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Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated The Cerulean Monarch in Books
Apr 6, 2020
Honest Review for Free Copy of Book
The Cerulean Monarch by Prashanti Talluri follows directly in the footsteps of The Core Fulcrum and continues the adventures of Goldie and his friends. Once again the kittens are left to save the world.
The beginning of the second semester at Meow Wow High School promises to be just as interesting as the first semester was. At the high school, there is a secret room in the library that houses special or secret information. During the pre-opening cleaning of the school, the librarian hears strange noises but the source of the sound is not discovered until later.
Goldie and the other members of the “Curiosity Kills the Cat” class are brought in with their professor to solve the mystery of what happened in the secret library. They must be careful because a traitor or spy is suspected. The class is split into two teams to work on this case and once again Goldie finds himself pitted against Hisky and his gang. The only clue they have is petrified remains, ferrofluids, and an image of Ocspires (an extent amphibian in their world). That's not much to go on if they are to save their species once again.
I enjoyed how the professor encouraged the kittens to solve the mystery themselves and encouraged independence. Though with how important solving this was to the cat world I would have thought the professor would have been more involved from the start. Similarly to the first book I did not care for all the cat puns. I understand that this is because of it being a cat world, but I did not find it enjoyable. The strange spellings and combined or made-up words also took away from the book.
Young readers will enjoy this book the most, in part because they tend to be more forgiving of made-up stuff. Also, their imagination probably won’t try to reject the world built up in these books nearly as much. I rate this book 2 out of 4. Yet again there were just too many strange things in this book. At times it was almost like this book was about humans then it shifts gears and the characters are cats (or cat-like) again.
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The beginning of the second semester at Meow Wow High School promises to be just as interesting as the first semester was. At the high school, there is a secret room in the library that houses special or secret information. During the pre-opening cleaning of the school, the librarian hears strange noises but the source of the sound is not discovered until later.
Goldie and the other members of the “Curiosity Kills the Cat” class are brought in with their professor to solve the mystery of what happened in the secret library. They must be careful because a traitor or spy is suspected. The class is split into two teams to work on this case and once again Goldie finds himself pitted against Hisky and his gang. The only clue they have is petrified remains, ferrofluids, and an image of Ocspires (an extent amphibian in their world). That's not much to go on if they are to save their species once again.
I enjoyed how the professor encouraged the kittens to solve the mystery themselves and encouraged independence. Though with how important solving this was to the cat world I would have thought the professor would have been more involved from the start. Similarly to the first book I did not care for all the cat puns. I understand that this is because of it being a cat world, but I did not find it enjoyable. The strange spellings and combined or made-up words also took away from the book.
Young readers will enjoy this book the most, in part because they tend to be more forgiving of made-up stuff. Also, their imagination probably won’t try to reject the world built up in these books nearly as much. I rate this book 2 out of 4. Yet again there were just too many strange things in this book. At times it was almost like this book was about humans then it shifts gears and the characters are cats (or cat-like) again.
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https://smashbomb.com/nightreader
https://nightreaderreviews.blogspot.com/
ClareR (5726 KP) rated The Ninth Child in Books
May 1, 2020
Victorian Scotland, where reality meets myth.
The Ninth Child is a mesmerising mix of reality and fairytale. Neither of them are the pretty version, either. The story itself is set in Glasgow and the Trossachs between 1856 and 1859, where Isabel Aird is the wife of a young doctor. She has miscarried all seven of the babies she has carried so far, and is struggling to find meaning in her life. Her husband is very protective of her, but she can’t seem to forgive him for his apparent ability to shake off the loss of their babies.
We also get little glimpses in to the private lives of Queen Victoria and Albert, and the reason for this becomes clear as the story progresses. The link between the two families seems to be a strange character called Robert Kirke. Strange things seem to have been happening since the digging and tunnelling began. Isabel meets this strange man not long after she moves near to the site of the Loch Katrine Waterworks. This is no place for a lady brought up in all the comforts of a well-to-do Glaswegian home. But Isabel finds solace in the wildness, and the descriptions of the lochs and landscapes makes it easy to understand why.
