Movie Corner #6

                Hello happy movie fans!    I didn’t see much the last couple weeks but my last few days off my bestie was just out of the hospital so while there are some movies I would like to see I’d rather hang with her while she recoups!  That said here is what I’ve seen the last two weeks:

Ready Player One:  5 Stars

                It was different from the book.  They changed a lot of things.  This made me nervous.  But I really liked it.  I can’t wait to see this movie again.  The changes they made were consistent and played better to the screen and made sense.  They didn’t just change a couple things that seemed out of place but they changed bigger things and while I would have loved a by the book page for page type story I understand that the changes made for a more dynamic and engaging movie and I can also appreciate that.  Also even though they changed things it still kept the feel of the story and I liked that.  Plus I figured they would have to change some of the games/references for licensing issues anywho.  It was still packed with tons of nostalgia and fun moments even more action than before which I enjoyed.  Things were also a bit more focused and condensed which sped things up.  I am happy as both a movie lover and a book lover (book review). 

Blockers:  5 Stars

               So I saw this at the early day showing and I was super excited for some fun.  The trailers all look hilarious and I was down for that.  I was only slightly worried all the funny parts were in the trailers (as I’ve seen that happen before) but nope not a chance there is so much to enjoy.  There was tons of comedy and laughable moments.  I think I laughed through about 85-90% of it.  There were also real moments in there that honestly based on the trailer surprised me and were relatable in ways.  So I call it a huge hit and I can see it easily being one of those movies you can always put on for some laughs! 

*****

                So that’s it.  I still plan to see The Quite Place and The Miracle Season from last weekend’s releases but this weekend I’m excited to check out Truth or Dare tomorrow on Friday the 13^th (it’s fun to see all the superstitious people) and yes Rampage not sure what else is coming this weekend.  What movies have you seen recently?  What should I see?  This week I’m super excited to see.

~Can't Wait Wednesday: Mirage (Mirage #1)~

                Hey all sorry for being a bit spastic this last week but my best friend has been in the hospital and she just got out the other day so my last few days between work I have been spending time with her and I have thus let some things slip behind.  I am sorry but getting back on track now.  

                Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Wishful Endings.  Waiting on Wednesday has been don for some time so I am switching it up for now!  Basically books that are not yet out that we are dying to get our hands on.  This week’s pick is:

Mirage (Mirage #1) by Somaiya Daud

Out:  8/28

From Goodreads:

                In a star system dominated by the brutal Vathek empire, eighteen-year-old Amani is a dreamer.  She dreams of what life was like before the occupation; she dreams of writing poetry like the old-world poems she adores; she dreams of receiving a sign from Dihya that one day, she, too, will have adventure, and travel beyond her isolated moon.

                But when adventure comes for Amani, it is not what she expects:  she is kidnapped by the regime and taken in secret to the royal palace, where she discovers that she is nearly identical to the cruel half-Vathek Princess Maram.  The princess is so hated by her conquered people that she required a body double, someone to appear in public as Maram, ready to die in her place.

                As Amani is forced into her new role, she can’t help but enjoy the palace’s beauty—and her time with the princess’ fiancé, Idris.  But the glitter of the royal court belies a world of violence and fear.  If Amani ever wishes to see her family again, she must play the princess to perfection…because one wrong move could lead to her death.

Why I’m Waiting:

                 Body doubles and evil rulers….I am having a Man in the Iron Mask feel for the moment….just saying. 

                What are you waiting on?  Tell me below what you think of this title and leave a link to your CWW as well so I can check it out.

Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer #1)

                Hello happy readers!  I hope you had a good weekend, mine was long at work but I did get some listening down for a read-along so I call it a win.  I also found lots of recipes I want to try in the near future so there is that also.  The March book in the Goodreads read-along I co-host was Strange theDreamer (Strange the Dreamer #1) by Laini Taylor and I LOVED it!  I had high hopes as I enjoyed her other series but this just blew me away.  So the rest will be my full thoughts on the story though if I miss spell anything I am sorry I listened so I got most of my spellings from Google.

Rating:  5 Stars

                Lazlo Strange is a war orphan who lives in the dream world of books and seeks nothing more than to know everything about the mythic city of Weep.  The journey would take much more boldness than the librarian holds but when the opportunity presents itself in the form of Weeps own hero, The Godslayer, and his warriors it may be the push Lazlo needs to be bold.  Weep is just a city but it became mythical after it was cut off from the rest of the world some two hundred years prior.  The Godslayer is in search of people to come to Weep and help them solve their mysterious problem.  Weep holds many mysteries including what Gods did the Godslayer slay to get his title; why is Lazlo the dreamer dreaming of a blue-skinned goddess before he knew she could exist and more? 

