trolls. One day he comes across a site for 'Skizm', a real life, ultra violent game. Skizm don't take kindly to some of Miles's comments and break into his home and drug him. When Miles wakes up he has a gun bolted to both of his hands and is told that he has to kill Nix, the current top Skizm player or she will kill him.
'Guns Akimbo' does not hold back on anything, the film is filled with violence and drug use (including comparing the use of an asthma inhaler to taking cocaine), the humour is often immature (see Miles trying to work out how to go to the loo with guns bolted to his hands) and the sound track is fast and thumping. The film is made to feel like a real life computer game almost in the same way as 'Scott Pilgrim vs the World' and, in some ways comparing Guns Akimbo to Scott Pilgrim isn't wrong, Guns Akimbo is a lot more violent but, if Scot Pilgrim is a fighting game (such as Mortal Combat) then Guns Akimbo is a Doom Style shoot 'em Up. Guns Akimbo even has Scot Pilgrim style graphics occasionally interspersed through out.
The main problem I had with 'Guns Akimbo' is that it hasn't got a U.K. release, it's been released almost everywhere else but not here and, with no information as to why or when I can only assume that it's because our all powerful BBFC won't rate it or, at the very least want too many cuts to make it 15.
So, if you want an over the top violent film that you don't need to think about and you don't mind drug use, blood and daft humour then give 'Guns Akimbo' a go. Oddly there is no sex, I think this must be because it would get in the way of the violence.
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Ross (3284 KP) rated The Wheel of Osheim in Books
May 23, 2018
Contains spoilers, click to show
The conclusion of the Red Queen's War trilogy is a significant improvement over the previous book, The Liar's Key. Though again this is a book of two halves: the first half following Jalan as he travels home from the Afriquan desert and is tasked with defending his home city from invasion; the second half sees him meet up with old friends and travel back to the eponymous Wheel to try and halt mankind's destruction and stop "the wheel" from turning.
I loved the first half of this book - Jalan is a much easier character to like/put up with on his own, and the city defence against siege was some of the most enjoyable of Lawrence's work, for me.
The second half was a definite nose-dive. Jalan goes back to being an insufferable coward (and given his companions say and do very little this makes these scenes quite a trudge). And it seems as if this was the chance to suddenly explain the point of the earlier "companion" Broken Empire trilogy and cram in loads of science and philosophy. Suddenly we went from knowing next to nothing but occasional hints to being repeatedly told what had happened 1100 years ago and what is still happening. And then in the last few pages, all back to normal, having no idea what was real or not.
At the end of The Liar's Key, I had such anticipation for this book: Jalan and Snorri entering Hell to try and bring back Snorri's family. This became such a massive anti-climax - the whole journey through Hell was covered in about 20 pages total and nothing of any import happened at all. It was a complete let-down.
One of the standout aspects of The Broken Empire trilogy was how two different timelines were maintained and meshed together beautifully at the perfect pace. Here we have an element of that, but Lawrence seems to feel the need to have a reason for Jalan to be experiencing the other timeline (in Liar's Key is was due to a magic spell which had unexpected recurring side-effects, here it is either through having flashbacks at inappropriate times or being told a story by Snorri) - it just totally jars when this suddenly has to happen.
The conclusion of the book I found very unsatisfying - too many key events/characters/plot points were suddenly thrown into one room fighting for attention and resolution - and what were meant to be epic foes to be bested were defeated fairly easily. And then the actual climax - a complete load of philosophical nonsense completely unravelling everything (not in a "woah, that blew my mind" way, more of a "well, what was the point then and what about ... ").
Overall a mostly great book but with some downright annoying aspects and a deeply unsatisfactory ending.
I loved the first half of this book - Jalan is a much easier character to like/put up with on his own, and the city defence against siege was some of the most enjoyable of Lawrence's work, for me.
The second half was a definite nose-dive. Jalan goes back to being an insufferable coward (and given his companions say and do very little this makes these scenes quite a trudge). And it seems as if this was the chance to suddenly explain the point of the earlier "companion" Broken Empire trilogy and cram in loads of science and philosophy. Suddenly we went from knowing next to nothing but occasional hints to being repeatedly told what had happened 1100 years ago and what is still happening. And then in the last few pages, all back to normal, having no idea what was real or not.
