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b.Young (97 KP) rated The Moon Dwellers (The Dwellers #1) in Books
May 6, 2018
Unique dystopian world (2 more)
Great character development
Quick read
Amazing first installment of the Dwellers Series!
As an older reader, I somehow find myself being drawn more often than not to the YA Dystopian, Sci-fi, and Fantasy genres thanks to books like The Moon Dwellers.
David Estes has created a unique post-apocalyptic world under the surface of the Earth in which the remaining people live. There are 3 underground realms: Sun, Moon, and Star that fittingly describe the amount of light that each level recieves and thus dictates the class of people that reside on each level.
The story is of 17-year-old Adele who is sentenced to life in the Pen for her parent's treasonous acts, since the abduction of her parents and sister by the Enforcers.
After learning that her family is, in fact, alive, she plots to escape her prison and rescue her family, but not before making a couple of friends in the Pen and developing some very weird feelings for the President of the Sun Realm's son (who apparently has developed the same feelings for her) whom she has never met!
An rollercoaster ride of emotions are what awaits you whilst reading this exciting tale! And I can't wait to read the second installment of The Dwellers Series!
David Estes has created a unique post-apocalyptic world under the surface of the Earth in which the remaining people live. There are 3 underground realms: Sun, Moon, and Star that fittingly describe the amount of light that each level recieves and thus dictates the class of people that reside on each level.
The story is of 17-year-old Adele who is sentenced to life in the Pen for her parent's treasonous acts, since the abduction of her parents and sister by the Enforcers.
After learning that her family is, in fact, alive, she plots to escape her prison and rescue her family, but not before making a couple of friends in the Pen and developing some very weird feelings for the President of the Sun Realm's son (who apparently has developed the same feelings for her) whom she has never met!
An rollercoaster ride of emotions are what awaits you whilst reading this exciting tale! And I can't wait to read the second installment of The Dwellers Series!
b.Young (97 KP) rated The Ivory Needle in Books
May 7, 2018
Quick read (3 more)
Magic
Adventure in Africa
Immortal elephants
Magic, Immortal Elephants and a trip to Africa! Sign me up!!!
I was not sure what to expect from this book and was pleasantly surprised!
This is a magical story about a 16-year-old Chessie and her brother who get shipped off to Kenya to spend the summer with their Gram. Chessie is not all too excited about the trip and is more concerned with the reasons their mother has made this hastey decision.
Her opinion is changed shortly, when upon seaching Gram's attic, she comes across a small ivory box that contains a sewing needle that happens to be made out of ivory from an ancient elephant. Upon using the needle, she is immediately linked to the elephant and it's herd and some weird trances and chanting ensue.
The story is told by 3 characters: Chessie; Daniel, a young native of Kenya who is dealing with poverty; and Ayleph, an ancient elephant spirit. All three are dealing with loss and change and struggling to accept the world around them.
This book had me at the mention of magic, and was a heart-warming tale that goes to show that all are possible, even magic, if you believe it to be so.
Highly recommended for everyone.
This is a magical story about a 16-year-old Chessie and her brother who get shipped off to Kenya to spend the summer with their Gram. Chessie is not all too excited about the trip and is more concerned with the reasons their mother has made this hastey decision.
Her opinion is changed shortly, when upon seaching Gram's attic, she comes across a small ivory box that contains a sewing needle that happens to be made out of ivory from an ancient elephant. Upon using the needle, she is immediately linked to the elephant and it's herd and some weird trances and chanting ensue.
The story is told by 3 characters: Chessie; Daniel, a young native of Kenya who is dealing with poverty; and Ayleph, an ancient elephant spirit. All three are dealing with loss and change and struggling to accept the world around them.
This book had me at the mention of magic, and was a heart-warming tale that goes to show that all are possible, even magic, if you believe it to be so.
Highly recommended for everyone.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire in Books
Feb 15, 2019
A fast and fun vampire romance read. While it's not very original, it has its own charm, all the characters are likable enough, if slightly undeveloped (but the Highlanders are great!), and the plot moves along nicely, although the Stake-Out groups addition to the story was weird and unnecessary to the plot. I do feel that the title and cover misrepresent the book, but luckily, it looks as though the next three covers are better. One small quibble: since Shanna had brown hair (dyed or not), it would be impossible for her to go platinum blonde w/o first stripping the color out. Like I said, not a biggie, but faulty nonetheless. There were some interesting aspects: mainly the science part, but unfortunately there wasn't anything overly special about the book. Oh, and two scenes in particular were very funny; they were the blood shuffling one and when Shanna wakes up. Those two were about the only times I laughed out loud, but there were a few other amusing things too. Overall, the book was light, easy to read, and a nice diversion. I look forward to Be Still My Vampire Heart with Angus - I do love me some Highlanders! ;P
Awix (3310 KP) rated Kong: Skull Island (2017) in Movies
Mar 18, 2019
Considering no-one has managed to make an entirely satisfactory King Kong movie since the early 1930s, and also bearing in mind that the same company's Godzilla movie left a bit to be desired, my expectations for this one were low, to put it mildly. Government survey team, aided by semi-unhinged Vietnam veterans (the setting is the 1970s), fly off to unexplored tropical island and discover all manner of weird wildlife awaiting them, including the greatest of great apes.
