Reviews

Kpop: Demon Hunters – Review

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Kpop: Demon Hunters, Netflix Movie

Title: Kpop: Demon Hunters

Language: English

Genres: Animated, Action, Thriller, Comedy

Synopsis

Centuries ago, demons plagued the human world, stealing their souls to feed their king, Gwi Ma. Then, three women, known as Hunters, arrive and drive the demons away. They create a magical shield called the Honmoon, to keep the demons out of the human world. Since then, there has been a group of three in each generation who are chosen to keep the Honmoon strong and fight any demons that make their way into the human world.

Now, the Kpop trio known as Huntix, are this generations Hunters and soon they will seal the Honmoon for good and keep demons out of the world forever.

My Review

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. Honestly, I had no idea what to expect. I was just browsing through Netflix looking for a movie to watch and this appeared. I figured i would give it a shot and if it sucked, i could just stop watching. Admittedly, the animation threw me off at first as it’s not my favorite type of animation, but I got over that pretty quickly.

First of all, the music in this movie is amazing! I literally downloaded the soundtrack as soon as the movie ended and I’ve been listening to it ever since. Several of the songs give me the feels and sometimes even goosebumps.

The main trio is also great. Each of them has their own unique personality, but you can feel their bond as soon as they come on screen. They’ve been friends for a long time and their shared goal of sealing the Honmoon forever gives them a great deal of motive. While that is their main goal, they also truly love their fans and their jobs as idols.

Despite how superficial this movie may look on the surface, it explores deeper themes of friendship, found family and redemption. There are some genuinely heart warming moments along with a good deal of action and comedy.

I think this movie would also benefit from being expanded into a series. It would be interesting to know more about the past Hunters, and in particular how these three girls were chosen and what their lives were like before.

Other than that, I really can’t find fault with this movie and there fore rate it 5 out of 5 stars. I’d recommend it to anyone who likes Kpop, Kdrama, anime, or is just looking for a good movie to kill some time.

Thank for reading!

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Prophecy: Child of Earth – Symphony of the Ages #2 by Elizabeth Haydon

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Title: Prophecy: Child of Earth

Author: Elizabeth Haydon

Series: Symphony of Ages

Sexual Content: Descriptive

Objectional Content: Violence, Sexual violence, violence against children

Synopsis (from Goodreads) In Rhapsody, a fellowship was forged–three companions who, through great adversity, became a force to be reckoned with: Rhapsody, a singer of great talent and even greater beauty; Achmed, an assassin with unearthly talents; and Grunthor, a giant Sergeant-Major whose jolly disposition stands at odds with his deadly skill at weapons. Having fled the F’dor–an ancient, powerful evil–the three emerged on the other side of the world, only to discover fourteen centuries had passed. Their homeland had been destroyed, their people scattered across several continents, and everyone they ever knew had long since passed away…except, perhaps, the F’dor.

Prophecy continues this powerful epic. Driven by a prophetic vision, Rhapsody races to rescue the religious leader of her new homeland while Achmed and Grunthor seek evidence of the F’dor. These three may be their world’s only hope, the heroes spoken of in the Prophecy of the Three, but their time is running short. They must find their elusive enemy before his darkness consumes them all.

My Review

So, I’m not really sure how to review this. I started reading Prophecy in January, right after I’d finished the first book, Rhapsody. It is now June and i just finished it. i don’t think it’s ever taken me six months to get through an entire book before. This should not be taken as any sort of reflection the book itself, because the book is fantastic. I really enjoyed reading, when I read it. The problem here is me. For some reason, I just did not want to read.

The latter half of the book (the part most fresh in my mind) focuses quite a bit on the relationship between Rhapsody and Ashe. Now, I have no problem with romance in books, but in this one it meant a fair amount of sex scenes. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it just didn’t feel like it added a lot to the story overall. Mostly, it makes Ashe look a little pathetic. He’s been in love with Rhapsody from the moment he saw her and his desperation is really starting to show. Their relationship also causes Rhapsody to ignore some of the things she should be responsible for, much to Achmed and Grunthor’s annoyance.

