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Grimm's Hansel and Gretel ~ 3D Interactive Book
Games
App
Includes 12 JIGSAW PUZZLES and an amazing 3D STICKER BOOK for FREE! Following on from the hugely...
The Comfort Food Diaries: My Quest for the Perfect Dish to Mend a Broken Heart
Book
In the tradition of Elizabeth Gilbert and Ruth Reichl, former New Yorker editor Emily Nunn...
Biography food
Submerged: Miku and the Sunken City
Games
App
NOTE: iPhone 5s, iPad Mini 2, iPad Mini 3, iPad Air 1 not supported Submerged is a third-person...
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Army of the Dead (2021) in Movies
Sep 28, 2021
A gory Zombie-rich take on Oceans 11.
Zac Snyder’s glossy zombie flick is a valiant attempt, and it has its moments. The story neatly blends a zombie apocalypse with an “Oceans” heist movie. You even get some stirring “Die Hard”-style vault opening music! But a weak script and a flabby running time make this rather hard work to get through in one sitting. If Snyder could get a bit of self-control and come out with a nice 100-minute movie, he’d get more of my vote.
Positives:
Park brain at door. You gotta love the splatter-fest of a zombie-movie once in a while, and this one delivers a lot of requisite gore and a zombie white tiger to boot! You have to admit that Zack Snyder does have an eye for style. There are some neat moments in this… like when the casino power comes back on and the silence is filled with that familiar slot machine noise and Elvis track that you only ever hear at scale in Vegas!
Dave Bautista is nearly always either in an ensemble piece or a bit-part “heavy” – the only other film I can immediately think of is the (very funny) comedy “Stuber“. He’s seldom the lead. But, understanding that the script is horribly vomit-inducing in places, he’s pretty good in this. I also liked Ella Purnell who plays his daughter, although couldn’t get over how much she looks like Olivia Cooke!
The special effects and prosthetics work is pretty impressive. This would have been good to see on the big screen.
Negatives:
Interspersed amongst the (often entertaining) action sequences are some horribly soupy sections of dialogue where the forward momentum of the movie completely stalls.
Some of the acting is on the decidedly ropey side and makes the glossy piece feel more like a B-movie.
A number of elements of the story really don’t make sense. The most blatant happens at the end: Tanaka could have got the money anyway!
At nearly two and a half hours, it’s another Snyder bladder-tester.
Positives:
Park brain at door. You gotta love the splatter-fest of a zombie-movie once in a while, and this one delivers a lot of requisite gore and a zombie white tiger to boot! You have to admit that Zack Snyder does have an eye for style. There are some neat moments in this… like when the casino power comes back on and the silence is filled with that familiar slot machine noise and Elvis track that you only ever hear at scale in Vegas!
Dave Bautista is nearly always either in an ensemble piece or a bit-part “heavy” – the only other film I can immediately think of is the (very funny) comedy “Stuber“. He’s seldom the lead. But, understanding that the script is horribly vomit-inducing in places, he’s pretty good in this. I also liked Ella Purnell who plays his daughter, although couldn’t get over how much she looks like Olivia Cooke!
The special effects and prosthetics work is pretty impressive. This would have been good to see on the big screen.
Negatives:
Interspersed amongst the (often entertaining) action sequences are some horribly soupy sections of dialogue where the forward momentum of the movie completely stalls.
Some of the acting is on the decidedly ropey side and makes the glossy piece feel more like a B-movie.
A number of elements of the story really don’t make sense. The most blatant happens at the end: Tanaka could have got the money anyway!
At nearly two and a half hours, it’s another Snyder bladder-tester.
The Treasure of Rigmore House (Betwixt the Sea and Shore #3)
8.0
Rate It
Book
An heiress forced to choose a husband by her next birthday. A former selkie bent on revenge. Can...
Historical Fantasy Romance
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated Hurt in Books
Jun 24, 2019
I am going to try to avoid spoilers as much as I can in this book, but I'm afraid there will be some. I'd also like to say that this book includes a lot of graphic details and references to rape and suicide.
At first I felt that Mathéo was a bit too in love with Lola - he's only seventeen, and his adoration for her was bordering on sickly. But then I suppose young love does feel as all-consuming and important as Mathéo made it out to be. Lola, his girlfriend, was a beautiful young lady who moved into Mathéo's rich town. Unlike him, her house is small and cluttered and comfy - very different to his strict and orderly lifestyle.
First, Mathéo's rich-boy lifestyle is too much for him; he's not happy. But then his memory of the most awful night returns, and things get a whole lot worse. After a diving accident (Mathéo is expected to win an Olympic gold medal in a year's time) and a couple of near-death experiences while on holiday, I really thought Mathéo's life couldn't get any worse. But it did. Oh god, it did.