Truth be told, ostensible stars Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson feel a bit surplus to requirements (Sam Jackson, John Goodman and John C Reilly chew the scenery quite satisfactorily), but in all other respects this is a hugely enjoyable pulp monster movie that isn't afraid to relax and have some fun. It does feel a bit odd to do a Kong movie entirely set on the island, but the story hangs together well, there are some interesting creatures, and the set-up for the next Godzilla movie is well handled. Doing a monster movie in the style of a Vietnam film is also an inspired touch. Raises the bar for the rest of the films in this series; highly entertaining stuff.
Truth be told, ostensible stars Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson feel a bit surplus to requirements (Sam Jackson, John Goodman and John C Reilly chew the scenery quite satisfactorily), but in all other respects this is a hugely enjoyable pulp monster movie that isn't afraid to relax and have some fun. It does feel a bit odd to do a Kong movie entirely set on the island, but the story hangs together well, there are some interesting creatures, and the set-up for the next Godzilla movie is well handled. Doing a monster movie in the style of a Vietnam film is also an inspired touch. Raises the bar for the rest of the films in this series; highly entertaining stuff.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated The Silence (2019) in Movies
Apr 22, 2019
Nothing new
I’m starting to get a little sick of all these apocalyptic end of the world type films. It’s not so bad when they’re actually done well, but sadly this is not one of those films. It’s a very poor relation of A Quiet Place, and an unnecessary one at that. Apart from Stanley Tucci and Kiernan Shipka, I don’t really have anything good to say about this film.
It’s mostly predictable and pretty dull really, with a lot of plot ideas being taken from other films and shows. There’s nothing truly original about this other than the creatures themselves, and that’s not something to be proud of. Whilst on first glance the creatures might be slightly weird and creepy, the more you see of them the more you realise they’re not actually that scary after all. I started to find them quite laughable. The characters in this are mostly stupid making silly mistakes and despite its short 90 minute run time, this really drags to the point where I was quickly losing attention. And the ending was just lame and rushed.
If you want to watch a creature horror film about silence, watch A Quiet Place, not this.
It’s mostly predictable and pretty dull really, with a lot of plot ideas being taken from other films and shows. There’s nothing truly original about this other than the creatures themselves, and that’s not something to be proud of. Whilst on first glance the creatures might be slightly weird and creepy, the more you see of them the more you realise they’re not actually that scary after all. I started to find them quite laughable. The characters in this are mostly stupid making silly mistakes and despite its short 90 minute run time, this really drags to the point where I was quickly losing attention. And the ending was just lame and rushed.
If you want to watch a creature horror film about silence, watch A Quiet Place, not this.
Aaron Garrett (6 KP) rated Dumb and Dumber (1994) in Movies
May 2, 2019
Buddy comedy done weird
Contains spoilers, click to show
This is a laugh a minute comedy with arguably the best comedy actor of the time Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels in his first real comedy role. They play Lloyd and Harry two lovable bumblers who travel across America to return a briefcase to an attractive socialite named Mary Swanson played by Lauren Holly. Mary is delivering the briefcase as part of a ransom but Lloyd sees her leave it and grabs it before the goons can pick it up. It's revealed that the kidnapper is a friend of Mary's family. Through their shenanigans Lloyd and Harry travel to many places on their way to Aspen to deliver the briefcase. I won't spoil any of them but rest assured you will laugh. The jokes are very fast paced and hit most of the time. My only real problem with the film is the main bad guy he's dull and not very interesting. The soundtrack is great. The song choices work with the film well. Overall I give it 4 stars out of 5 of you haven't seen it before then please check it out, if you have seen it see it again you know you want to.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated The First Purge (2018) in Movies
Jun 11, 2019 (Updated Jun 11, 2019)
Definitely killed a few brain cells
The concept behind The Purge films is kind of good I guess? (If you don't think about it too hard), but none of them have really delivered much to the horror genre, and this prequel somehow delivers less to the point where it actually takes away from the horror genre!
I found myself disinterested in any of the characters after just a few minutes. So much so, that when the first 'Purge' actually begins, I just found myself thinking 'why?' Why are these characters even taking part, why are so many people taking part (surely they can't all have weird murder boners), why did this film even get passed a storyboard phase, why am I still watching!?
It's just dumb, and not even in a slightly so-dumb-its-good way.
Any scares or horror are completely absent, to the point where the film devolves into a low quality action B-movie rip off of The Raid.
The whole sorry affair just seemed like an excuse for some people to whack some contact lenses in and roam about with 'sinister' grins on their faces, like a pack of 14 year olds who have had one too many cans of Monster Energy.
Won't be watching this one again! ?
