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Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated The Legend of Tarzan (2016) in Movies
Jul 19, 2017
A boring retelling of a story we have all heard before
I fell asleep watching this, in the cinema, which is something that I never do. Don’t bother with this one, the performances are lazy, Margot Robbie is a rubbish Jane, Alexander Skarrsgard looks great as Tarzan until he opens his mouth and Sam Jackson and Cristoph Waltz just play the parts that you would expect them to play. The movie hits all the beats you would expect it to and although I only saw the beginning and end of the movie, that was plenty. Totally unremarkable and forgettable.
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A great retelling of Cinderella's story. Set in the future the world is struggling against a deadly disease that has no known cure. As the disease spreads faster the royal family is also in hostile negotiations with the splinter society living on the moon called Luna. Cinder is a cyborg living with an adopitve family in a world where cyborgs and androids are property. Cinder is a highly acclaimed mechanic and her skills lead her to a meeting with the emperor's son. Multiple circumstances lead to Cinder landing in jail and her whole life being turned upside down.
BobbiesDustyPages (1259 KP) rated To Kill a Kingdom in Books
Feb 13, 2019
I really didn't know what to expect from this one but everyone I know all agreed it was good and while a fairytale retelling it was still unique enough that it felt like it's own story. and I have to agree 100%. The characters were all great but my favorite by far was Lira the main character.
The plot was fun and the writing was great I honestly did not want to put this down, my favorite thing by far was there was no instalove and each character grew but still stayed on the darker side.
The plot was fun and the writing was great I honestly did not want to put this down, my favorite thing by far was there was no instalove and each character grew but still stayed on the darker side.
David McK (3251 KP) rated The Gods of Mars (Barsoom #2) in Books
Jan 28, 2019
The sequel to <i>A Princess of Mars</i>, <i>The Gods of Mars</i> again is presented as Edgar Rice Burroughs retelling the story of a relation of his. Again, this novel starts on Earth before moving to Mars proper and fleshing out the world first shown in the earlier book.
It is also, quite clearly, a product of it's time both in it's vision of Barsoom (or Mars), and in the culture of the various races upon (and underneath) the planet, and also ends - rather abruptly, I felt - in a cliffhanger of an ending.
It is also, quite clearly, a product of it's time both in it's vision of Barsoom (or Mars), and in the culture of the various races upon (and underneath) the planet, and also ends - rather abruptly, I felt - in a cliffhanger of an ending.
David McK (3251 KP) rated Concrete Jungle in Books
Jan 30, 2019
I'm not sure which came first, but at the very start you could be forgiven for thinking you're reading Predator 2: the Novelisation, as it is almost an identikit retelling of that film. After a while, however, it does head off on it's own territory, taking in the Colombian jungle of the first film before heading back to New York for the final throw-down.
It's not the best book I've ever read (or even the best based on characters in a film), but it's also not the worst. Passes a few days (two or so) easy reading, at the very least.
It's not the best book I've ever read (or even the best based on characters in a film), but it's also not the worst. Passes a few days (two or so) easy reading, at the very least.
Only Mr Darcy Will Do
6.0
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After her father's death, Elizabeth Bennet goes to work as a governess. Little does she know the...
Romance Pride and Prejudice Retelling Regency Historical fiction
Marie Curie
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Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated UnEnchanted in Books
Jan 6, 2021
I downloaded this 18 months ago, not long after receiving my first kindle, and I was obsessed with freebies. Since then I've read a lot of books and I now know my tastes a lot better.
This wasn't to my liking.
I thought it would be some retelling of a fairy-tale but it wasn't quite like that. I'll admit it was rather imaginative, plot-wise, but it didn't grab me as much as I'd have liked. The best bit for me was the slight romance between Mina and Brody.
It could also do with a little editing.
This wasn't to my liking.
I thought it would be some retelling of a fairy-tale but it wasn't quite like that. I'll admit it was rather imaginative, plot-wise, but it didn't grab me as much as I'd have liked. The best bit for me was the slight romance between Mina and Brody.
It could also do with a little editing.
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Never Never in Books
Sep 6, 2017
Fantastic retelling of Peter Pan from Hook's point of view
Where do I start with this one? I had ups and downs with this book. It’s a retelling of Peter Pan, from Captain Hook’s viewpoint. And it reveals that James Hook was actually a boy taken to Neverland who thought it was going to be temporary, but then Pan refused to take him home.
