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Stormy (1 KP) rated Caraval in Books

Jul 3, 2018  
Caraval
Caraval
Stephanie Garber | 2017 | Young Adult (YA)
9
8.1 (97 Ratings)
Book Rating
Fantasy at its finest
Every girl dreams of being thrown into a mystery full of magic, love and wonder... but at what price?

Scarlett dreams of the world of Caraval for years, begs for them to visit so she can see the show. Finally she is accepted to attend a private show with her sister before she is to be married to a man she has never even met.

She is thrust into a world of adventure with her sister and an unlikely companion, but the unlikely one is always the one you should watch out for.

After her sister is kidnapped Scarlett what complete the game is get her back unharmed. This book if full of mind games, magic, and plenty of adventure. It is sure to keep you interested until the last page. I for one can't wait to read the next book!!

Just remember, all the best books have a suprise twist at the end!
  
Pirate Vishnu
Pirate Vishnu
Gigi Pandian | 2014 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Jaya’s Second Treasure Hunt Hits Close to Home
Jaya Jones has yet to live down the fame of her first treasure hunt when a man walks into her office with a second treasure map. This one appears to have the location of a treasure in San Francisco, but it’s the connection to Jaya’s family that peaks her interest. The map was drawn by her great-granduncle. A dead body only complicates Jaya’s quest. Can she stay alive long enough to learn what is going on?

I always enjoy finding a twist on the murder mystery theme, and this is a good one. The treasure hunt is as important as figuring out who the killer is, and between the two, the pages fly by. The twists get bigger the further into the book we get. I did think one stretched believability just a bit, but it was a minor deal. The characters are strong, and I’m curious where the complications in Jaya’s love life will go.
  
Alice in Zombieland - White Rabbit Chronicles
Alice in Zombieland - White Rabbit Chronicles
Gena Showalter | 2012 | Fiction & Poetry
8
7.0 (9 Ratings)
Book Rating
Characters (1 more)
Zombies
Great Read
I enjoyed this book. It is a young adult book and may not be what some are looking for. The main character Alice first seemed as most teenagers caught up in their own world and wanting to do what they want to do but by the end of the book she had grown into a young lady who realizes there is more to the world then just what she wants. I don't want to give anything away but she has to go through a lot before realizing that life is beyond her little world and there are things out there that she can help to do that in turn helps others.

Besides there are zombies.....and they aren't your typical zombie there are some twist to these that make them a bit more interesting. Not only do they have to fight the zombies but other humans as well when it comes to making the world safe.
  
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Steve Fearon (84 KP) rated Ruin Me (2017) in Movies

Sep 9, 2018 (Updated Sep 9, 2018)  
Ruin Me (2017)
Ruin Me (2017)
2017 | Horror
6
6.5 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Campy, cheesy fun (1 more)
Good pacing
Predictable (1 more)
Some iffy acting
Low budget meta horror
Contains spoilers, click to show
Shudder exclusive 'ruin me' runs a similar line to 'Fear Inc' or 'Hellhouse LLC', with a meta horror experience blurring the lines between reality and fiction.

The cast is a mix of early 2000s tropes, the goth couple, the chubby film nerd, the silent loner etc on a slasher themed survival weekend where events take a turn for the bloody.

They twist and turn a few times, toying with the viewer using an unreliable narrator, our protagonist Alex, whom you aren't ever really sure is in the real world.

Not much will surprise you, but it is a fun trope laden film with no real pretence of being anything other than it is...a low budget meta slasher.

Not a bad 90 mins though, and it's watchable enough so long as you don't mind the sometimes clunky humour and meta elements getting front and centre.
  
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Dean (6927 KP) rated Mile 22 (2018) in Movies

Sep 24, 2018  
Mile 22 (2018)
Mile 22 (2018)
2018 | Action
Great action scenes (1 more)
Bloody and brutal 18 certificate
Some poor editing in places (0 more)
Great action film
I really don't get the critic and low ratings for this film. This ticks all the boxes for an 18 rated film. Good to see things not watered down just to achieve a 15 rating. A film with close proximity fights to the death and shoot outs is going to be bloody!
I'd say it one of best action films in quite a while. It's a mix of a Bourne storyline and ideas with @Heat (1995) style shoot outs and fights featuring Iko Uwais from @The Raid (2011)
Personally I didn't find the plot confusing which has been mentioned in a few reviews and it has a neat twist as well.
If you like your action, brutal, gritty and with a bit more realism this is a film you will enjoy.
  