                Okay so this book.  I LOVED IT!  Seriously it was amazing and as I got towards the end I was so anxious and worried and looking to see how long I’d have to wait to find out what happens next.  Lazlo pulls you in with his pure adoration for learning wanting to spend all of his time learning all the things he can including his free time learning anything there is about this city of Weep.  He is genuinely good in a way that we don’t see as much.  He doesn’t do anything with the hope of getting something for himself but because he honestly wants to help.  There was just something that made me love him from the start.  Along the way we meet some good and not so good characters who are vast and varied to be sure.  One of my favorites in the book who caught me by surprise was Calixtie, she is a gem and I'll leave you with this to grasp who she is: 

"And Women," said Lazlo.  "It's a woeful species that's all male."

"More like a nonexistent species," remarked Calixte.  "Men lacking both wombs and good sense."

                Along the way we learn about other characters who have had a very different life.  The citadel and Weep the back and forth of the two was just heartbreaking at times.  There was so much pain and suffering on both sides.  The duality of it all was beautifully written I cried several times while listening I can’t lie.  Every new discovery brought me closer in understanding the larger picture as a whole.  Sarai, Sparrow, Ruby, Feral, and Minya have a different kind of life and seeing it had me back and forth on my feelings many times over.  I was so sure of some things throughout and some I was right about and others I was wrong but as I was proven wrong it was so much better (story wise) than I could have imagined. 

                There are a lot of serious feelings in this story and I don’t even know how to describe them without giving things away.  So in this I will simply say this was a top read for me and I can’t wait for the sequel.  I need it in my life NOW.  I loved the characters and the imagery.  The world was so full of beauty and imagination.  I want to live in it.  The story was intriguing and kept me emerged it was hard to stop when I got out of the car (I had it as my car book for the first 65% or so before I broke down and just had to listen at work) because I found all the different facets interesting.  One thing I found with the characters was their level of self realization and understanding.  I was able to forgive or understand the actions of some characters because of how some of the characters reacted.  Sarai really is such a beautifully complex character knowing both sides of things given her gift.  She is raised to know one thing and sees that side but also in it sees that of her "enemy" and is able to understand both sides.  She as a character might have a deeper understanding of people as a whole than most people in the world and that depth really was an amazing feat. 

                I can't wait for the sequel and I was thrilled when I heard it was going to be  duology because that means I won't have to wait for another book after October.  I have so many theories for what is to come and worries because I stress again this book has some seriously dark moments and is not for everyone.  It handles the issues too and they are felt rather than brushed aside which is another attribute.  Is it October yet?

                Until next time… 

~Stacking the Shelves #48~

                Welcome to Stacking the Shelves was created by Tynga and the full details can be found on her page.  Basically you showcase the books you bought or received each week.  Little, or not so little, weekly book hauls. 

E-Book (Review):

Star-Touched Stories (The Star-Touched Queen #2.5) by Roshani Chokshi

                Another good small week.  I have some pre-orders I’m waiting on but I never count them until they arrive.  Share a link below with what goodies you got this week. 

~Can't Wait Wednesday: Circle of Ashes (Wish Quartet #2)~

                Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Wishful Endings.  Waiting on Wednesday has been don for some time so I am switching it up for now!  Basically books that are not yet out that we are dying to get our hands on.  This week’s pick is:

Circle of Ashes (Wish Quartet #2) by Elise Kova & Lynn Larsh

Out:  4/9

From Goodreads:

                Every wish has a cost but will the society be willing to pay it?

                Once a hacker-for-hire living in the shadows, Josephina “Jo” Espinosa is the newest member of a magical Society.  Their mandate?  To grant the wishes of mortals.  A simple enough task until Jo is faced with an impossible wish – and her inability to grant it might spell disaster for her entire team, if not the Society itself.

                Jo is used to high-pressure situations, but after a string of disasters, the last thing she needs is stakes of this magnitude.  Especially given that neither she nor the Society know quite what the consequences of failing to grant a wish might be.

                The only person with answers is the Society’s aloof and cryptic leader, Snow.  Yet while Jo is enigmatically drawn to the man, all their clandestine encounters leave her with only more questions about the true nature of the Society, her magic, and her own history.