I will not give away the ending, but it honestly made me cry. Maybe it just hit a little too close to home, or maybe the contrast of such a lively, bright character with such a dark event was just too much for me. Either way, the ending was so unexpected and so, so sad. But I liked how the epilogue sort of tied things up, without being too sappy or "feel-good". I felt like this was a brutally honest story. Not to mention that the events/themes in this book are incredibly important to talk about - I really appreciated that this focused on a male rape victim.
Although I kind of felt like Suzuma had written the openening this book with a theosaurus on hand, seeing how many new words she could include, I got sucked in really quick. I really wanted to know more about what had happened, what was going to happen, and I really got emotional for Mathéo. His relationship with his little brother, and the development of their relationship, was really nice. And the epilogue... God, it's sad, but it's honest. Most people don't stay in touch after school. Most people do move on and forget each other.
The ending was fantastic, so I'm going to have to give this 5 stars.
At first I felt that Mathéo was a bit too in love with Lola - he's only seventeen, and his adoration for her was bordering on sickly. But then I suppose young love does feel as all-consuming and important as Mathéo made it out to be. Lola, his girlfriend, was a beautiful young lady who moved into Mathéo's rich town. Unlike him, her house is small and cluttered and comfy - very different to his strict and orderly lifestyle.
First, Mathéo's rich-boy lifestyle is too much for him; he's not happy. But then his memory of the most awful night returns, and things get a whole lot worse. After a diving accident (Mathéo is expected to win an Olympic gold medal in a year's time) and a couple of near-death experiences while on holiday, I really thought Mathéo's life couldn't get any worse. But it did. Oh god, it did.
I will not give away the ending, but it honestly made me cry. Maybe it just hit a little too close to home, or maybe the contrast of such a lively, bright character with such a dark event was just too much for me. Either way, the ending was so unexpected and so, so sad. But I liked how the epilogue sort of tied things up, without being too sappy or "feel-good". I felt like this was a brutally honest story. Not to mention that the events/themes in this book are incredibly important to talk about - I really appreciated that this focused on a male rape victim.
Although I kind of felt like Suzuma had written the openening this book with a theosaurus on hand, seeing how many new words she could include, I got sucked in really quick. I really wanted to know more about what had happened, what was going to happen, and I really got emotional for Mathéo. His relationship with his little brother, and the development of their relationship, was really nice. And the epilogue... God, it's sad, but it's honest. Most people don't stay in touch after school. Most people do move on and forget each other.
The ending was fantastic, so I'm going to have to give this 5 stars.
BlogTouch Pro (for Wordpress Blogging)
Social Networking and Productivity
App
The #1 Wordpress editor for your iPhone, iPod and iPad! BlogTouch is the most powerful Wordpress...
Ross (3284 KP) rated Redemption's Blade: After the War in Books
Jun 15, 2018
Storyline is not engaging (2 more)
Reading the aftermath of events that you have no knowledge of
I'm still not 100% sure there wasn't an earlier book I'm meant to have read
A sequel to a book not written yet (that sounds more interesting)
*Disclosure - I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
Over the last few months I have been lucky to read three new Tchaikovsky books. As this was the first fantasy book of those three (the other two being war sci-fi) I had fingers crossed for a return to the heights of the Shadows of the Apt series. I was sadly disappointed.
The scope of this book is truly epic in every sense. The world we are thrown into has a diverse range of beings, species, cities, religions and beliefs and a rich history. The events follow on from the end of a tyrannical reign of the Kinslayer, a power-mad demi-god who tried to break the spirit of those races he didn't just wipe out. We see the Kinslayer-slayer Celestaine's attempts to do good in the aftermath of this war, and try to make one species whole again. This aim leads her on a journey across the world where we are introduced to a range of new peoples and places. The journey goes on from place to place, the company increasing all the while.
I have real respect for Tchaikovsky trying to do something new - tell the story that follows on from a somewhat typical fantasy tale. Sadly for me, the story that went before sounds so much more interesting and engaging - the besting of a truly despicable being. This story is instead something of an empty, largely pointless journey. The ending leads us to believe someone had been luring people with the promise of magical items, to come to him and ultimately their doom - however, the trail leading to him was not exactly clear and the chances of anyone following it would be minimal (let alone someone following it at exactly the right pace to witness certain key events!). The world-building is epic and yet completely forgettable. I found myself forgetting who people were, why they were doing things and I completely missed one major reveal in the final chapters, only to re-read and find that there pretty much was no reveal.
I am a fan of Tchaikovsky's writing style but for me this book was a struggle to get through. I had no feelings towards any of the characters and couldn't remember or care where they had been or why, or what had happened. Not a worthwhile investment of my time.