There is a lot more going on besides just Rhapsody and Ashe, but i don’t want to spoil anything so I’m not really going to say anything about it. Though I would like to say that there is some pretty descriptive violent scenes that may be triggering for some people.

My rating for Prophecy is 4 out of 5 stars. l’m on to the third book, Destiny, which hopefully won’t take me six months to read!

Thanks for reading!

Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing – Review

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Title: Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing

Language: English

Genres: Documentary

Trigger Warning: Child Abuse, Sexual Assault

Synopsis: Documentary about child influencer Piper Rockelle and the kids who were in her Squad.

My Review

Before Watching this documentary, I had no idea who Piper Rockelle was. Why would I? Afterall, I’m a 40 year old woman. Piper’s content is not something I’m interested in. However, I am interested in documentaries, and quite recently, the effects being on platforms like YouTube is having on the younger generation.

Piper Rockelle has been in the spotlight nearly her entire life. Starting with Pageants as a toddler, winning her first pageants as age 3. She was on two different TV shows before the age of ten, and then became the star of her own YouTube channel. Soon, other kids become involved and the Squad is born.

The documentary follows testimony of the former members of the Squad as well as their parents. The kids relate how Piper’s mother, Tiffany, was in control of everything. She controlled the content, the channels and the children. Tiffany was exceptional in manipulating people to get what she wants. She manages to isolate the kids from their parents so they don’t learn just what was going on until much later.

I won’t go into great detail of what these kids endured but it involved spending twelve hours or more a day filming videos, being told what to do, how to act and what to wear. Off camera was even worse as several of the children experienced sexual assault by Tiffany.

Now, I’m not a parent. I’m the type of person who has never wanted kids so obviously I don’t know what it’s like. Still, it baffles me the way the parents in this documentary were talking about everything that happened. It sounded like their concerns were more about the careers of their children as opposed to the trauma they went through. The parents file a lawsuit against Tiffany, but initially, the main concern is loss of revenue from Tiffany and partner sabotaging the other kids YouTube channels. This honestly baffles me. Do these parents not speak to their children? Do they not listen? I realize I’m not in their shoes and I don’t know what is actually going on but from some of the things the parents said, I really have to wonder what they were thinking.

In all of the this, the biggest victim is, of course, Piper. While the other children were able to leave, Piper is still trapped with her mother, being forced to film videos and take photos that get more and more provocative. As of the time of the making of the documentary, Piper was only 15 years old. I don’t understand how people can call people who choose not to have children selfish and terrible people, when there are parents out there abusing and exploiting their children for money.

More and more situations like this are coming to light and being talked about in the media. I really hope this message gets around more and channels like Piper’s, as well as family vlogging channels featuring children, will be banned, or at least demonetized.

This is an excellent documentary and I highly recommend it! 5 out of 5 stars.

Have you seen this documentary? Let me know what you thought of it!

Bad and Crazy – Kdrama Review

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Title: Bad and Crazy

Language: Korean

Genres: Action, Thriller, Mystery Comedy

Synopsis (from MyDramaList): Soo Yeol, a skilled but morally compromised officer in the Anti-Corruption Unit, faces a turning point after meeting K, a righteous but eccentric man. Despite his high school diploma, Soo Yeol has climbed the ranks by catering to his superiors’ desires, often ignoring justice in the process. As promotion time nears, he fears being left behind, especially after his hopes with Congressman Do Yoo Gon are shattered by K’s arrival. Together, the “bad boy” and the “crazy guy” form an unlikely partnership—bringing both chaos and change.

My Review

Watching these types of shows makes me wonder about what the justice system is really like in Korea. Are cops really just covering up things for politicians and sucking up to their superiors? I’d like to hope it’s not like that at all and it’s all just dramatization.