                Time is running out for the Society, and an executioner will rise from among them to exact the price of failure.

Why I’m Waiting:

                 I just finished book one in the read alone and I am super excited to see what happens next.  There are so many questions and I want to get to know the characters and this world of wishes better.  I love that the titles are coming out pretty close together too! 

                What are you waiting on?  Tell me below what you think of this title and leave a link to your CWW as well so I can check it out.

Top Ten Tuesday: Characters I HATE in Books I LOVE

                Hello everyone!  Top Ten Tuesday is just how it sounds, a topic is picked and we put our Top Ten for that in a post and share and check out everyone’s answers.  Top Ten Tuesday is now being hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl.  I changed the original topic (characters I liked in books I didn't) because usually if I didn't like a book I don't remember the characters as well since I LOVE character books!  

The top ten today is:  Characters I disliked in books I loved

Minya from Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor- She creeped me out from the begging and never gained my favor.  Every time I wanted to feel something but dislike for her she hammered it home.

Alice & Slone from Our Dark Duet (Monsters of Verity #2) by Victoria Schwab- One is love to hate but the combo plus another evil was too much evil!

House Rok from Loom Saga by Elise Kova- Yveun Dono is one piece of work but he is not the worst by far!

Thaddeus from Sun Warrior (Tales of the New World #2) by P.C. Cast- He and his little pup too!  They were not the nicest of characters in book one but they went from obnoxious ass hats to sinister evil real quick!

Queen Maeve from Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas- So she is a testy witch when we first meet her and she only gets worse from there.  Keeping people in service to her and making them do things against their will…I hate her so much!

Zara Dearborn from Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices #2) by Cassandra Clare- She is evil and bitchy from the start.  She is an attention hog who wants everyone to bow down to her but doesn’t want to do the hard work.

King of Hybern from A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas- So we only hear of him in the first book but he’s the big bad that our evil was working under so clearly not a good guy then when he does come to he hurts my people and only goes downhill from there.

Seth from Covnant series by Jennifer L. Armentrout- Okay so I never loved him.  At the start I thought he was pushy and I consider him like I consider a rapist though my opinion of him only lowered as the series went on.

The Commandant from An Ember in the Ashes series by Sabaa Tahir- So she is basically just evil and vicious from the start which seems pretty self-explanatory.

Queen Levana from The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer- Umm….again controlling people is just pure evil.  This seems to be a theme.

               

                So what do you think?  Tell me what you think of my list in the comments below.  Also please link back to your Top Ten as well so I can check out your list and see what I missed!

Society of Wishes (Wish Quartet #1)

                Hello happy readers!  I hope you all had a good weekend and if you celebrate a Happy Easter.  We are finished with March and into April now.  Time seems to be going at super speed in some areas and inching along in others.  As for time for reading there is never enough, but that said I did enjoy participating in a Facebook read-along with the authors for Society of Wishes (Wish Quartet #4).  I am still enjoying the chats on the group page but once you hit a certain part it's hard to not keep reading and finish up.

Rating:  4 Stars

                The age old saying is be careful what you wish for.  Well Josephina 'Jo' is a hacker-for-hire in a very different reality than we know, a fractured US.  Then one day on a job her best friend and her are caught and as bullets rain down she uses her last breathe to make a wish, something she remembered from her grandmother in days past.  Her wish is simple enough to save her friend and she will accept the price no matter the cost.  The cost, she is now a member of the mysterious Society of Wishes set to live among the other members in a separate time space and use her gifts to help grant future wishes.  Though she is given the plush new digs and can do pretty much anything her new home lacks one major aspect…freedom and purpose.  Checking in on her friend to ensure her wish was put to good use she finds him about to attempt the same task that got them both killed to start with.  Now what do you do when interfering is against the rules?

                This was a quick read for sure and I did really enjoy the concept.  A magical society that grants wishes that alter the reality.  I loved the idea of them being from all different worlds and time periods and each with their own power.  The way they live is rather unique and we are only just getting to know a few of them as Jo learns her place and tries to accept her new reality.  This book is more about her than anything else.  There isn’t some big bad guy / evil to face down just a new reality to accept that basically tears apart everything you knew in the world. 

                We are still getting to know this world but this was a good start.  I can see the start of some much bigger questions and I look forward to watching unfold.  The characters have peeked my interest and I look forward to learning more about the other members of the society and the society as a whole.  Thankfully the sequel, Circle of Ashes, comes out next week April 9^th so I won’t have to wait long.

                Until next time…