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Sarah Betts (103 KP) rated The Stars Now Unclaimed (The Universe After #1) in Books
Dec 31, 2019
I would like to thank NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book has three things I adore:
Snarky characters
Space battles
A group who becomes a family despite the odds.
Needless to say I LOVED this book.
It starts out with a soldier looking for one of many children who can stop the evil hypocritical fascists called the Pax.
There was an incident called the pulse that knocked out most of this verse's technology.
There are some really cool characters and some things that surprised me, which I found delightful!
There are only two complaints about this book I have:
I felt there could have been more cool alien species
This book comes out in about a week, which means it will probably take a year for the next one to come out.
Bummer.
(A more in-depth review can be found at
on August 14th at 6am pst)
This book has three things I adore:
Snarky characters
Space battles
A group who becomes a family despite the odds.
Needless to say I LOVED this book.
It starts out with a soldier looking for one of many children who can stop the evil hypocritical fascists called the Pax.
There was an incident called the pulse that knocked out most of this verse's technology.
There are some really cool characters and some things that surprised me, which I found delightful!
There are only two complaints about this book I have:
I felt there could have been more cool alien species
This book comes out in about a week, which means it will probably take a year for the next one to come out.
Bummer.
(A more in-depth review can be found at
on August 14th at 6am pst)
Laura Turner (36 KP) rated The Silent Patient in Books
Jul 16, 2019
Couldn't put it down
Just finished this book last night. I havent been able to read much lately (busy working mum, boring I know 😂) but this book i couldn't put down. I was excited to find 5 minutes to get stuck back in to it. At first with some of the diary entry style writing I thought it might be a bit gone girl but it wasn't. It's so cleverly written and I found myself reading it fast paced as this felt how it was being written.
Quite a few good twists in the plot and the ending was great. I did find myself guessing some of the end a bit but I like to think of myself as a good detective lol. However it still drew me in and I didn't solve the full story. Gutted to have finished but can't wait to see what else the author has in store.
Quite a few good twists in the plot and the ending was great. I did find myself guessing some of the end a bit but I like to think of myself as a good detective lol. However it still drew me in and I didn't solve the full story. Gutted to have finished but can't wait to see what else the author has in store.
Ross (3284 KP) rated Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) in Movies
Jan 14, 2019
Outstanding cast and dialogue
I won't belabour this review, I have nothing new to say that isn't already in these reviews.
The dialogue in this film from start to finish is top notch. The jokes, the put-downs, the nastiness, the crass-ness is all on-point and perfect.
While I hate a film not having an ending, it seemed to fit this film. It really was some people trying to get by and work out how they deal with the hand life deals them and not really moving on. The film tells of the journey of those people, and not where they end up.
The subject matter is very grim, as are some of the events in the film, but it is told with enough realism and so wonderfully acted as to give it all the gravitas it needs, but also to cut through that at times with dark humour.
A brilliant film.
The dialogue in this film from start to finish is top notch. The jokes, the put-downs, the nastiness, the crass-ness is all on-point and perfect.
While I hate a film not having an ending, it seemed to fit this film. It really was some people trying to get by and work out how they deal with the hand life deals them and not really moving on. The film tells of the journey of those people, and not where they end up.
The subject matter is very grim, as are some of the events in the film, but it is told with enough realism and so wonderfully acted as to give it all the gravitas it needs, but also to cut through that at times with dark humour.
A brilliant film.
Ross (3284 KP) rated American Horror Story - Season 2 in TV
Jan 14, 2019
So much gorier and darker than the first series, Asylum chronicles the events of Bloody-face, the twisted fictional serial killer of the 1960s. This is the story underlying all events in the series, but there is so much more going on. We are treated to a glimpse into the abuse and disgust of people suffering mental health problems, and the supposed treatments being dreamt up to deal with their issues.
The series also has aspects of demonic possession, alien abduction and so much more.
While there were some aspects I felt were left open (the alien abduction for one), and others were not explored quite as much as it could have been, I feel this should be seen as more of an anthology series, where a number of stories of mental illness all intertwine to tell one thrilling story.
An exciting, but at times uncomfortable to watch series with some excellent acting and writing.
