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Rodney Barnes (472 KP) rated Avengers: Infinity War (2018) in Movies
Mar 5, 2019
The Finale..Part 1
Contains spoilers, click to show
Thanos did what? Yes this is what MCU was building up to.....A final battle with our favorite heroes and Thanos. This movie was well done and well balanced. It had so many heroes in this movie but it wasn't all cluttered up and all run together. That being said, the combined might of the Avengers, Black Panther, Dr. Strange and The Guardians of the Galaxy was not enough to stop Thanos. Thanos had a strong resolve to bring balance to the universe. A villain with a resolve like that of our heroes is a dangerous one. His argument is so convincing that it will have you almost agreeing with him. In the end, Thanos' resolve makes him victorious as he gets all of the Infinity Stones and wipes out half of the universe, including some of our favorite heroes. Will there be anyway the remaining Avengers can undo Thanos' Decimation? We have to wait till the next movie.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated The Passengers in Books
Apr 16, 2019
A highly entertaining, twist filled read
When I first started this book i was a little concerned. The plot about 8 hijacked driverless cars seemed a little thin to be able to stretch over such a long 400+ page book, hug as soon as I started reading it had me hooked.
The 400+ pages flew past in record speed, I just couldn't put this book down. What seemed a fairly similar plot was filled with intriguing and well developed character, as well as some fantastic twists and reveals that I never saw coming. It also features quite a serious commentary on social media and bias and even racism, and despite being set in a society slightly more technologically advanced than our own, you can see the truth in the issues highlighted here. You can also imagine our societies becoming similar to this one in the very near future, which is a very sobering thought. This really is a highly entertaining read, and it's not often I get so enthralled in a story to not see the twists coming!
The 400+ pages flew past in record speed, I just couldn't put this book down. What seemed a fairly similar plot was filled with intriguing and well developed character, as well as some fantastic twists and reveals that I never saw coming. It also features quite a serious commentary on social media and bias and even racism, and despite being set in a society slightly more technologically advanced than our own, you can see the truth in the issues highlighted here. You can also imagine our societies becoming similar to this one in the very near future, which is a very sobering thought. This really is a highly entertaining read, and it's not often I get so enthralled in a story to not see the twists coming!
Sarah (7800 KP) rated The Binding in Books
May 18, 2019
Good but not what you'd expect
I started this book expecting it to be very fantasy-esque and magical, and the first part fitted this completely. It was full of promise and intrigue about bindings and kept me completely hooked. It then moves onto the second part and goes into a totally different direction than the magical one I'd expected.
This isn't a bad thing, it was just a complete surprise. I can't really say what the story changes into without spoiling it, but it was still very interesting to read. It's very well written and despite not being the story I had been expecting, the well developed and engaging characters and the writing style more than make up for it. The ending too is very satisfying. The only criticisms I have is that it may be slightly too long and I do wish it had been a bit more magical. This book gives a glimpse into a great story and idea, but I do wish there had been a little more to this side.
This isn't a bad thing, it was just a complete surprise. I can't really say what the story changes into without spoiling it, but it was still very interesting to read. It's very well written and despite not being the story I had been expecting, the well developed and engaging characters and the writing style more than make up for it. The ending too is very satisfying. The only criticisms I have is that it may be slightly too long and I do wish it had been a bit more magical. This book gives a glimpse into a great story and idea, but I do wish there had been a little more to this side.
Danielle Chaplin (81 KP) rated To Kill a Kingdom in Books
Jun 1, 2019
Brilliant!
This is a truly unique and fantastic retelling of the Little Mermaid story, with our main character being a bloodthirsty siren that is forced into human form for disobeying the sea witch.
I loved that the characters weren't instantly attracted to each other, that the prince wasn't as nice as he could have been and that the siren had a backbone to her. The feelings and emotions displayed were well thought out and the story progressed well, however I feel that the relationships could have progressed more during the 'quest' and that the book had every right to be longer than what it was.
I could not put this book down and read it even whilst feeding my baby one handed so that I didn't lose any time in finding out what happens (even though it was a fair chance that it would either have a Disney happy ending or follow the classic fairy tale).