At the end of The Liar's Key, I had such anticipation for this book: Jalan and Snorri entering Hell to try and bring back Snorri's family. This became such a massive anti-climax - the whole journey through Hell was covered in about 20 pages total and nothing of any import happened at all. It was a complete let-down.
One of the standout aspects of The Broken Empire trilogy was how two different timelines were maintained and meshed together beautifully at the perfect pace. Here we have an element of that, but Lawrence seems to feel the need to have a reason for Jalan to be experiencing the other timeline (in Liar's Key is was due to a magic spell which had unexpected recurring side-effects, here it is either through having flashbacks at inappropriate times or being told a story by Snorri) - it just totally jars when this suddenly has to happen.
The conclusion of the book I found very unsatisfying - too many key events/characters/plot points were suddenly thrown into one room fighting for attention and resolution - and what were meant to be epic foes to be bested were defeated fairly easily. And then the actual climax - a complete load of philosophical nonsense completely unravelling everything (not in a "woah, that blew my mind" way, more of a "well, what was the point then and what about ... ").
Overall a mostly great book but with some downright annoying aspects and a deeply unsatisfactory ending.
The Craggus (360 KP) rated The Queens Corgi (2019) in Movies
Jul 8, 2019
The Queen's Corgi is a vicious mongrel
There’re so many problematic aspects to “The Queen’s Corgi” it’s kind of baffling it ever made it to cinema screens. A cute cartoon fable about the Queen’s beloved pets may seem like a slam-dunk for the Saturday kid’s club crowd and, if you’re determined to see it, it’s definitely worth waiting for it to reach the bargain screening circuit. Nobody should pay full price to see this.
At its core, it’s a story of Rex (Jack Whitehall), an adorable but arrogant Corgi who lets being the ‘top dog’ go to his head and ends up in the doghouse, stranded outside the Palace and at the mercy of the ferocious leader of the pack at the local dog pound. So far, so predictable.
Where “The Queen’s Corgi” surprises is in its decision to include in cutesy cartoon the divisive figure of President Trump and his current wife, especially as it involves the real-life self-confessed sexual predator in a sub-plot about mating his (fictional) Corgi with one of the Queen’s pets, a storyline rife with casual coercion and canine sexual assault. From that tawdry and uncomfortable opening, we progress onwards to the meat of the plot which sees Rex encounter an underground dogfighting ring operating at the Pound.
Add in a couple of pretty scary sequences involving nearly getting run over, a surprisingly graphic near-drowning and an attempted murder by arson and you start to understand why this European production has been rated PG when its subject should be an easy-U. It earns it.
Some of this will, of course, pass over the heads of younger children, at least on a conscious level, but there’s such a nasty undertone to the whole movie that you should be thinking twice about seeing it. To UK children, of course, Donald Trump is something of a distant, already cartoonish figure, possibly a bit of a bogeyman but the casual humanisation and normalising of a figure like Trump is a dangerous and slippery slope (as Jimmy Kimmel can attest to) and sets an unpleasant precedent for future ‘family entertainment’. The fact that it pokes fun at him up to and including him getting bitten in the dick by a Corgi doesn’t mitigate his appearance, it just makes it more inappropriate.
I’m genuinely surprised this has been allowed to pass without comment from the Royal Household but perhaps they hope it will quickly fade into obscurity, even though this would benefit from a more activist Royal prerogative – this is one movie that should be sent to The Tower for the rest of its life.
At its core, it’s a story of Rex (Jack Whitehall), an adorable but arrogant Corgi who lets being the ‘top dog’ go to his head and ends up in the doghouse, stranded outside the Palace and at the mercy of the ferocious leader of the pack at the local dog pound. So far, so predictable.
Where “The Queen’s Corgi” surprises is in its decision to include in cutesy cartoon the divisive figure of President Trump and his current wife, especially as it involves the real-life self-confessed sexual predator in a sub-plot about mating his (fictional) Corgi with one of the Queen’s pets, a storyline rife with casual coercion and canine sexual assault. From that tawdry and uncomfortable opening, we progress onwards to the meat of the plot which sees Rex encounter an underground dogfighting ring operating at the Pound.
Add in a couple of pretty scary sequences involving nearly getting run over, a surprisingly graphic near-drowning and an attempted murder by arson and you start to understand why this European production has been rated PG when its subject should be an easy-U. It earns it.