This was such a surprising book, it wasn’t at all what I was expecting. I WAS expecting a good story - I loved The Sealwoman’s Gift. The mix of real, hard life and the fairy elements were really well done, and I loved that these weren’t the pretty, twee, friendly fairies that we seem to hear of so much of these days. I like my fairies to be tricksters, untrustworthy, always looking for an angle that they can work, a little grotesque.
I really enjoyed this book, and seemed to read it far too quickly. I’m a lover of history, myths and the unexplained, and this certainly delivered in these areas. The writing is gorgeous - the descriptions are such that you feel you’re there. We were supposed to be going on holiday this year to the Highlands, and this has made me hope even more that we’ll still be able to go. It’s one thing reading a description, it’s quite another to be there, experiencing the landscape for yourself.
This is a wonderful book, and one to tell my friends about!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Two Roads for my copy of this book to read and review.
We also get little glimpses in to the private lives of Queen Victoria and Albert, and the reason for this becomes clear as the story progresses. The link between the two families seems to be a strange character called Robert Kirke. Strange things seem to have been happening since the digging and tunnelling began. Isabel meets this strange man not long after she moves near to the site of the Loch Katrine Waterworks. This is no place for a lady brought up in all the comforts of a well-to-do Glaswegian home. But Isabel finds solace in the wildness, and the descriptions of the lochs and landscapes makes it easy to understand why.
This was such a surprising book, it wasn’t at all what I was expecting. I WAS expecting a good story - I loved The Sealwoman’s Gift. The mix of real, hard life and the fairy elements were really well done, and I loved that these weren’t the pretty, twee, friendly fairies that we seem to hear of so much of these days. I like my fairies to be tricksters, untrustworthy, always looking for an angle that they can work, a little grotesque.
I really enjoyed this book, and seemed to read it far too quickly. I’m a lover of history, myths and the unexplained, and this certainly delivered in these areas. The writing is gorgeous - the descriptions are such that you feel you’re there. We were supposed to be going on holiday this year to the Highlands, and this has made me hope even more that we’ll still be able to go. It’s one thing reading a description, it’s quite another to be there, experiencing the landscape for yourself.
This is a wonderful book, and one to tell my friends about!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Two Roads for my copy of this book to read and review.
Mars Survival 3D: Cosmic Crash
Games
App
Survive the spacecraft crash with this 3D simulator! Be an astronaut flying a shuttle - explore the...
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated House of Frankenstein (1944) in Movies
Jun 18, 2020 (Updated Jun 18, 2020)
Get The Gang All Together: The Crossover
House of Frankenstein- is the ultimate monster crossover. It has Frankenstein, Dracula played by John Carradine, the Hunchback and the Wolf-Man played by Lon Chaney Jr. and a mad scientist played by Boris Karloff.
This "monster rally" approach would continue in the following film, House of Dracula, as well as the 1948 comedy Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.
The plot: After escaping from prison, the evil Dr. Niemann (Boris Karloff) and his hunchbacked assistant, Daniel (J. Carrol Naish), plot their revenge against those who imprisoned them. For this, they recruit the powerful Wolf Man (Lon Chaney), Frankenstein's monster (Glenn Strange) and even Dracula himself (John Carradine). Niemann pursues those who wrong him, sending each monster out to do his dirty work. But his control on the monsters is weak at best and may prove to be his downfall.
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943) had been the first on-screen pairing of two Universal Studios monsters, but The House of Frankenstein was the first multi-monster movie. Early drafts of the story reportedly involved more characters from the Universal stable, including the Mummy, the Ape Woman, the Mad Ghoul, and possibly the Invisible Man. Working titles—which included Chamber of Horrors (a reference to Lampini's travelling horror show) and The Devil's Brood—emphasized the multi-monster nature of the story.
