Ice Warriors: Narfi

Posted by cat2002116 on February 16, 2015
Posted in: Artwork, Ice Warriors, Writing. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

NarfiSketch

 

Narfi is one of Loki’s sons and twin brother to Vali. In Norse mythology, Vali is turned into a wolf and forced to attack and kill his brother, after which Loki is bound under a serpent with his entrails. (I know. Pretty disturbing, right?)

 

NarfiBust

 

In Ice Warriors, Narfi is trapped as a spirit in the ice palace, along with his chained father and his mother. Mainly skilled as a warrior, Narfi also has some magic ability due to his father being a powerful mage.

Narfi-1

 

Personality-wise, Narfi is honourable and noble. He does have a mischievous streak, but there’s nothing cruel in it. He was originally meant to be a main character in book one, but his part has fallen back a bit… though he still has an important role to play.

 

Narfi-2

You can probably tell, due to the different styles, but I was fortunate to get three separate artists who were able to show different portrayals of Narfi. Personally, I think they’re all especially cool and each one demonstrates a particular aspect to his character. In mythology and in the series, he’s probably quite a tragic character.

Yours, Mine and Ours

Posted by cat2002116 on February 16, 2015
Posted in: Movies, Reviews. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

Yours, Mine and Ours

(This review may contain spoilers).

I remember watching this film originally quite a while ago, but my niece really wanted to watch it today, so we put it on and watched together.

As feel-good films go, this was a really good one. The plot of the film wasn’t an original one, but it was an entertaining movie to watch and there were some really good comedy elements in it.

I felt this film did a good job of showing different personalities of the eighteen children. Although I couldn’t name most of the younger ones, I still felt they were really well-developed and although there were some of the cliches (cheerleader and creative artsy girl, for instance), all of them were, for the most part, likable characters and I enjoyed seeing them interact together, especially when the rivalry turned into the inevitable having to work together.

I liked the clear differences in the two adults’ parenting styles and how they clashed due to their entirely different personalities, even though they were clearly attracted to each other. I recognised a couple of the actors in this film, but on the whole, I felt that the actors playing the characters worked really well.

I really did enjoy watching this film and since I have it on DVD, it is one I would probably watch again. It’s a good family film with some really sweet emotional scenes and also some really good amusing scenes. The children were different enough and the family loyalty came through really well. It is similar to Cheaper by the Dozen, but I feel it deals with different issues.

Bathory’s Secret

Posted by cat2002116 on February 16, 2015
Posted in: Books, Reviews. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

Bathory's Secret

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers).

I’ve seen vampires used a lot in fiction to date and it’s always interesting to see the different kind of spins people put on the popular vampire myth… even though I do think vampires have been over-used to date.

I know the historical account of the Countess Bathory and I felt this book was not only an interesting twist on the vampire story, but also on the story of the Countess… despite the amount of poetic license that was taken throughout the book.

The start of the book was intriguing and enough to draw me into the plot. The character of Kati was quite an interesting one and I liked seeing her interacting with the other characters in the book. It was pretty creepy to see the Countess’ home and what went on there through Kati’s eyes. I was surprised that the whole book wasn’t written in first person – although the first chapter was intriguing, I felt it wasn’t entirely clear who the POV character was or how they knew all of this information.

The journals that Kati had to bind were quite intriguing to read, but I couldn’t quite see the evolution from the the character of Theodora to the way she was in Kati’s time.

The goals of the Countess, once revealed, made her more of an interesting character, I felt… if still clearly a villain. I would have liked to see some more of the servants in the castle and also have a few more details of the other girls attending the school.

For the most part, I felt the author did a good job of setting the scene historically… but I did feel there were a number of occasions where the language was a bit too modern. There were also a couple of times where the journal entries weren’t clearly indicated and I had some confusion before realising Kati was reading them again.

There were a lot of disturbing scenes in this book and I found myself cringing at times. The descriptions came across really well. I thought good use was made of the other historical figures, too.

I probably would read the sequel to this book at some point in the future. It would be interesting to see where the author goes with the storyline next.

Tournament of Hearts

Posted by cat2002116 on February 15, 2015
Posted in: Books, Reviews. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

Tournament of Hearts

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers).

I would, ideally, give this book 4.5 stars. I did find it a bit difficult to get into at the start, but as the book progressed, I found it easier to become absorbed into the storyline and began caring about the characters.

The idea of the Tournament of Hearts is a frightening one, but I felt it was quite realistic that a society would develop that kind of ritual in a belief to keep themselves protected. What I would have liked to see was how that all came about – one of the characters thinks about how he lived through a time the sacrifice wasn’t gone through with.