Girl on the Edge
Girl on the Edge
C.D. Reiss | 2019 | Mystery, Romance, Thriller
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
CD Reiss has destroyed me yet again in this incredible book.
WOW, what an ending!? CD Reiss has destroyed me yet again in this incredible book.

In Girl on the Edge, we meet Caden and Greyson, a military couple, having found each other during the harsh realities of war. After returning home to New York to try and start a life as a married couple, everything begins to change, testing the limits of even the most hardened soldier. Watching these two fight for each other without limits, again and again, was beautiful and heartbreaking. Their commitment, strength and undying love overflowed from the pages and I was crushed at every obstacle they endured and my heart swelled with each step forward. Highly recommended author and book - I've been a fan of Christine's for years and she always finds some new creative twist and Girl of the Edge was no different! War, love and just the right amount of CD Reiss-style sass.. ;-)
  
The Girl With All the Gifts (2017)
The Girl With All the Gifts (2017)
2017 | Drama
Melanie (0 more)
Slow paced (0 more)
An enjoyable watch
I stumbled across this when I was looking for a zombie fix after The Walking Dead season had ended on a cliffhanger.

I wasn't disappointed. It jumps right into the story and lets you in on the secrets as you go along. The characters are believable and Glenn Close is very good in it.

This isn't the scary, violent blood everywhere zombie film. It is creepy though and leaves you feeling a little unnerved. It's a nice twist to an old genre that until The Walking Dead I thought had been overdone and should be put out to pasture. The revival of the zombie genre has seen some very inventive challenges to The Walking Dead's crown. This is one of them.

It can be a little slow moving, it's not gore and excitement all the time. It doesn't need to be though, the story makes up for the slow paced action.
  
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David McK (3684 KP) rated Origin in Books

Jan 28, 2019  
Origin
Origin
Dan Brown | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
6
7.3 (21 Ratings)
Book Rating
[a:Dan Brown|630|Dan Brown|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1399396714p2/630.jpg]'s fifth Robert Langdon book, largely set in and around Barcelona, Spain, and which I read while on holiday to that location.

If you've read any of Brown's previous Robert Langdon - a role which, now, I assocaite firmly with Tom Hanks - books, then you'd know pretty much what to expect: a mad dash around the various locations within, a bit of science (some of which I'd already heard, other of which I hadn't relaised before) thrown in, some plot elelments that would make you roll your eyes if you stopped and thought about them, but actually, all-in-all, a pretty fun read.

In other words, a case where (like in most of his books) the sum is greater than the parts.

Even if, in this case, I found the supposed 'twist' (the identity of Kirsch's killer) to be as plain as the nose on your face.
  
W(
Windfall (Weather Warden, #4)
6
8.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
The fourth book in Rachel Caine's 'Weather Warden' series, this picks up not long after the events of the previous book ("Chill Factor").

While I found both the first and the second book in the series hit the ground running and barely let up, I also felt that the third novel fumbled the ball a bit: a trend that, unfortunately, continues in this. Like the afore-mentioned previous book, this suffers from a some-what slower pace than the first two, with one plot twist (in particular) I found couldn't be any more obvious than if the blurb on the back of the book gave it away (which I have seen that happen ...)

That's not to say I didn't enjoy this book - I did - but that, compared to previous entries, I felt this was a bit of a let-down. It is possible, however, that those two books constitute the calm before the storm, so I will probably read on ...
  
In Darkness (2018)
In Darkness (2018)
2018 | Mystery, Thriller
An average thriller
I’m pretty sure this went straight to tv over here, so I wasn’t expecting much however it is slightly better than I expected, even if it still a bog standard thriller.

The soundtrack is great, and the first part of them film is very well executed and comes across as quite arty, with some great music. The problem is that the rest of the film seems to get bogged down with a convoluted plot that’s made more complicated than it needs to be. Natalie Dormer is very good, it’s nice to see Joely Richardson in something recent, and it’s always nice to see Neil Maskell (even if he does play a similar character in everything he’s in - he seems to be the go to bloke for British cops). It’s just a shame that the cast can’t rise above the average plot. And the twist ending I saw coming a mile off.

One of those films that’s watchable but instantly forgettable as being distinctly average.