This is the perfect book for those that like alternative retellings of fairy tales and Christina Henry books.
I loved that the characters weren't instantly attracted to each other, that the prince wasn't as nice as he could have been and that the siren had a backbone to her. The feelings and emotions displayed were well thought out and the story progressed well, however I feel that the relationships could have progressed more during the 'quest' and that the book had every right to be longer than what it was.
I could not put this book down and read it even whilst feeding my baby one handed so that I didn't lose any time in finding out what happens (even though it was a fair chance that it would either have a Disney happy ending or follow the classic fairy tale).
This is the perfect book for those that like alternative retellings of fairy tales and Christina Henry books.
Merissa (12723 KP) rated Second Wind in Books
Mar 1, 2018
Second Wind by Aimee Nicole Walker
Second Wind is a feel good book, with plenty of sweetness, but without that sickly feeling you sometimes get with a sweetness overload.
Both men are wonderfully enough in their forties - which makes a nice change from twenty-somethings lol. However, through a series of memories, you find out about their youth, and the decisions they made, bringing you up to the current day. This is a complete story, without anything being missed out, but all necessary to the story.
This is a low-angst story that is very well written, with no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. The pacing was smooth, and all the characters were well fleshed out and completely believable. If you are looking for a sweet story about second chances, then I can definitely recommend this one.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Both men are wonderfully enough in their forties - which makes a nice change from twenty-somethings lol. However, through a series of memories, you find out about their youth, and the decisions they made, bringing you up to the current day. This is a complete story, without anything being missed out, but all necessary to the story.
This is a low-angst story that is very well written, with no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. The pacing was smooth, and all the characters were well fleshed out and completely believable. If you are looking for a sweet story about second chances, then I can definitely recommend this one.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Very Black Mirror-esque
This is such a great idea for a story, you can almost imagine a slightly darker version of it featuring on Black Mirror. The idea of there being a genetic match out there for everyone found through a dating website is so plausible and in keeping with today’s society that it wouldn’t surprise me if something like this was to happen in my lifetime. It’s an intriguing take on modern dating too and for someone who sadly has experience in dating websites, it’s very relatable.
It’s well written and it does well to hold your attention by breaking into 5 separate stories with different characters all related by the same matching experience, in small bite sized chapters. The characters themselves are all likeable in their own way and you get very invested in their stories. There are a number of twists and my only criticism would be that some parts of this story get a little bit far fetched. It’s fiction, but I did find myself questioning the plausibility in parts. That said, I really couldn’t put it down.
It’s well written and it does well to hold your attention by breaking into 5 separate stories with different characters all related by the same matching experience, in small bite sized chapters. The characters themselves are all likeable in their own way and you get very invested in their stories. There are a number of twists and my only criticism would be that some parts of this story get a little bit far fetched. It’s fiction, but I did find myself questioning the plausibility in parts. That said, I really couldn’t put it down.
Erika (17789 KP) rated Black Panther (2018) in Movies
Feb 18, 2018
I'm only giving this movie a 9, because I've honestly seen the same story line in dozens of movies. AND, I felt like the previews gave way too much away.
But, although the story was predictable, it was still very well done. The afro-futurism was so amazing, the costumes were so good, and I loved that they brought in all sorts of different cultures on the continent to Wakanda.
The cast did a brilliant job, and I loved that the warriors were women.
Now, Killmonger: Micheal B Jordan did a fantastic job with the villain. This villain was one of the better ones in the MCU, in a sea of generic villains (Loki excluded). Killmonger (as well as Loki) was a sympathetic (IMO) villain, there was a reason for his fall into villainy, being a product of his circumstances. You understood where he was coming from, and damn, his last line was intense.
Now: Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis. I had a major Hobbit flashback when Ross went to Klaue, I was half-hoping they were fixin to have a riddle-off.
But, although the story was predictable, it was still very well done. The afro-futurism was so amazing, the costumes were so good, and I loved that they brought in all sorts of different cultures on the continent to Wakanda.
The cast did a brilliant job, and I loved that the warriors were women.