The multi-monster approach, which emphasized box office appeal over continuity, was used in House of Dracula the following year and later in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. The House of Frankenstein marked Glenn Strange's debut as the monster. Strange, a former cowboy, had been a minor supporting player in dozens of low-budget Westerns over the preceding 15 years. He reprised the role in House of Dracula and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, and cemented the popular image of the monster as shambling, clumsy, and inarticulate. Boris Karloff, who had moved on from playing the monster to playing the mad scientist, reportedly coached Strange on how to play the role.
Some continuity errors are evident in the finished film. After Dracula is thrown from the carriage, he looks over to where his coffin has landed; in a close-up, part of his mustache is gone. Also, when Talbot transforms into the Wolf Man for the final time, his hands lack fur.
Karloff's performance in this film is his last in Universal's classic horror cycle.
Its a fun entertaining movie starring the uninversal monsters.
This "monster rally" approach would continue in the following film, House of Dracula, as well as the 1948 comedy Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.
The plot: After escaping from prison, the evil Dr. Niemann (Boris Karloff) and his hunchbacked assistant, Daniel (J. Carrol Naish), plot their revenge against those who imprisoned them. For this, they recruit the powerful Wolf Man (Lon Chaney), Frankenstein's monster (Glenn Strange) and even Dracula himself (John Carradine). Niemann pursues those who wrong him, sending each monster out to do his dirty work. But his control on the monsters is weak at best and may prove to be his downfall.
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943) had been the first on-screen pairing of two Universal Studios monsters, but The House of Frankenstein was the first multi-monster movie. Early drafts of the story reportedly involved more characters from the Universal stable, including the Mummy, the Ape Woman, the Mad Ghoul, and possibly the Invisible Man. Working titles—which included Chamber of Horrors (a reference to Lampini's travelling horror show) and The Devil's Brood—emphasized the multi-monster nature of the story.
The multi-monster approach, which emphasized box office appeal over continuity, was used in House of Dracula the following year and later in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. The House of Frankenstein marked Glenn Strange's debut as the monster. Strange, a former cowboy, had been a minor supporting player in dozens of low-budget Westerns over the preceding 15 years. He reprised the role in House of Dracula and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, and cemented the popular image of the monster as shambling, clumsy, and inarticulate. Boris Karloff, who had moved on from playing the monster to playing the mad scientist, reportedly coached Strange on how to play the role.
Some continuity errors are evident in the finished film. After Dracula is thrown from the carriage, he looks over to where his coffin has landed; in a close-up, part of his mustache is gone. Also, when Talbot transforms into the Wolf Man for the final time, his hands lack fur.
Karloff's performance in this film is his last in Universal's classic horror cycle.
Its a fun entertaining movie starring the uninversal monsters.
Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated Knock and You Will See Me in Books
May 15, 2018
Knock and You Will See Me by Andrew Cull is a fun, action-packed read that left me on the edge of my seat. In fact, I read it in one sitting which, even with novellas, is a rare thing for me. I am easily distracted and easily bored, especially so lately. This novella, on the other hand, had my heart pumping.
The story encompasses the life of a single mother that is sensitive to the supernatural. Raising three boys on her own, Ellie Ray finds herself taking care of her elderly father. Soon, he passes away. After his funeral, strange things begin happening. Strange things that quickly begin to escalate into things far more terrifying. As the story continues, it quickly becomes a matter of life or death not just for Ellie, but for her young boys as well. As someone who wants to be a mother, this went straight to my heart.
Despite its short length, Cull manages to perfectly recreate the small town feel. Not only that, he perfectly fleshes out several characters in ways I’ve found authors incapable of doing in full length works. For this, I’ve got to give him props. For the most part, I really enjoyed reading this book.
I do have to dock a skull from the final rating due to various typos I encountered throughout the story. That and the cliched ending were a little bit too much for me. It was, however, a pretty solid story and I highly recommend it for fans of the macabre. With vivid, at times stomach curdling descriptions, Cull has a way of making his reader’s skin crawl.
