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Kyera (8 KP) rated A Wild and Unremarkable Thing in Books
Feb 1, 2018
A Wild and Unremarkable Thing had a very interesting premise that blended fantasy aspects like dragons, with Greek mythology and medieval lore. I love history and mythology, so this book immediately called to me. Unfortunately, it didn't entirely live up to my expectations for it although I did still enjoy my read. I believe that the biggest reason why it stumbled for me is how short the book is. At 238 pages, the author did not have enough time to adequately flesh out the plotline and characters leaving the story feeling rushed and the supporting characters unexplored.
The book is written through alternating points of view, which was a nice way to delve deeper into the character's psyche despite the short text. The main character is Cody, a girl who was born Cayda but has been forced by her father to train and lie her entire life with the hopes that she will slay a Fire Scale. She accepts the pain and commitment because the most important thing is to be able to provide for her family, especially her sisters. I wish that we had been able to get to know the sisters more so that we could form that bond with them and the book would have had more emotional weight.
The other two main characters were Penn and Wolfe. Penn was certainly the most interesting aspect of the story and I enjoyed seeing things from his perspective. Wolfe, on the other hand, was not a character that I related to or enjoyed reading. It was nice however to see things from his perspective as it offered a completely different life experience to view the hunt through.
The book also fell prey to the trope of insta-love, which I believe was also the fault of the story being so short. There was not adequate time to explore the relationship or infatuation between two characters before it seemed as if they were suddenly in love. It almost felt as if chapters of the story were missing because the development of bonds between characters or the plot would jump forward without sufficient explanation. The ending of the book felt incredibly rushed and I wish that it had been given the longer, more detailed conclusion that it deserved.
As a casual reader, I found that I enjoyed the overall story and the weaving of Greek mythology into the plot. Unfortunately, critically there were a number of different aspects that detracted from my enjoyment of the book or drew me out of the story. Despite that, I felt that the author's writing was well done and hope that she can bring more detail to her books in the future.
The book is written through alternating points of view, which was a nice way to delve deeper into the character's psyche despite the short text. The main character is Cody, a girl who was born Cayda but has been forced by her father to train and lie her entire life with the hopes that she will slay a Fire Scale. She accepts the pain and commitment because the most important thing is to be able to provide for her family, especially her sisters. I wish that we had been able to get to know the sisters more so that we could form that bond with them and the book would have had more emotional weight.
The other two main characters were Penn and Wolfe. Penn was certainly the most interesting aspect of the story and I enjoyed seeing things from his perspective. Wolfe, on the other hand, was not a character that I related to or enjoyed reading. It was nice however to see things from his perspective as it offered a completely different life experience to view the hunt through.
The book also fell prey to the trope of insta-love, which I believe was also the fault of the story being so short. There was not adequate time to explore the relationship or infatuation between two characters before it seemed as if they were suddenly in love. It almost felt as if chapters of the story were missing because the development of bonds between characters or the plot would jump forward without sufficient explanation. The ending of the book felt incredibly rushed and I wish that it had been given the longer, more detailed conclusion that it deserved.
As a casual reader, I found that I enjoyed the overall story and the weaving of Greek mythology into the plot. Unfortunately, critically there were a number of different aspects that detracted from my enjoyment of the book or drew me out of the story. Despite that, I felt that the author's writing was well done and hope that she can bring more detail to her books in the future.
Alan Watts Essential Lectures
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21 HOURS OF THE ALAN WATTS LECTURES YOU LOVE! Listen to The Alan Watts Essential Lectures on your...
Alison Pink (7 KP) rated The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus #5) in Books
Jan 15, 2018
Oh boy! He did it again...a cliffhanger, sort of. There was definitely room left at the end of this book for another series to be sprouted from this one. But, I for one, am not complaining at all! Every single book in every series Riordan has written have been great. This one was no exception at all. I was honestly afraid to read the last hundred pages or so because I was so afraid of what was going to happen or maybe I should say who was going to live or die. I have to say I am not at all disappointed with the conclusion of this series. I hesitate to even say more than that because I don't want to ruin it for all the fans out there. So I think I'll just end by saying I can't wait for the next series...Norse mythology.
ArecRain (8 KP) rated Lexin's Quest in Books
Jan 18, 2018
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
This is the second story I have read by Tamara Hartl, and further solidified my appreciation for her. If you have read her novel Dark Lord of Kismera, then you are familiar with her fantastic world and characters as well as her easy writing style. If you havent read Hartl before, I highly recommend her. Her Dark Lord series is a perfect mesh of fantasy and romance with a nice touch of heat. Her mythology is easy to understand and I didnt feel left behind when she described anything fantastical. I also feel that you dont have to read the first in the series to enjoy the second. The author lets you know everything pertinent to enjoy the story.
I recommend Hartl to anyone looking for a steamy fantasy with an amazing world.
This is the second story I have read by Tamara Hartl, and further solidified my appreciation for her. If you have read her novel Dark Lord of Kismera, then you are familiar with her fantastic world and characters as well as her easy writing style. If you havent read Hartl before, I highly recommend her. Her Dark Lord series is a perfect mesh of fantasy and romance with a nice touch of heat. Her mythology is easy to understand and I didnt feel left behind when she described anything fantastical. I also feel that you dont have to read the first in the series to enjoy the second. The author lets you know everything pertinent to enjoy the story.
I recommend Hartl to anyone looking for a steamy fantasy with an amazing world.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Hercules (1997) in Movies
Mar 23, 2020
Go The Distance
I love this movie, this is one of my favorite animation films of all time. Its a classic. You have great songs like.."The Gospel Truth", "Go The Distance", "Zero to Hero", "I Wont Say" and "A Star is Born".
The plot: Disney tackles Greek mythology in this animated feature. Hercules (Tate Donovan), a son of gods, was snatched as a baby by Hades (James Woods) and forced to live among mortals as a half-man, half-god. Now a teenager, Hercules needs to perform a rite of passage on Earth to prove himself worthy of living with the gods on Mount Olympus. With his plucky satyr sidekick, Philoctetes (Danny DeVito), along for the ride, Hercules must learn how to use his strength to defeat a series of evil creatures.
Such a excellent, classic disney animation movie.
The plot: Disney tackles Greek mythology in this animated feature. Hercules (Tate Donovan), a son of gods, was snatched as a baby by Hades (James Woods) and forced to live among mortals as a half-man, half-god. Now a teenager, Hercules needs to perform a rite of passage on Earth to prove himself worthy of living with the gods on Mount Olympus. With his plucky satyr sidekick, Philoctetes (Danny DeVito), along for the ride, Hercules must learn how to use his strength to defeat a series of evil creatures.
Such a excellent, classic disney animation movie.
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