The series also has aspects of demonic possession, alien abduction and so much more.
While there were some aspects I felt were left open (the alien abduction for one), and others were not explored quite as much as it could have been, I feel this should be seen as more of an anthology series, where a number of stories of mental illness all intertwine to tell one thrilling story.
An exciting, but at times uncomfortable to watch series with some excellent acting and writing.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Stan & Ollie (2018) in Movies
Jan 21, 2019
Surely-long-overdue Laurel and Hardy bio-pic focuses on their tour of British and Irish music halls in the early 50s, presumably because this is a low-ish budget British film. A sixty-something Stan and Ollie have to try and persuade the world they haven't died or retired just yet while waiting for the finance on a new movie to come together and coping with some long-standing tensions in their relationship.
Movie does a pretty good job of balancing what you'd expect from a L&H movie (timeless slapstick, perfectly performed) with less obvious and more dramatic material (some of the boys' personal foibles, amongst other things). The thing it does better than any other movie I can think of is capture the feeling of what it's like to be in a successful double act, and all the positives and negatives that go with it. Very good performances from Reilly and Coogan, clearly made with affection and skill; well worth watching.
Movie does a pretty good job of balancing what you'd expect from a L&H movie (timeless slapstick, perfectly performed) with less obvious and more dramatic material (some of the boys' personal foibles, amongst other things). The thing it does better than any other movie I can think of is capture the feeling of what it's like to be in a successful double act, and all the positives and negatives that go with it. Very good performances from Reilly and Coogan, clearly made with affection and skill; well worth watching.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) in Movies
Jul 6, 2019 (Updated Jul 6, 2019)
Herzog's take on Dracula strikes some startlingly different notes while still being an authentic and memorable version of this much-told tale. The plot sounds very much like Stoker's: Jonathan Harker is packed off to Transylvania to close a real-estate deal with the reclusive Count Dracula and learns some uncomfortable truths about host, who then departs for Harker's home town having taken a fancy to his wife.
It's the tone of the thing which is striking: Klaus Kinski's Dracula is not a ferocious sexual predator but a pathetic, rat-like parasite, spreading plague both literally and metaphorically. He is cursed as much as a curse, trapped in a miserable state of immortality. Kinski's performance is genuinely eerie, and the atmosphere of the rest of the film matches it. It is a bit on the slow side, and the relentlessly morbid atmosphere will likewise not be for everyone, but this is one of the better big-screen adaptations of Dracula.
It's the tone of the thing which is striking: Klaus Kinski's Dracula is not a ferocious sexual predator but a pathetic, rat-like parasite, spreading plague both literally and metaphorically. He is cursed as much as a curse, trapped in a miserable state of immortality. Kinski's performance is genuinely eerie, and the atmosphere of the rest of the film matches it. It is a bit on the slow side, and the relentlessly morbid atmosphere will likewise not be for everyone, but this is one of the better big-screen adaptations of Dracula.
Kate (493 KP) rated A New Prospect in Books
Nov 4, 2019
I liked the story line but it didn't keep me hooked like most murder mystery's do. Maybe because the investigating wasn't normal detective investigating. I understand this was the story line though. I liked the first few chapters then it lost me a bit.
It went into politics and I didn't like that as I don't like political story lines and how political powers sway things in books.
The author brought the characters to life by writing the way they spoke - this really ruined the book for me as I found it very hard to read. For some readers this may really bring the book together.
I feel the intended audience for this book are male aged 45 - 60. I didn't feel like a book for females. I wasn't sure how about some of the comments the main character made about the women in the book...he certainly likes the ladies.
I feel I was more hooked by the blurb than the book.
It went into politics and I didn't like that as I don't like political story lines and how political powers sway things in books.
The author brought the characters to life by writing the way they spoke - this really ruined the book for me as I found it very hard to read. For some readers this may really bring the book together.
I feel the intended audience for this book are male aged 45 - 60. I didn't feel like a book for females. I wasn't sure how about some of the comments the main character made about the women in the book...he certainly likes the ladies.
I feel I was more hooked by the blurb than the book.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The Fandom of the Operator in Books
Nov 13, 2019
I like Rankin's work a lot. Some of his works are just amazingly inventive, incredibly humorous and reliably off-the-wall.
