Ricky Pine's Blog, page 133

Review: See How They Run

See How They Run by Ally Carter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Welcome back to Malta...sorry, Adria, where mysteries lurk behind every corner, royal history imbues every nook and cranny, and the old Iranian embassy still serves as a perfect hiding place for diplomats' teenage offspring. Along the way, our friend Grace gets herself involved in an all-female secret society of what basically amounts to Adrian Eastern Star, travels through an ancient pyramid like she's Indiana Jones or something, and...

Review: Blur

Blur by Steven James
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I recently learned that Steven James has gone and dipped his toe into the pool of YA fiction, so naturally, I had to check out Blur. I'm happy to report that he does this age group justice as he crafts another high-suspense mystery thriller, this time with a slight paranormal twist. I say "slight" only because it's very easy to forget that the book is paranormal to begin with. Usually, that's not a good thing (I say this as a hopeful future-bests...

Review: The Six

The Six by Mark Alpert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Recommended quite nicely by the likes of R.L. Stine and Michael Grant, this here book is a cool look into AI and robotics and the sort of thing that, whenever it appears in the movies, tends to get crapped on (think Transcendence or Chappie). Our titular Six may have damaged human bodies, but as robots, they can be something more...and something more is exactly what we might need when an AI inevitably goes rogue and starts doing the whole "Skyn...

Review: The Abduction

The Abduction by Jonathan Holt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

At this point, I think it's safe to say that the supernatural side of the Gothic, which I hoped this series would explore, is being left by the wayside. However, what this series lacks in the typical genre trappings, it makes up for with its intense psychological scares as it challenges the "official" US definitions of terror, and with a guinea pig who's perfect for this experiment in the eyes of those who have devised it. It doesn't he...

Deadpool: Rebel, Romantic, Rule-Breaker

***WARNING: NSFW LANGUAGE, BUT THAT GOES WITHOUT SAYING. IT'S DEADPOOL, AFTER ALL.***
Wait...why am I looking so sad? Dammit, Ricky, find a happier GIF!
Oh, sorry, DP. I'm just trying to color-code our lines and use Google Images here. You know, most of these GIFs aren't even real GIFs? They don't even move, for Pete's sake!
WHAAAT?
Oh. I see what you mean. GODDAMMIT INTERNET!
Okay. Let's try to get to business here...
WHEEEEEEE!!!!
Um. Dude. What?
Fuck yeah, finally! An actual GIF, of a line I didn'...

Review: The Tournament

The Tournament by Matthew Reilly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Matthew Reilly does Something Completely Different in this book - it's lighter on his signature full-tilt high-octane action, and heavier on historical drama. It's also heavier on court intrigues in 16th-century Europe, particularly in its lush Constantinople setting. And, most unusually of all, it's heavier on sex. In fact, Reilly puts a disclaimer at the start of the book, warning that the book contains mature content - all of which...

Review: Passenger

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Maybe because I read this one right on the heels of finishing the wild and crazy Illuminae, I found this book really slow and plodding in comparison. Makes sense, given that this book is lighter on the action, not only compared to Illuminae but also to Bracken's previous Darkest Minds dystopian trilogy. This one's more about creating complicated sci-fi rules and building a nice little romance - which is Bracken's best yet, that's for su...

One Year Of Blogging, Etc.

Hard to believe it's been a whole year since I started my blog. You might remember that day better, though, because of the news that started it all - the news that motivated me to become a blogger. I'm talking, of course, of the announcement that Spider-Man was joining the MCU without Andrew Garfield. I hoped to get a trend going, hoped to spread the hashtag #Garfield4Spidey to support the un-cancellation of The Amazing Spider-Man 3. I failed, but I still keep that hashtag on pretty much...

Review: Illuminae

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

MY OFFICIAL ILLUMINAE PLAYLIST:

"No chance for fate, it's unnatural selection
I want the truth!"
-Muse

"Here we go, vertigo
Video vertigo, test for echo
Touch and go, in slow mo
Video vertigo, test for echo..."
-Rush

"Higher, don't let 'em know we're coming
Higher, tiptoe higher..."
-Imagine Dragons

"I don't wanna feel sorry for you
You don't have to make believe it's you..."
-The Cars, "You're All I've Got Tonight"

"Falling down can feel strange
No one rem...

Review: The Scions of Shannara

The Scions of Shannara by Terry Brooks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Just based on the original trilogy, plus this book, it feels like it just wouldn't be a Shannara book if Allanon and an Ohmsford or two weren't majorly involved in the action. This long-distant start to a new series is no exception.

On the one hand, it's a little more-of-the-same with the hunt for the artifact that started it all, the Sword of Shannara, all over again. But like The Force Awakens, this is a situation of everythin...