Although certainly not a conventional warrior, I felt Neven worked really well as a hero and central character in this book. Although he did have certain otherworldly abilities, I felt the author did a good job of showing how those developed… as well as letting him experience the consequences of certain actions; and having to rely on other people for help. I strongly dislike books where one character is ridiculously overpowered, to the point that other characters become obsolete… and I felt this book did a good job of going the other way.

All four of the characters who were meant to fight in the tournament were intriguing and it was interesting to see that Neven would potentially have to face his friend. Although the blurb of the book suggested that much of the main focus would be on the tournament, I liked that I got to see some of the ordinary, everyday lives of the people of Hamelin.

I have to be honest and say that my favourite character in this book was Smoke. Right from his first appearance, I was drawn to him and found him a really interesting being. There were certain scenes that made me really cringe where he was involved… but there were other scenes, particularly towards the end, that made me feel quite emotional.

As for other favourite characters… I think Neven and his two friends are tied for that. As the book progressed on, I enjoyed reading about the true camaraderie and brotherhood that existed between them. I also appreciated the fact that the author created ‘bad’ characters who had some potentially redeeming qualities.

I’m definitely interested in reading the next book in this series. I’m really looking forward to seeing where the characters will go now.

Big Hero 6

Posted by cat2002116 on February 14, 2015
Posted in: Movies, Reviews. Tagged: , . 1 Comment

Big Hero 6

(This review may contain spoilers).

I took my niece to see this film, but she did manage to spoil one of the elements, because she saw this the day before. Even so, I really enjoyed watching this.

I particularly like family and animated films and I felt this one was a really good, fun movie to watch. I liked the characters in the film, although I kept thinking that Honey was going to have a stronger accent than she actually did every time she said, “Hiro.”

I really did like Hiro’s developing friendship with Baymax. As much amusement as I got from watching this film, there was also a lot that was really sweet and intense to watch. This film did do a really good job of holding my attention throughout.

The concept of Baymax was a really cool one. I felt the voice of Baymax came across really well and the fist bump thing was quite amusing.

The variety of different characters in the film was cool, too. I really liked Tadashi. His relationship with Hiro came across really well, I felt. I also especially liked Wasabi. Go Go was pretty cool, too.

All in all, I felt this film was sweet in parts and there were a lot of amusing moments in it. The voice actors were good and so was the animation. This is a film I wouldn’t mind seeing again… and my niece enjoyed watching it both times.

Blog Tour: Please Don’t Tell My Parents I Blew Up The Moon

Posted by cat2002116 on February 12, 2015
Posted in: Blog Tour, Books, Reviews. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

Review Tour (6)

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers).

Although this book was the second in a series, I still found it easy to follow… at least mostly. I don’t think I needed to read book one to understand this one, but I wasn’t all that clear on whether Penny, Ray and Claire were supposed to be supervillains or superheroes. It was all something of a murky grey area.

I think superhero fiction is becoming quite popular now. Not at the level of vampires or werewolves, but I’ve noticed the ‘genre’ has been steadily growing. Even so, despite it being a popular trend, I still found this book a really intriguing read.

I liked Penny as a character. Through the course of the book, she really just grew on me. The idea behind her powers was a really intriguing one. I found it interesting that she entered an almost ‘mad scientist’ phase to access her ability to create inventions. And I found a lot of them to be really cool… but my favourite was probably the cursed pennies. I would have loved to see them utilised more through the book, instead of just being involved in the inventions Penny was making.

The different kinds of superhero powers were really interesting. I especially found myself intrigued by Claire’s power and how it affected different beings in different ways. (I did think Ray’s power was a bit more usual… but it was his interaction with Penny that made him a good character, I felt).

There were certain things mentioned in this book that caught my attention and I would have liked to see them explored a bit further. I was a bit confused by how the space travel worked in the first place, I have to say.

I liked Remmy as a character, even by the end of the book… though I wish she’d been a lot less stubborn. If there are later books in this series, it would be cool to see more of her and her brothers.

I liked Juliet and Harvey as characters. Their interactions were probably among my favourite in this book. It would be really good to see more of them later. And my other favourite part was Vera. It would have been good to learn a bit more of her history.

It would be really cool to see more of Penny, Ray and Claire in other books. This was entertaining and held my attention throughout. I really did enjoy reading it.

 

Get a copy: Please Don’t Tell My Parents I Blew Up The Moon

Byzantium

Posted by cat2002116 on February 12, 2015
Posted in: Movies, Reviews. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

Byzantium

(This review may contain spoilers).