I LOVE that it showed Hook as a sympathetic character. And in my interpretation, Hook is still that lonely 13-year-old boy that Pan stole, artificially aged through the tricks of Neverland. Being a 13-year-old boy explains the hysterical fear of the crocodile, and the blind rages at Pan. He’s still a child, without the emotional maturity of a man, and that explains a lot of his actions in the original Disney movie. (Which is incorporated in the last part of the book.)
I was disappointed in the ending of the book. Not in the writing – the writing was fantastic – but in the actual events. I wanted a different ending. (I’m trying not to spoil too much!)
And Hook’s romance – well. It was unexpected, but it made sense, and I enjoyed it. For a while it was the only pure thing he had, but even that was spoiled by Pan. Hook really just couldn’t catch a break.
It’ll be interesting to see how this compares to the other Hook retellings out there, which I’m planning to read as well – Peter Pan is one of my husband’s favorite fairy tales, and I love seeing fairy tales from the villain’s point of view.
To sum up: A solid retelling from Captain’s Hook point of view – the ending was not quite what I wanted, but villain’s stories almost never end happily for the villain, I suppose. Definitely worth the read.
You can find all of my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
I LOVE that it showed Hook as a sympathetic character. And in my interpretation, Hook is still that lonely 13-year-old boy that Pan stole, artificially aged through the tricks of Neverland. Being a 13-year-old boy explains the hysterical fear of the crocodile, and the blind rages at Pan. He’s still a child, without the emotional maturity of a man, and that explains a lot of his actions in the original Disney movie. (Which is incorporated in the last part of the book.)
I was disappointed in the ending of the book. Not in the writing – the writing was fantastic – but in the actual events. I wanted a different ending. (I’m trying not to spoil too much!)
And Hook’s romance – well. It was unexpected, but it made sense, and I enjoyed it. For a while it was the only pure thing he had, but even that was spoiled by Pan. Hook really just couldn’t catch a break.
It’ll be interesting to see how this compares to the other Hook retellings out there, which I’m planning to read as well – Peter Pan is one of my husband’s favorite fairy tales, and I love seeing fairy tales from the villain’s point of view.
To sum up: A solid retelling from Captain’s Hook point of view – the ending was not quite what I wanted, but villain’s stories almost never end happily for the villain, I suppose. Definitely worth the read.
You can find all of my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
Kyera (8 KP) rated Beheld (Kendra Chronicles, #4) in Books
Feb 1, 2018
Beheld by Alex Flinn is the fifth book in the Kendra Chronicles. Readers were first introduced to the witch in Flinns Beauty and the Beast retelling, Beastly. Since then she has been involved in a number of other famous fairy tales like Cinderella and Rapunzel. In this book, readers follow Kendras life as she finds the love of her life, loses him and repeats the cycle. Each time she encounters him, readers are treated to a short retelling. The first is Little Red Riding Hood, which is set in Salem, Ma during the witch trials. The second is Rumplestiltskin, which is set is Bavaria and features a Prince. The third is East of the Sun and West of the Moon, which is set primarily in Britain during the Second World War. The final tale is the Ugly Duckling, which is in modern day Miami.
My least favourite aspect of the book was actually the interludes linking each story together, or Kendras tale of trying to find her love. Each retelling would have been an interesting (if short) read, even if she were not a character and the magic was introduced in another fashion. Personally, I felt that these tales would have been better served as novellas because the thread linking them felt forced. The stories themselves felt rushed at times, perhaps because all four had to be combined into one cohesive story and if they were more detailed than the novel would be much too long.
The characters were likable and the world was believable, but neither was particularly developed. I wish that the author had taken the time to delve more deeply into the worlds and build an entrancing narrative. Overall, the book was enjoyable but there were times that it was slow and I had to force myself to pick it back up to continue.
I would recommend this novel, and the series as a whole, to young adult/teen readers who enjoy magic and fantasy in their books, as well as fairytale retellings.
My least favourite aspect of the book was actually the interludes linking each story together, or Kendras tale of trying to find her love. Each retelling would have been an interesting (if short) read, even if she were not a character and the magic was introduced in another fashion. Personally, I felt that these tales would have been better served as novellas because the thread linking them felt forced. The stories themselves felt rushed at times, perhaps because all four had to be combined into one cohesive story and if they were more detailed than the novel would be much too long.
The characters were likable and the world was believable, but neither was particularly developed. I wish that the author had taken the time to delve more deeply into the worlds and build an entrancing narrative. Overall, the book was enjoyable but there were times that it was slow and I had to force myself to pick it back up to continue.
I would recommend this novel, and the series as a whole, to young adult/teen readers who enjoy magic and fantasy in their books, as well as fairytale retellings.