I would like to thank the author for providing me with a copy for this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
The story encompasses the life of a single mother that is sensitive to the supernatural. Raising three boys on her own, Ellie Ray finds herself taking care of her elderly father. Soon, he passes away. After his funeral, strange things begin happening. Strange things that quickly begin to escalate into things far more terrifying. As the story continues, it quickly becomes a matter of life or death not just for Ellie, but for her young boys as well. As someone who wants to be a mother, this went straight to my heart.
Despite its short length, Cull manages to perfectly recreate the small town feel. Not only that, he perfectly fleshes out several characters in ways I’ve found authors incapable of doing in full length works. For this, I’ve got to give him props. For the most part, I really enjoyed reading this book.
I do have to dock a skull from the final rating due to various typos I encountered throughout the story. That and the cliched ending were a little bit too much for me. It was, however, a pretty solid story and I highly recommend it for fans of the macabre. With vivid, at times stomach curdling descriptions, Cull has a way of making his reader’s skin crawl.
I would like to thank the author for providing me with a copy for this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Invitation to a Bonfire in Books
Apr 9, 2019
Zoya is an orphan from Moscow who is now living in the United States. She is a student at the Donne School, but she has no family. So when school is over, what will her life become? When her favorite author becomes a teacher at the school, Zoya's life changes dramatically. They start an affair even though Zoya knows his wife from childhood. Strange twists happen toward the end, that I didn't suspect. The story is told from Zoya's journal entries during her life.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the opportunity to read and review this book.
This book started off really slowly for me. I really didn't get much out of it at the beginning. The last 30% of the book, though really had me on the edge of my seat and ready to find out what this girl is all about. Zoya is really kind of a boring character. She goes to class and makes very few friends. When she graduates, she has no family to return home to, so she stays on at the Donne School and works in the greenhouse. There she encounters many students and few faculty members. The students constantly harass her and the faculty basically ignores her. All of that changes when she find out that, Lev Orlo is now a professor. She has been pining for this man through his books for years. Now that he is here, she can't tear herself away from him.
None of the characters were very likable in this book. Zoya is very boring, Lev is full of himself for no good reason, and his wife well she's a character we really don't get to know too well, but she is a strange bird.
3 stars for this one and the best part is at the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the opportunity to read and review this book.
This book started off really slowly for me. I really didn't get much out of it at the beginning. The last 30% of the book, though really had me on the edge of my seat and ready to find out what this girl is all about. Zoya is really kind of a boring character. She goes to class and makes very few friends. When she graduates, she has no family to return home to, so she stays on at the Donne School and works in the greenhouse. There she encounters many students and few faculty members. The students constantly harass her and the faculty basically ignores her. All of that changes when she find out that, Lev Orlo is now a professor. She has been pining for this man through his books for years. Now that he is here, she can't tear herself away from him.
None of the characters were very likable in this book. Zoya is very boring, Lev is full of himself for no good reason, and his wife well she's a character we really don't get to know too well, but she is a strange bird.
3 stars for this one and the best part is at the end.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Dirty Wings (Metamorphoses, #2) in Books
Feb 13, 2018
The second book in Sarah McCarry's Metamorphoses' trilogy, this novel actually goes back in time to introduce us to Cass and Maia - the mothers of the heroines from McCarry's first book, "All Our Pretty Songs." Maia is a lovely, but sheltered, teen - a piano prodigy living with her rigid, overprotective adoptive parents. Cass, meanwhile, is a tough kid living on the streets - she's used to taking care of herself and no one else. But when she meets Maia, everything changes.
I'll confess that I am somewhat continuing to read this trilogy as it checks off a requirement in a book challenge that I'm doing. But, McCarry's books are always very well-written and interesting, if not a bit strange. I actually enjoyed this one a bit more than the first. The story was a little more clear. Much like book one, I still maintain that I would enjoy these books more without the odd mystical influence hovering in the corners of the pages. In this novel, Maia and Cass eventually meet Jason, with whom Maia falls in love with, and with whom it seems that Minos (the shadowy man from the other world) is trying to lure away... or, as Cass fears, does he just want Maia?