I have to say, though, I absolutely loved this drama. Lee Dong Wook and Wi Ha Joon are amazing together! From the very first moment K shows up, hilarity ensues. His very first appearance involves beating Soo Yeol in a bathhouse. That towel must have been on there really well 😉

It becomes apparent pretty quickly what K is and why he is there. Soo Yeol has allowed himself to become corrupt, to do just about anything to get his next promotion. He’ll brown nose and suck up to whoever he needs to for his own gain. Honestly, in the beginning, Soo Yeol is a complete sleaze. At first, I didn’t like him as a character, even though I like Lee Dong Wook as an actor. It was great to watch him learn and change, all while getting his ass handed to him by K.

Although there were many great scenes in this show, one in particular stands out. Soo Yeol and K get trapped in a very small space while investigating and what ensues is pretty funny. I don’t want to spoil anything there, but I honestly wonder how much of that scene was actually scripted.

Endings to Kdramas can sometimes be hit or miss, but in this case, I think it was a hit. Although it is bittersweet, I understand why it ended the way it did and overall it was satisfying.

My rating for Bad and Crazy is 4.5 out of 5 stars. I’m taking away .5 because there were a few little inconsistencies that I noticed, but nothing major. I’d recommend this show to anyone looking for an action thriller with a good mystery and humor.

As always, thanks for reading!

Tale of the Nine Tailed – Kdrama Review

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Title: Tale of the Nine Tailed

Language: Korean

Genres: Thriller, Horror, Romance, Fantasy

Synopsis (from MyDramaList): The mythical nine-tailed fox, or gumiho, Lee Yeon had to settle in the city many centuries ago. Able to transform into human form, he eradicates supernatural beings that threaten the mortal world. His real aim is to find the reincarnation of his lost first love. The talented television producer Nam Ji A works on a show that features urban myths. In the past, her parents were involved in a mysterious car accident and disappeared, and she suspects that Lee Yeon might be connected with this accident. The half-brother to Lee Yeon is the captivating Lee Rang. Despite being half-human himself, he harbors a deep-seated contempt for all people. For sport, he will unleash his seductive prowess upon his human-du-jour by promising to grant them their wishes, only to trick them into paying a hefty price for their earthly desires.

My Review

I always love a good fantasy story, especially when it’s inspired by folklore or mythology from other countries. The different tales about Nine-tailed foxes have always been of interest to me too.

My personal opinion is that Lee Dong Wook did an excellent job in his role as Lee Yeon, the nine-tailed fox. He really nailed the arrogance of an immoral entity that knows he is powerful as well as handsome. At the same time, he was also a hopeless romantic who spend 600 years waiting for his first love to be reborn.

Lee Dong Wook and Jo Bo Ah have amazing chemistry together and their hardships had me in tears more than once. Kim Bum was also fantastic as Lee Rang, Yeon younger half brother. He played a villainous role to a T, while also being vulnerable and caring, like how he can’t ignore the cries of a dog being abused.

There’s a scene that sticks out in my mind where Yeon and Ji-a are walking in the rain sharing an umbrella when Yeon tells Ji-a that he doesn’t like to get wet because “it messes up my fur.” I don’t know why this stuck in my mind so much, but it did. I was hoping that there would be a scene where he would go full fox mode but sadly that didn’t happen.

There was also a thing or two that I don’t think the writers really thought all the way through. I don’t want to mention what exactly they were as they would be major spoilers. The ending also left me with a lot of questions. Thankfully there are sequel series so maybe I will get answers there.

Overall, I think the Tale of the Nine-Tailed was a solid 4 out of 5 stars. I really enjoyed it and I’d recommend it to those who like romance with a good dash of fantasy and mystery thrown in.

Thanks for reading!

