Ricky Pine's Blog, page 80

Review: That Inevitable Victorian Thing

That Inevitable Victorian Thing by E.K. Johnston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

(Am I the only one who's not really feeling that title, though? It just feels a little too much like a working title than an official one, you get it?)

As Johnston herself puts it, "That Inevitable Victorian Thing is a smallish story that takes place in a very big world." So true. While I felt that this book's main story was a little lacking, and a little thin, it boasted some very interesting romantic spins and more than...

Review: Expelled

Expelled by James Patterson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'll give this book four stars if only because of Theo and Jude - a terrific narrator and a terrific Stiles, and even better, a Stiles they actually, on the page, write as openly bi rather than leaving it ambiguous and up to our headcanons. Sasha deserves mention too, because she's a very complicated character, much more so than I tend to expect Patterson to deliver. Though maybe that's his cowriter Emily Raymond's hand at work. Overall, t...

Review: 27 Hours

27 Hours by Tristina Wright
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I admit, my enthusiasm for this book was a lot higher before Aimal's review came along. Her review initially severely blunted my enthusiasm and, for a while, I didn't even want to read the book anymore because, well, Aimal pretty much says everything there is to know.

That said, though, I eventually went ahead and read the book if only to provide my own opinion, as informed as I could possibly make it.

So, as Aimal can tell you, the pros and...

Coco: ¿Pero Quién No Es Un Poco Loco?

***THIS IS A SPOILER-FREE REVIEW.***

I've loved Pixar movies for years. Toy Story. Finding Nemo. Monsters, Inc. Ratatouille. Brave. WALL·E. And especially The Incredibles.

Up there with all of these, and better than most of them, is the latest from the studio: Coco, a celebration of Día de Muertos that was worth viewing with my best friend for all the reasons. Not only because she's Mexican and can attest to the movie's cultural accuracy, but because it's perfectly tailor-made for us....

Review: Winter

Winter by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Marissa Meyer's conclusion to her star-making series is 800 pages of perfection. It's got that perfect romance-action-humor-feels balance which all writers (myself included) really should strive for. It's got the four coolest heroines this side of Orphan Black or Buffy or Once Upon A Time. Here we have Cinder, the face of the rebellion, alongside Scarlet, the warrior spirit; Cress, the brains; and Winter, the heart. And for a villain, we can d...

Review: Before She Ignites

Before She Ignites by Jodi Meadows
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As I remember, Francina Simone, in her review of this book, said Mira Minkoba was something of a Hufflepuff.

After reading Before She Ignites, I'm pretty sure Francina was right on the money.

It was only after this book's cover was revealed (and the resulting controversy brought this author to my attention) that I read several of Jodi Meadows' other books to date, and was generally underwhelmed with them - largely due to poor world-bu...

Review: Queens of Geek

Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm not sure if my own book will get published through SwoonReads, but if it does, it'll be in good company with the likes of Alex Evansley's Love Scene, Take Two, and also with Jen Wilde's Queens of Geek. A short but sweet piece of borderline YA/NA contemporary, Wilde's book drips with fandom references and fandom fun, and terrific autistic and bi rep brought to the table by our two co-protags, Taylor and Charlie, respectively. I relate t...

Review: Shadowhouse Fall

Shadowhouse Fall by Daniel José Older
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Shadowshaper was a great book demanding a great sequel, and on that front, Shadowhouse Fall absolutely delivers. Longer and more intense than its predecessor, this book gives us a more involving storyline for our 'shapers and company: Sierra, Robbie, Juan, Tee, Izzy, Bennie, Anthony (better known to us civilians as Pulpo), etc. Taking full advantage of its setting circa Brooklyn 2017, Older also raises his social commentary game,...

Review: Buried Heart

Buried Heart by Kate Elliott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Court of Fives trilogy concludes in this long but tense and terrific novel, bringing the whole series full circle, especially where its ongoing themes of colonialism and racism are concerned. Truly, Efea will rise, but it'll be a long and difficult road for Jes and her people to get there, and they'll need a few allies among the Saroese first. Kal, perhaps? Of course, first he has to make himself overcome his natural inclination to up...

Justice League: Snyder Can't Save The World Alone

***NO SPOILERS FOR JUSTICE LEAGUE, BUT SPOILERS FOR PREVIOUS DCEU FILMS ABOUND HEREIN. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.***

Ah, the other big comic-book movie universe, the DC Extended Universe (still not a big fan of that name, BTW, but that's neither here nor there.) Two weeks after Marvel gifted us with its MCU latest in Thor: Ragnarok, DC stepped back up to the plate with Justice League, its answer of sorts to Joss Whedon's Avengers (with Whedon himself co-writing the screenplay...