I have read and watched a lot of things with vampires in to date, but when I saw this was being shown on television, I was curious enough to want to see what it was like. It definitely wasn’t my favourite vampire thing… but it was an entertaining way to spend a couple of hours, at least.

The two main characters in this film were fairly interesting, though I much preferred Eleanor to Clara. There were certain points I felt able to empathise with Clara, but for a lot of the film, I didn’t really like her at all. I have seen both actresses in other things before and I do like them both. The emotions and interactions between them were interesting and I could believe in the protective way Clara acted towards Eleanor… even though it also stifled her and probably didn’t allow her to grow very much as a character.

The flashbacks in the film were pretty interesting, but I felt the modern-day version of Clara hadn’t really grown at all in her two hundred years. I did feel that the film required quite a bit of suspension of disbelief.

The twist on the vampire mythos was intriguing, but I was a bit confused about how it all worked and why. It didn’t really make it clear why the vampires were immune to the normal weaknesses of those found in legends.

In a way, I think this film could have been extended into a television series… or at least a mini-series, with the origins and mythos further explored and explained. The concept of this film was really intriguing… but I really felt that, personally, that it fell somewhat short on the execution. It isn’t a film I’d choose to watch again.

Marvel’s Mightiest Heroes: Iron Man

Posted by cat2002116 on February 11, 2015
Posted in: Books, Reviews. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

Iron Man

(This review may contain spoilers).

I think Tony Stark is probably one of the most interesting characters from the Marvel universe. (I’m saying this while I’ve still got a massive stack of the comic books left to read, so there’s a good chance that thought will change). But I think Tony has quite a lot of contradictions and that’s one of the main things that makes him such an intriguing character.

It was really good to see Iron Man’s origin story. I don’t feel attracted to Tony in the way I have felt attracted to characters like Thor, but in many ways, I think he came across as being alone, particularly through the first comic… but also in the Avengers, since he was the only one of the original team who didn’t reveal his identity to the others at first.

I liked the fact that, in the later comics, I got to see more of some of the other superheroes and how Tony interacted with them. I found his interactions with Spider-Man to be particularly amusing. It was interesting to see how insistent Tony was that he couldn’t work with Spider-Man if he withheld his identity… and yet Spider-Man was so persistent, Tony didn’t have a choice.

I also liked seeing Tony and Pepper interacting together, though I was somewhat disappointed to see there wasn’t really much of a romance between them. It was interesting to see how much Tony’s Iron Man suit changed from its original appearance… but then, the artwork itself to begin with was vastly different to the rest. Not in a bad way, but I think the first comic seemed to appeal more to a younger audience, while the rest were clearly designed for older readers.

I also found it interesting to see the superhero teams from one of the other countries. It would have been good to see more of the superheroes from other places. It was also good to see how Tony and Thor attended the funerals to pay their respects… even though their interactions with each other were quite sad.

Tony seems quite different to what I would normally class as a hero, but as I’ve got to know him, I’ve grown fond of him in the same way I’m beginning to grow fond of the other superheroes. I’m looking forward to seeing more of Tony (and Marvel’s other heroes) as I read through each graphic novel.

Jupiter Ascending

Posted by cat2002116 on February 10, 2015
Posted in: Movies, Reviews. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

Jupiter Ascending

 

(This review may contain spoilers).

Despite starting off with some issues (my eyes wouldn’t adjust to the 3D showing at first), I did find this film really quite entertaining to watch. I’d seen it advertised several times and was quite intrigued by the plot and scenes shown.

The special effects in this film were really cool, but I have to say, I was a bit disappointed in Jupiter’s character. Although her intelligence was shown in part, I felt she didn’t really act in the way she literally stated her personality to be like in the beginning. At the same time, by the end of the film, Jupiter’s character had grown on me a bit. Though not quite as much as she seemed to have grown on Caine.

The whole concept of recurrence was a really interesting one, but I still wasn’t entirely sure what it really meant. There were some indications that Jupiter might have shared some personality traits with her predecessor, but it wasn’t explored nearly as well as I felt it could have been.

It was interesting to see the different personalities of Balem, Titus and Kalique. I would have liked to see more of Kalique, but I really didn’t like Balem or Titus at all. Still, their intentions for the Earth were interesting and I think they could have been more interesting characters if there had been more time for them to be shown.

I found Stinger to be a really intriguing character. I do also really like Sean Bean as an actor, so it was cool to see him in this. I also found Caine really interesting and I would have liked to know more about both of their back stories.

I liked seeing Jupiter’s interactions with her family and there were some quite amusing moments in this film. There was a lot that was cliched, and I don’t think I’d watch this film again, but it made for an entertaining couple of hours.