Now, Killmonger: Micheal B Jordan did a fantastic job with the villain. This villain was one of the better ones in the MCU, in a sea of generic villains (Loki excluded). Killmonger (as well as Loki) was a sympathetic (IMO) villain, there was a reason for his fall into villainy, being a product of his circumstances. You understood where he was coming from, and damn, his last line was intense.
Now: Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis. I had a major Hobbit flashback when Ross went to Klaue, I was half-hoping they were fixin to have a riddle-off.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) in Movies
Feb 13, 2018 (Updated Feb 13, 2018)
A Mid-life Crisis, but Not as We Know It
Easily the best of the Trek movies. Made with half-an-eye to concluding the franchise, it ended up revitalising the series for another quarter century.
Old enemy from the TV show is rediscovered, vows revenge on Kirk; many rousing space battles and well-handled character moments ensue. Ricardo Montalban really goes for it as Khan; William Shatner gives a proper movie leading man performance. Relatively low budget is artfully concealed.
Benefits considerably from being willing to acknowledge that everyone has aged since the original TV show; Kirk has to confront the consequences of choices he made as a young man (later movies disregarded the fact the crew were becoming increasingly geriatric). The essential Trek philosophy of optimistic liberal humanism somehow gets a bit lost along the way, but you really don't care as the rest of it is so much fun. Almost unreasonably well-written when you consider the script was done in less than a fortnight.
Old enemy from the TV show is rediscovered, vows revenge on Kirk; many rousing space battles and well-handled character moments ensue. Ricardo Montalban really goes for it as Khan; William Shatner gives a proper movie leading man performance. Relatively low budget is artfully concealed.
Benefits considerably from being willing to acknowledge that everyone has aged since the original TV show; Kirk has to confront the consequences of choices he made as a young man (later movies disregarded the fact the crew were becoming increasingly geriatric). The essential Trek philosophy of optimistic liberal humanism somehow gets a bit lost along the way, but you really don't care as the rest of it is so much fun. Almost unreasonably well-written when you consider the script was done in less than a fortnight.
Nicole Hadley (380 KP) rated The Coral Kingdom in Books
Jun 16, 2018
The Coral Kingdom by Laura Knowles is a beautifully illustrated picture book about coral reefs, as well as a pretty strong call to save them.
The story part of the book is a nice sing song of the animals and colors of the reef. The back matter is all about what is coral, how we can save it, and how we can save our planet. Told in a loose rhyming scheme, the reader is brought into the wonders of this undersea world. The watercolor pictures illustrate with beautiful colors of the reef and the life around it. There are lots of sea creatures to find as well as unusual things like boats that have become part of the reef over time. A call is made to save this beautiful space.
The book ends with some action ideas for sustaining the reef and how it is losing it's color. The message is clear, but I never felt like I was being beat over the head with it. The case is made gently and with beautiful art.
The story part of the book is a nice sing song of the animals and colors of the reef. The back matter is all about what is coral, how we can save it, and how we can save our planet. Told in a loose rhyming scheme, the reader is brought into the wonders of this undersea world. The watercolor pictures illustrate with beautiful colors of the reef and the life around it. There are lots of sea creatures to find as well as unusual things like boats that have become part of the reef over time. A call is made to save this beautiful space.
The book ends with some action ideas for sustaining the reef and how it is losing it's color. The message is clear, but I never felt like I was being beat over the head with it. The case is made gently and with beautiful art.
Cori June (3033 KP) rated Blood Trade (Jane Yellowrock, #6) in Books
Dec 3, 2018 (Updated Nov 8, 2019)
This one is lower mostly because she gets really emotional (for good reasons) and is more "alone time". One of the things I love about most Jane Yellowrock books is the interactions between her and the other characters especially her and Eli. This seems like a "builder book" a book to set the story up for something else. Although, it has a lot of elements of "placement book" too; as in, let me place this book here to give some background information on a couple of characters. I would have liked more background on Jane although it was fun to see her interact with people from her past. The is still that three way triangle thing with Bruiser and Rick. As well as where Eli fits into the structure of friend/romantic partner/business partner/brother type. The romance parts, well, it's all a little understated when compared to the previous books this one being more of a hack and slash version. And there is very little of the fang head Leo.