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Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Crown of Feathers (Crown of Feathers, #1) in Books

Jan 23, 2020  
CO
Crown of Feathers (Crown of Feathers, #1)
Nicki Pau Preto | 2019
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
<b><i>I received this book for free from Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>

<i>Crown of Feathers</i> by Nicki Pau Preto is the first in a series set in a world where airborne warriors known as Phoenix Riders were legendary—until that world is ripped apart by two queens. The story is set 16 years after the war when protagonist Veronyka searches for any hints of the Riders she’s heard of in stories and decides to disguise herself as a boy after being turned away by the commander of the Phoenix Riders for being a girl.

Preto’s debut novel starts with an information dump in the first few chapters to set up the story and introduce readers to the different characters: Veronyka, Sev and Tristan. It can be overwhelming for those who want a good balance between world building, plot and character development, and isn’t something I normally enjoy reading. However, I have no regrets for sticking through the buckets of information to get to the best parts of the story. While some plot points were predictable for me as an avid fantasy reader, I loved the relationships developed between the characters and the involvement of phoenixes in the world.

<i>Crown of Feathers</i> is a beautifully written debut with phoenixes and warrior queens, perfect for those who want a story where a girl dresses as a boy to chase her aspirations.

<a href="https://60secondsmag.com/crown-of-feathers-review/">This review is now live and can be found at 60 Seconds Online Magazine</a>
  
    Kubo: A Samurai Quest ™

    Kubo: A Samurai Quest ™

    Games, Entertainment and Stickers

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LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated The Hunt (2020) in Movies

Oct 13, 2020  
The Hunt (2020)
The Hunt (2020)
2020 | Action, Horror, Thriller
7
7.4 (26 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
In short, The Hunt is an action heavy, Battle Royale inspired semi-horror that attempts to satire political leanings, conspiracy theorists, keyboard warriors, and the rich elite.

The main issue I had was that all of the satire is very on the nose, possibly a purposeful choice? Either way, it gives the impression that The Hunt thinks it's cleverer than it actually is. This is constantly present within the unbalanced dialogue. Some of it is genuinely funny, some of it comes across as try hard, attempting to cram in as many messages as possible resulting in none of these commentaries being particularly clear cut.
Then again, it's not a film to be taken seriously and this could actually be a non-point - hard to tell!

It would be a an altogether worse movie if it wasn't for lead actress Betty Gilpin. Her character Crystal is the picture perfect no bullshit, badass final girl, and her performance elevates The Hunt as a whole.
I could be wrong, but it also seems like she did her own stunts, which is particularly badass considering the ridiculous fight scene near the films end. Same can be said for the always reliable Hilary Swank. Pretty sure the two of them were just going at it, and it's easily the films best scene.
The whole film is actually a more gory experience than I expected, and is pretty effective, even if a lot of it is obvious CGI.

The Hunt is a loud and obnoxious experience that is frequently muddied by it's own smugness, but the stand out performance from Gilpin, and some genuinely great set pieces ensure that it's an entertaining action-horror that's worth a watch.