Rhapsody: Child of Blood – Symphony of the Ages #1 by Elizabeth Haydon

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Rhapsody: Child of Blood Symphony of Ages #1 by Elizabeth Haydon

Title: Rhapsody: Child of Blood

Author: Elizabeth Haydon

Series: Symphony of Ages

Sexual Content: Descriptive

Objectional Content: Violence, Sexual violence, violence against children

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Rhapsody is a woman, a Singer of some talent, who is swept up into events of world-shattering import. On the run from an old romantic interest who won’t take no for an answer, Rhapsody literally bumps into a couple of shady characters: half-breeds who come to her rescue in the nick of time. Only the rescue turns into an abduction, and Rhapsody soon finds herself dragged along on an epic voyage, one that spans centuries and ranges across a wonder-filled fantasy world– a world so real you can hear the sweet music of Rhapsody’s aubade and smell the smoldering forges deep within the Cauldron.

My Review

Rhapsody is a book I first read several years ago. At the time, the entire series hadn’t yet been published. After what feels like forever, I’m finally rereading the entire series so I can read the last two books.

It has been so long since I first read Rhapsody that, although I remember a few key things, it was like reading it for the first time again. I think I enjoyed it more than I did the first time around. Truly, I loved this book.

The trio of main characters, Rhapsody, Achmed and Grunthor, could not be more different from one another. However, the bond they form is more than I’ve seen in most books, especially without it somehow turning romantic. Elizabeth Haydon has an amazing ability to keep the reader engaged even during some scenes that could be considered boring or tedious. I felt invested in these characters from the very beginning.

Rhapsody, especially, is a complex and intriguing character. She has lived through some very traumatic experiences and yet still manages to smile and have a positive outlook. Where some people would become bitter and withdraw into themselves, Rhapsody’s experiences make her want to help people even more, but especially children. She may be small in stature, but she is ferocious when she needs to be.

I always have any objectional content listed at the top of my reviews, but in this case, I feel the need to reiterate that there is some graphic violence involving children, some of it sexual in nature. These things are meant to disgust the reader and portray the level of evil of the antagonists. It all has it’s place in the story. However, if child violence is something that is just not for you, or may be triggering for any reason, this may not be the book for you.

My rating for Rhapsody is 5 out of 5 stars. I was honestly never bored reading this. I would recommend this book to fans of high fantasy looking for an exciting new adventure!

Thanks for reading!

Law of the Broken Earth – The Griffin Mage #3 by Rachel Neumeier

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Title: Law of the Broken Earth

Author: Rachel Neumeier

Series: The Griffin Mage

Sexual Content: none

Objectional Content: Mild violence

Synopsis: (from Goodreads) : In Feierabiand, in the wide green Delta, far from the burning heat of the griffin’s desert, Mienthe’s peaceful life has been shaken. Tan — clever, cynical, and an experienced spy — has brought a deadly secret out of the neighboring country of Linularinum. Now, as three countries and two species rush toward destruction, Mienthe fears that even her powerful cousin Bertaud may be neither able nor even willing to find a safe path between the secret Linularinum would kill to preserve and the desperate ferocity of the griffins. But can Mienthe? And, in the end, will Tan help her . . . or do everything in his power to stand in her way?

My Review

It has been approximately half an hour since I finished reading Law of the Broken Earth as I begin to write this review and honestly? I’m not entirely sure what to say. This book begins by introducing whole new characters. There’s nothing wrong with that, I like both of the characters and they play an integral part in the plot of this book.

The Great Wall created in the previous book is cracked and on the verge of breaking completely. The griffins want the wall to come down so they can invade the country of earth and destroy it. Naturally, the inhabitants of the countries of earth don’t want this to happen. Events are set in motion to prevent this from happening and find a resolution once and for all.

My dislikes about this book are pretty much the same as the previous books. There aren’t enough griffins in a trilogy called “the Griffin Mage”, the names of places and some people are impossible to pronounce and the plot moves along slowly til near the end when everything seems to happen all at once.

I like the character, Mienthe, even if I have no idea how to say her name properly. She was interesting to follow as she discovers her own unique gift and is instrumental in bringing everything to a satisfactory close. I liked that characters from the previous books returned and had roles to play, however small.