Unfortunately this really isn't quite up to his normal standards, although the plot has all his usual hallmarks - essentially someone discovers it is possible to phone the dead, which ends up with potentially terrible consequences for the living.
This sounds like quite a slight premise to hang a whole book of of, and I think that is the heart of the problem here. Some of the writing and twists are amongst the very best. We follow the main character through his life and although we know he's pretty unpleasant, the shock when he is asked how many people he has murdered, and is response, is pure Rankin cleverness.
Unfortunately such moments are too few and the plot too slow moving for this to be counted as a good Rankin novel. One for the completists but certainly not one that demonstrates his true ability.
Unfortunately this really isn't quite up to his normal standards, although the plot has all his usual hallmarks - essentially someone discovers it is possible to phone the dead, which ends up with potentially terrible consequences for the living.
This sounds like quite a slight premise to hang a whole book of of, and I think that is the heart of the problem here. Some of the writing and twists are amongst the very best. We follow the main character through his life and although we know he's pretty unpleasant, the shock when he is asked how many people he has murdered, and is response, is pure Rankin cleverness.
Unfortunately such moments are too few and the plot too slow moving for this to be counted as a good Rankin novel. One for the completists but certainly not one that demonstrates his true ability.
Lottie disney bookworm (1056 KP) rated Wonderland: Alice in Poetry in Books
Nov 27, 2019
Can anybody truly say,
Had you never come our way,
Alice, where we'd be today?
If you love Alice and Wonderland then this is the book for you. Some poems you will know, such as the iconic 'The Walrus and the Carpenter' but there are also some new pieces, inspired by the classic tale, waiting to be discovered.
This collections comprises of 53 poems which was much larger than I was expecting. Obviously, OBVIOUSLY a lot of these are penned by Lewis Carroll: it would be sacrilegious otherwise. However, I was impressed by the inclusion of modern poets in order to appeal to the younger reader: even Facebook gets a mention!
The illustrations by Sir John Tenniel are perfect and I loved the italic additions throughout the book which educate the reader as to the inspiration behind the verses.
An anthology of fantasy; this collection is perfect for our busy lives when we need a quick five minutes of escapism.
Had you never come our way,
Alice, where we'd be today?
If you love Alice and Wonderland then this is the book for you. Some poems you will know, such as the iconic 'The Walrus and the Carpenter' but there are also some new pieces, inspired by the classic tale, waiting to be discovered.
This collections comprises of 53 poems which was much larger than I was expecting. Obviously, OBVIOUSLY a lot of these are penned by Lewis Carroll: it would be sacrilegious otherwise. However, I was impressed by the inclusion of modern poets in order to appeal to the younger reader: even Facebook gets a mention!
The illustrations by Sir John Tenniel are perfect and I loved the italic additions throughout the book which educate the reader as to the inspiration behind the verses.
An anthology of fantasy; this collection is perfect for our busy lives when we need a quick five minutes of escapism.
Becs (244 KP) rated I May Not Be Like You, But We Could Be Friends in Books
Jan 2, 2020
I love the meaning behind this book and the only reason why I gave it a 4 out of 5 stars is because the art style is what got me. I love art in children's books and I saw so much that could have been improved.
The art style was good since it's a children's book, but at the same time it could have been improved a bit. Being a crafty and art fanatic myself, I noticed a lot of times where there were cartoony characters but then some of the characters seemed to be caring on some realistic characteristics. Mixing art styles is totally okay, but at the same time you have to be careful when mixing.
The story: I would have changed a few things myself. But for a child reading it, they would have understood everything just fine.
Would I read it again? No. But I also don't have children so that's a main factor in the rereading category.
The art style was good since it's a children's book, but at the same time it could have been improved a bit. Being a crafty and art fanatic myself, I noticed a lot of times where there were cartoony characters but then some of the characters seemed to be caring on some realistic characteristics. Mixing art styles is totally okay, but at the same time you have to be careful when mixing.
The story: I would have changed a few things myself. But for a child reading it, they would have understood everything just fine.
Would I read it again? No. But I also don't have children so that's a main factor in the rereading category.