Some of this will, of course, pass over the heads of younger children, at least on a conscious level, but there’s such a nasty undertone to the whole movie that you should be thinking twice about seeing it. To UK children, of course, Donald Trump is something of a distant, already cartoonish figure, possibly a bit of a bogeyman but the casual humanisation and normalising of a figure like Trump is a dangerous and slippery slope (as Jimmy Kimmel can attest to) and sets an unpleasant precedent for future ‘family entertainment’. The fact that it pokes fun at him up to and including him getting bitten in the dick by a Corgi doesn’t mitigate his appearance, it just makes it more inappropriate.
I’m genuinely surprised this has been allowed to pass without comment from the Royal Household but perhaps they hope it will quickly fade into obscurity, even though this would benefit from a more activist Royal prerogative – this is one movie that should be sent to The Tower for the rest of its life.
Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated Bitter Memory in Books
Feb 4, 2020
Honest Review for Free Copy of Book
Bitter Memory by Sion Nicholas is an interesting book focused on a distant planet where scientist are trying to save the Earth. This read is interesting as much as it is a warning to us about what could happen if we don’t take care of the Earth.
Scarlett Robins meets her husband while in college studying ways to help end the hunger riots taking place all across the globe. Caleb, her husband, was a guest lecturer for Scarlett’s class and her professor introduced them thinking they would find each other's ideas interesting. During one of their first conversations, the couple talk about grouping crops for research on a distant planet where they wouldn’t affect the Earth’s ecosystem.
Fast forward a few years later to find Scarlett and Caleb as part of a five-person team on Pygmalion 6, a distant planet, to work on solving the food shortage. Upon arrival Scarlett boots up the computer systems and initializes all security programs, not realizing that she just made a deadly mistake. It takes years before Scarlett and the rest of the team discover just what actions she set in place that fateful first day. Too bad it may already be too late to save anyone from the greedy company they all work for.
I really enjoyed the twist towards the end of the book. The book was only mildly predictable compared to others of a similar genera, which was nice. Overall the plot was well thought out and well written. There was a fair amount of technical talk especially about the bees and their relationship to the plants. While I understand its importance to the background of the story I felt like it went into unnecessary detail.
Young adults and adults alike will enjoy this book. There was very little to no inappropriate scenes in this book, plus it only hints at any kind of adult content. That being said high school and older should be alright to read this and most middle school students should be able to handle it with no problem. I rate this book a 3 out of 4. The over detailed technical stuff seemed to take something away from the overall story. Almost as if the book was supposed to be much more in-depth and bigger than what it was. It is because of this that I decided not to give the book a perfect score. Other than that one flaw the book was amazing.
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Scarlett Robins meets her husband while in college studying ways to help end the hunger riots taking place all across the globe. Caleb, her husband, was a guest lecturer for Scarlett’s class and her professor introduced them thinking they would find each other's ideas interesting. During one of their first conversations, the couple talk about grouping crops for research on a distant planet where they wouldn’t affect the Earth’s ecosystem.
Fast forward a few years later to find Scarlett and Caleb as part of a five-person team on Pygmalion 6, a distant planet, to work on solving the food shortage. Upon arrival Scarlett boots up the computer systems and initializes all security programs, not realizing that she just made a deadly mistake. It takes years before Scarlett and the rest of the team discover just what actions she set in place that fateful first day. Too bad it may already be too late to save anyone from the greedy company they all work for.
I really enjoyed the twist towards the end of the book. The book was only mildly predictable compared to others of a similar genera, which was nice. Overall the plot was well thought out and well written. There was a fair amount of technical talk especially about the bees and their relationship to the plants. While I understand its importance to the background of the story I felt like it went into unnecessary detail.
Young adults and adults alike will enjoy this book. There was very little to no inappropriate scenes in this book, plus it only hints at any kind of adult content. That being said high school and older should be alright to read this and most middle school students should be able to handle it with no problem. I rate this book a 3 out of 4. The over detailed technical stuff seemed to take something away from the overall story. Almost as if the book was supposed to be much more in-depth and bigger than what it was. It is because of this that I decided not to give the book a perfect score. Other than that one flaw the book was amazing.
https://nightreaderreviews.blogspot.com
https://facebook.com/nightreaderreviews
https://www.austinmacauley.com/book/bitter-memory