The ending did bring the overall conflict of the trilogy to a close, though it just wasn’t what I was expecting or really wanting out of the books. I won’t say that they were bad, as they weren’t, they just weren’t as good as I thought they could be.

My rating for Law of the Broken Earth is 3 out of 5 stars.

Thanks for reading even though this review is sort of all over the place.

Land of the Burning Sands – The Griffin Mage #2 by Rachel Neumeier

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Title: Land of the Burning Sands

Author: Rachel Neumeier

Series: The Griffin Mage

Sexual Content: none

Objectional Content: Violence, slavery

Synopsis: (from Goodreads) Gereint Enseichen of Casmantium knows little and cares less about the recent war in which his king tried to use griffins and fire to wrest territory from the neighboring country of Feierabiand. . .but he knows that his kingdom’s unexpected defeat offers him a chance to escape from his own servitude.

But now that the griffins find themselves in a position of strength, they are not inclined to forgive and the entire kingdom finds itself in deadly peril. Willing or not, Gereint will find himself caught up in a desperate struggle between the griffins and the last remaining Casmantian mage. Even the strongest gifts of making and building may not prove sufficient when the fiery wind of the griffins begins to bury the life of Casmantium beneath the burning sands . . .

My Review

As the second book in a trilogy, I expected Land of the Burning Sand to pick up where the first book left off and follow at least some of the same characters. Instead we are introduced to all new characters in the country of Casmantium. The book opens with the main character of this novel, Gareient, hiding in the cellar of the house where he is held as a slave while a sandstorm turns the city into a desert.

The Land of the Burning Sand mostly follows Gareient as he journey’s out of the desert and attempts to avoid being sold back into slavery. Griffins, are barely even mentioned and only seen from a distance for the most part. It isn’t until much later, probably half way through, that a familiar character makes an appearance. Griffins themselves don’t actually appear until near the end of the book, and then only in a brief scene.

For a trilogy called The Griffin Mage, I would expect more griffins, or at least the actual griffin mage to be more present.

There’s nothing wrong with shifting the perspective of a story to the “other side” as it were, to give a different POV but I found it somewhat annoying when I was expecting more, you know, griffins. The ridiculously long and impossible to pronounce names continue on in this book, adding in much more, until I stopped trying to sound them out and just sort of made a noise in my head while reading those words.

I wanted more of Bertaud, Kes and Karaithin, who the first novel focused on. I was expecting this book to follow Kes as she continued to live with the griffins and how her life would be. Instead, the brief glimpse we get of her is just kind of a tease.

Don’t get me wrong, I did like the book. The characters are interesting and their story is fun to follow, it just wasn’t what I was expecting. I wanted more griffins. I did particularly like the character, Tehre. She is smart and practical, though she very easily gets lost in her own mind. She was fun to read about.

My rating for the Land of the Burning Sand is 3 out of 5 stars.

Lord of the Changing Winds – The Griffin Mage #1 by Rachel Neumeier

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Lord of the Changing Winds, book one of the Griffin Mage trilogy by Rachel Neumeier

Title: Lord of the Changing Winds

Author: Rachel Neumeier

Series: The Griffin Mage

Sexual Content: none

Objectional Content: Violence

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Little ever happens in the quiet villages of peaceful Feierabiand. The course of Kes’ life seems set: she’ll grow up to be an herb-woman and healer for the village of Minas Ford, never quite fitting in but always more or less accepted. And she’s content with that path — or she thinks she is. Until the day the griffins come down from the mountains, bringing with them the fiery wind of their desert and a desperate need for a healer. But what the griffins need is a healer who is not quite human . . . or a healer who can be made into something not quite human.