It's all a bit confusing and such a strange side plot to a story of troubled teenagers falling in love and rebelling against the world - which would work just fine on its own. Oh well. I'm still hooked and will read the last book. McCarry has a beautiful voice and this book is very poetical, much like the first. The story flips between present and past in this one, which can be a bit confusing, but also makes the book fly by. It's a compelling read, if not one that will leave you a bit frustrated and wanting more.
I'll confess that I am somewhat continuing to read this trilogy as it checks off a requirement in a book challenge that I'm doing. But, McCarry's books are always very well-written and interesting, if not a bit strange. I actually enjoyed this one a bit more than the first. The story was a little more clear. Much like book one, I still maintain that I would enjoy these books more without the odd mystical influence hovering in the corners of the pages. In this novel, Maia and Cass eventually meet Jason, with whom Maia falls in love with, and with whom it seems that Minos (the shadowy man from the other world) is trying to lure away... or, as Cass fears, does he just want Maia?
It's all a bit confusing and such a strange side plot to a story of troubled teenagers falling in love and rebelling against the world - which would work just fine on its own. Oh well. I'm still hooked and will read the last book. McCarry has a beautiful voice and this book is very poetical, much like the first. The story flips between present and past in this one, which can be a bit confusing, but also makes the book fly by. It's a compelling read, if not one that will leave you a bit frustrated and wanting more.
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Seriously... I'm Kidding in Books
Jun 21, 2018
As part of Pride Month, I'm spotlighting books by or about GLBTQIA+ people. Ellen is one of the most prominent lesbians here in the US, between coming out on a sitcom, having her own daytime talk show, and her judging stint on American Idol. This is her third book, but the first one I've read. If the other two are like this one, I need to read them!
Seriously...I'm Kidding is a really funny book. It reads a little bit like an ADHD squirrel, but that's part of its charm. I read the print version, but this is one book I might have to get the audio version of, mostly because of the one chapter she wrote specifically for the audio version:
"Anyway, since you have the benefit of being able to hear this, I thought I would include some bonus material of me making strange noises. For those of you who are reading this the old-fashioned way and can't hear me, I've printed the noises below and I encourage you to use your imagination to think of what they might sound like coming out of my mouth.
Meeeeee
Faaaaaa
Cooooo
Gooooood Morning
Bowwwww
Babowwwww
Yelowwwww
(more strange noises listed)"
The book covers a lot of ground, from producing her show to judging on American Idol to coming out as lesbian to hosting dinner parties. It also varies wildly chapter to chapter, from brief short stories (less than a page) to haiku, to coloring book pages of odd things like toasters, to prose, wandering chapters that are an interesting look at Ellen's thought process.
I really enjoyed this book, and it's definitely worth reading because it's just FUN.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
Seriously...I'm Kidding is a really funny book. It reads a little bit like an ADHD squirrel, but that's part of its charm. I read the print version, but this is one book I might have to get the audio version of, mostly because of the one chapter she wrote specifically for the audio version:
"Anyway, since you have the benefit of being able to hear this, I thought I would include some bonus material of me making strange noises. For those of you who are reading this the old-fashioned way and can't hear me, I've printed the noises below and I encourage you to use your imagination to think of what they might sound like coming out of my mouth.
Meeeeee
Faaaaaa
Cooooo
Gooooood Morning
Bowwwww
Babowwwww
Yelowwwww
(more strange noises listed)"
The book covers a lot of ground, from producing her show to judging on American Idol to coming out as lesbian to hosting dinner parties. It also varies wildly chapter to chapter, from brief short stories (less than a page) to haiku, to coloring book pages of odd things like toasters, to prose, wandering chapters that are an interesting look at Ellen's thought process.
I really enjoyed this book, and it's definitely worth reading because it's just FUN.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
The Water Book
Book
Water is the most every day of substances. It pours from our taps and falls from the sky. We drink...