I found myself disinterested in any of the characters after just a few minutes. So much so, that when the first 'Purge' actually begins, I just found myself thinking 'why?' Why are these characters even taking part, why are so many people taking part (surely they can't all have weird murder boners), why did this film even get passed a storyboard phase, why am I still watching!?
It's just dumb, and not even in a slightly so-dumb-its-good way.
Any scares or horror are completely absent, to the point where the film devolves into a low quality action B-movie rip off of The Raid.
The whole sorry affair just seemed like an excuse for some people to whack some contact lenses in and roam about with 'sinister' grins on their faces, like a pack of 14 year olds who have had one too many cans of Monster Energy.
Won't be watching this one again! ?
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2340 KP) rated French Fried (Ethnic Eats Mystery #2) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Hubbard, Ohio, is celebrating the 130th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty, and Terminal on the Tracks is getting into the act by featuring French food. Laurel has worked hard on the menu with the help of Sophie’s friend Rocky. Rocky has been looking forward to the festival, but she starts to act weird when it kicks off. After missing the fireworks, Laurel goes to Rocky’s house to find Rocky dead. But why would someone want to kill her?
This book features a nice twist on things as Laurel finds herself having to figure out why someone might want to kill Rocky and then find a potential suspect that fits that motive. I enjoyed getting to see how that played out. She does come up with the correct motive and suspect for a wonderful climax. We don’t see as much of some of the supporting characters from the first book as I expected, but this allowed Laurel to really grow here. We do get to see plenty of a couple of supporting characters, and the new characters are wonderful as well.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/06/book-review-french-fried-by-kylie-logan.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
This book features a nice twist on things as Laurel finds herself having to figure out why someone might want to kill Rocky and then find a potential suspect that fits that motive. I enjoyed getting to see how that played out. She does come up with the correct motive and suspect for a wonderful climax. We don’t see as much of some of the supporting characters from the first book as I expected, but this allowed Laurel to really grow here. We do get to see plenty of a couple of supporting characters, and the new characters are wonderful as well.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/06/book-review-french-fried-by-kylie-logan.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Scarlett doesn't remember anything before the age of four, which she doesn't find too unsettling, until, as a teen, a car accident jars her memory and makes her start wondering what happened to her as a kid. Around the same time as her accident, Scarlett meets Noah, a new kid to town, and falls for him immediately. Noah tries to help Scarlett remember her past, but does he have her best intentions at heart?
Not really sure how to explain this book. The story itself is odd - another quick teenage romance, with a cult thrown in! However, it is oddly compelling in its own strange way - I read the book in about a day or so. The writing is rather silly and disjointed at times and the plot seems unbelievable. It's not even the cult aspect, per se. It seems weird that Scarlett focuses so much on not being able to remember things before the age of four (is that really so strange)? The end of the book ties up awfully easily, without much semblance or adherence to legal niceties. All in all, while the book moves quickly, not sure it's worth that little amount of time.
(Note: I received an copy of this book from Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.)
Not really sure how to explain this book. The story itself is odd - another quick teenage romance, with a cult thrown in! However, it is oddly compelling in its own strange way - I read the book in about a day or so. The writing is rather silly and disjointed at times and the plot seems unbelievable. It's not even the cult aspect, per se. It seems weird that Scarlett focuses so much on not being able to remember things before the age of four (is that really so strange)? The end of the book ties up awfully easily, without much semblance or adherence to legal niceties. All in all, while the book moves quickly, not sure it's worth that little amount of time.
(Note: I received an copy of this book from Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.)
Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated Sarah in Books
Mar 15, 2018
Also read my review here: http://bookbum.weebly.com/book-reviews/sarah-by-jt-leroy
Wow I don't know what to say really.
I think that most people rating this book have judged it based on the author's hoax at claiming this was a true story but if you ignore all that mess, what you find here is a really weird, heart breaking and hilarious novel. I think people need to start looking at this as a stand-alone novel and push the whole scandal to the side to see how brilliant this book actually is.
I wasn't sure why I decided to request this from Netgalley because it's the sort of book I'd normally steer clear of, but I'm glad I left my comfort zone to read this, because it was worth it.
Sarah will take you through every single emotion you can possibly think of, from love to terror to hope and you'll find yourself a bit lost once it's all over. I have another JT LeRoy book to start next, I'm hoping I like it just as much as this.
Thanks to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
Wow I don't know what to say really.
I think that most people rating this book have judged it based on the author's hoax at claiming this was a true story but if you ignore all that mess, what you find here is a really weird, heart breaking and hilarious novel. I think people need to start looking at this as a stand-alone novel and push the whole scandal to the side to see how brilliant this book actually is.
I wasn't sure why I decided to request this from Netgalley because it's the sort of book I'd normally steer clear of, but I'm glad I left my comfort zone to read this, because it was worth it.
Sarah will take you through every single emotion you can possibly think of, from love to terror to hope and you'll find yourself a bit lost once it's all over. I have another JT LeRoy book to start next, I'm hoping I like it just as much as this.
Thanks to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.