My Review

I’m going to start this review a little differently than normal and begin with what I didn’t like about this book. There are a lot of names featured in this novel that are somewhat long and difficult to pronounce. The author clearly put in a lot of effort and creativity in these names, however, having to stop and try to sound out these words is really disruptive to the flow of reading. I also found it difficult to remember who the characters were since I couldn’t pronounce their names. This book would have benefited from a pronunciation guide and even a list of characters. Fortunately, the main characters names were not as difficult to pronounce.

Setting that aside, this book is a satisfactory fantasy novel. I haven’t read a lot of books featuring griffins so I found this to be fresh. Kes, the main character, is a quiet girl who has never really fit in with the people in her village and finds acceptance among the griffins. Except for the griffin part, I think this is something a lot of teens can relate to.

I found the writing to be quite beautiful, especially the descriptions of the griffins and the desert. The plot isn’t anything to rave about, but the world itself is interesting. Although this isn’t the most amazing fantasy novel I’ve ever read, I did find it easy to read and interesting enough that I wasn’t bored. It’s a fun quick read and I look forward to starting the next book.

My rating for The Lord of the Changing Wind is 3 out of 5 stars and I’d recommend it to someone looks for a light fantasy.

Thanks for reading!

A Tapestry of Lions – Chronicles of the Cheysuli #8 by Jennifer Roberson

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Title: A Tapestry of Lions

Author: Jennifer Roberson

Series: Chronicles of the Cheysuli

Sexual Content: minimal

Objectional Content: Violence

Synopsis (From Goodreads): Nearly a century has passed since the Prophecy of the Firstborn was set in motion—the generational quest to recreate the magical race which once held sway in the lands ruled by Homana’s Mujar. Now, Kellin, heir to Homana’s throne, has only to sire an offspring with an Ihlini woman to reach this goal. But Kellin wants nothing of prophecy, nor even of his own magical heritage. Embittered by tragedy, he refuses the sacred lir-bonding, becoming anathema in the eyes of his Cheysuli kin. But willing participant or not, Kellin provides a very real threat to the Ihlini—the ancient enemies of the Cheysuli people—for should the prophecy be fulfilled, life as the Ihlini know it will end. How can a lirless warrior ever hope to escape the traps of the Ihlini sorcerers? And how can the prophecy ever be realized when the man born to become its final champion shuns his destined role?

My Review

Going into this book, I really didn’t know what to expect. All the previous books have been about the prophecy and mixing the correct bloodlines to bring the prophecy to fruition. Only one bloodline remains, that of the Ihlini. But what Cheysuli would willingly and knowingly be with an Ihlini?

Kellin, Aidan’s son, is the main focus of A Tapestry of Lions. He is a child filled with bitterness that his own father gave him up (though he eventually does the same to his own bastard children). After experiencing tragedy and loss, Kellin rejects the gods and vows to never have a lir. As a man he has become even more bitter and rebellious, closing himself off to any meaningful relationship so he can’t be hurt by losing someone. He also resents that he is not so important as the son he will one day sire.

Kellin honestly changes and grows in leaps and bounds in this book. He starts out as a child proud of his Cheysuli heritage, looking forward to the day he receives his lir and lir gold, wanting to be recognized as a warrior of the clans. Then he experiences loss and grows up to sleep with random whores, get in fights and gambles. He goes through a lot and comes out the end a much better person.

I wasn’t sure how it was all going to end. As I was reading, I kept thinking there wasn’t enough left in the book to wrap it all up. In the end though, I was satisfied with the ending. I’m sure the author could write more books in this world if she wanted to, but I wouldn’t say it was necessary to round off the story.

Overall, I would say the series is an enjoyable one. There were definitely elements about it that I didn’t like. For instance, the first book is about a strong female character and then the subsequent books are almost all about male characters and the majority of the female characters are sort of relegated to a background role of have babies.

My rating for A Tapestry of Lions is 3 out of 5 stars. My rating for the Chronicles of the Cheysuli is also 3 out of 5 stars and I would recommend it to people who enjoy older, slower paced fantasy that covers multiple generations and different protagonists.