Over the last few months I have been lucky to read three new Tchaikovsky books. As this was the first fantasy book of those three (the other two being war sci-fi) I had fingers crossed for a return to the heights of the Shadows of the Apt series. I was sadly disappointed.
The scope of this book is truly epic in every sense. The world we are thrown into has a diverse range of beings, species, cities, religions and beliefs and a rich history. The events follow on from the end of a tyrannical reign of the Kinslayer, a power-mad demi-god who tried to break the spirit of those races he didn't just wipe out. We see the Kinslayer-slayer Celestaine's attempts to do good in the aftermath of this war, and try to make one species whole again. This aim leads her on a journey across the world where we are introduced to a range of new peoples and places. The journey goes on from place to place, the company increasing all the while.
I have real respect for Tchaikovsky trying to do something new - tell the story that follows on from a somewhat typical fantasy tale. Sadly for me, the story that went before sounds so much more interesting and engaging - the besting of a truly despicable being. This story is instead something of an empty, largely pointless journey. The ending leads us to believe someone had been luring people with the promise of magical items, to come to him and ultimately their doom - however, the trail leading to him was not exactly clear and the chances of anyone following it would be minimal (let alone someone following it at exactly the right pace to witness certain key events!). The world-building is epic and yet completely forgettable. I found myself forgetting who people were, why they were doing things and I completely missed one major reveal in the final chapters, only to re-read and find that there pretty much was no reveal.
I am a fan of Tchaikovsky's writing style but for me this book was a struggle to get through. I had no feelings towards any of the characters and couldn't remember or care where they had been or why, or what had happened. Not a worthwhile investment of my time.
James Koppert (2698 KP) rated Thorn in Books
Mar 29, 2020
A Phenomenon
There are some young adults books, Harry Potter, Letter for the King, His Dark Materials that can be translated through the languages of the world and for decades or more, be held up as classics of young literature, deserved to be read and bring joy for all ages. Thorn deserves to be held up in equal company as these. I won't beat about the bush, this is an exceptional, beautiful entertaining tale deserving to be a global best-seller for many many years. If you read my reviews I don't thrust such extreme praise on everything I read, but Thorn is the type of book you end up taking a days holiday off work just to carry on engaging with this wonderful story.
Intisar Khanani is a very special writer, like Neil Gaiman, she takes the world and weaves an understated thread of magic and fantasy into the story that provides an undercurrent which bubbles to the surface. The fact it is understated brings you a acceptance without question of the world you are reading, so magic spells and talking horses are as accepted as characters eating a meal. Intisar Khanani's writing flows effortlessly. When you are reading a true master of the art, they write in a way where you forget you are reading at all and are simply viewing a world from the pages. This is such a book.
Thorn contains very human characters who you will feel a deep tenderness for. It contains morality and dilemma asking you to question whether you put your happiness first or the duty of bettering the world? What is justice and rule? Do you seek justice through revenge or lessons as just a few. Yet these moralities are not there to beat you round the head, they are part of the grain of the story where you raise the questions alongside that of the adorable lead character whose gentle female strength is ferocious, again in a beautifully subtle way.
I don't want to give away any of the plot, I want you t pick up the book and let it unravel before your eyes like I did. Be wicked away into a rich multicultural world full of what i hope are many stories yet to be told.
Thorn may not just be the best young adult book of the decade, it could well be one of the best fantasy novels as well, that will be read and then re-read for the next few decades and beyond. Intisar Khanani is about to be a global superstar and deserves every particle of light the spotlight is made up of shining on her.
Intisar Khanani is a very special writer, like Neil Gaiman, she takes the world and weaves an understated thread of magic and fantasy into the story that provides an undercurrent which bubbles to the surface. The fact it is understated brings you a acceptance without question of the world you are reading, so magic spells and talking horses are as accepted as characters eating a meal. Intisar Khanani's writing flows effortlessly. When you are reading a true master of the art, they write in a way where you forget you are reading at all and are simply viewing a world from the pages. This is such a book.
Thorn contains very human characters who you will feel a deep tenderness for. It contains morality and dilemma asking you to question whether you put your happiness first or the duty of bettering the world? What is justice and rule? Do you seek justice through revenge or lessons as just a few. Yet these moralities are not there to beat you round the head, they are part of the grain of the story where you raise the questions alongside that of the adorable lead character whose gentle female strength is ferocious, again in a beautifully subtle way.
I don't want to give away any of the plot, I want you t pick up the book and let it unravel before your eyes like I did. Be wicked away into a rich multicultural world full of what i hope are many stories yet to be told.
Thorn may not just be the best young adult book of the decade, it could well be one of the best fantasy novels as well, that will be read and then re-read for the next few decades and beyond. Intisar Khanani is about to be a global superstar and deserves every particle of light the spotlight is made up of shining on her.