Book Talk: The Serpent’s Shadow by Rick Riordan (Kane Chronicles 3)

Hey guys!
It’s time for my thoughts on the final installment in Rick Riordan’s series on Egyptian mythology. Let’s talk about The Serpent’s Shadow, the third book of the Kane Chronicles!

The Serpent’s Shadow by Rick Riordan (Cover from Goodreads)

 

The Plot:
After all the traumatic events of the last book, the fight is still far from over. Not only is everybody gearing up for the final battle against Apophis, the chaos snake. Even the House of Life itself stands divided and the Gods can decide which side to support. Some of the most powerful humans and Gods would rather fight the Kanes than believe in the real threat. Sadie and Carter have their hands full. Will the teenagers be able to navigate through all this?

 

The Rating:
This series was hell of a ride! I loved the first two parts and The Serpent’s Shadow was far from a letdown.
Rick Riordan created a fast-paced end with lots of twist and turns for the last novel of the Kane Chronicles. Right up until the final chapters you won’t be able to tell who will survive or whether the world will be destroyed.
As I’ve mentioned before, I enjoyed how Riordan constructed the story and told it from two different points of view. It makes for an interesting flow that feels quite unique.

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Movie Mania: Tomb Raider (2018)

Hey guys!
It’s movie review time. Today I want to talk about one the biggest films of 2018: Tomb Raider. Alicia Vikander had to fill some big shoes, so let’s see how well she did!

 

The Plot:
Lara Croft, daughter of the famous Lord Croft, is getting by as a bike courier. After her father disappeared on one of his expeditions she never gave up hope. Despite him missing for years, Lara refuses to pronounce him dead and claim her inheritance. However, when Croft manor is about to be sold off, she has to reconsider – and discovers something among her fathers possessions.
After listening to a pre-recorded video of her dad, Lara scrapes together her last dimes and sets out for Japan to solve the mystery surrounding her fathers disappearance.

The Rating:
Well, well. I have some mixed feelings on this one.
The film kicked off strongly and I enjoyed Vikander’s performance. The way they approached the character of Lara for this production had something fresh and not yet worn out.
Unfortunately, my excitement went down the drain once Lara left for Japan. At that point the story became highly unrealistic and lots of stuff didn’t make the slightest sense. Example: She arrives in a small village in Japan and not a single person is able to speak English. However, the exact guy she is looking for (a hopeless drunk) speaks perfect English without an accent.

TV Show Spotlight: The Kennedys (2011)

Hey guys!
Today’s TV Show Spotlight post revolves around The Kennedys, a mini series which was released in 2011. I’ll be working with this one for my master thesis at university, so stay tuned for a post on that 😉

 

The Plot:
The show follows the life of John F. Kennedy. It start right at the election eve of his race with Nixon and portrays his efforts right up to his assassination. In flashbacks we learn more about his time as president and about the Kennedy family in general.

 

Why should you check it out?
I’ll give you a simple reason: it’s fascinating. Of course not everything you get to see really happened this way. You can tell that some stuff is exaggerated and dramatized to make it a bit more soap opera like. But in general they try to give an authentic picture of the time. A lot of original material like news broadcasts is used which makes it even more interesting.
I know that reviews were very mixed on this mini series but I found it generally enjoyable. It gives you a good insight on the politics of the 60’s and it inspired me to read up on the topic.

Book Talk: The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan (Kane Chronicles 2)

Hey guys!
It’s time for my review on The Throne of Fire, second installment of Rick Riordan’s Kane Chronicles trilogy. Let’s see whether it can keep up with the amazing first part!

The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan (Cover from Goodreads)

The Plot:
Sadie and Carter have been through a lot, but their ordeal is far from over. Apophis, the chaos snake, is rising. The only way to prevent the end of the world is to find the Ra, the sun god and restore his powers. But first they need to get the three sections of the book of Ra. Did I mention that both the book and the God have been missing for ages?

 

The Rating:
I’m a sucker for everything Rick Riordan and this series is no exception. It took me a while to get started but once I had picked the books up, it was impossible to stop. After hell of a ride with the first part, I was very excited to dive into The Throne of Fire.
One of the things I enjoyed so much about it is the way the story is told. The book is meant to be a transcript of some audio recordings Sadie and Carter did. So first of all, we get two different voices and perspectives which makes for nice changes (and funny moments) throughout the novel. It also feels more real, being told from those “having witnessed it first hand”. This really distinguishes the whole Kane Chronicles series from the rest of Riordan’s books. Otherwise it might have been lost among the rest of his works but instead it pops out.

Book vs. Movie: Maze Runner – The Scorch Trials

Hey guys!
Today I want to share my thoughts on the second installment in the Maze Runner series. Let’s see about the Scorch Trials – what’s better, book or movie?
Make sure to also check out my post on the first part!

 

The Plot:
After escaping the Maze the gladers are taken in by WCKD. They want to believe that the hard times are over, but little do Thomas, Theresa, Newt and the others know about what is to come…

 

Book vs. Movie:
So guys, I know that there is a huge fandom around the Maze runner series, but I have to admit that I am less than impressed.
I’ll begin with my thoughts on the novel by James Dashner. The first part in the series was not perfect, but it featured some interesting aspects and I was excited to see where Scorch Trials would take us.
However, I ended up disappointed. Not all of it made sense, over quite a few chapters it was boring and you could see where this was heading from the beginning. Nevertheless, I was rather by the way finished this novel. To be honest, it seemed like even the author didn’t really know what to do with the story or what to come up with. After this let-down of a book I was still interested to see what the movie would look like!

Movie Mania: All the Money in the World

Hello my lovely readers!
Today I bring you a 2017 movie based on a true story. All the Money in the World depicts the famous kidnapping of John Paul Getty III, grandson of “the richest man in the world”. So let’s see what Ridley Scott made of that!

 

The Plot:
John Paul Getty III is 16 years old when an organized Italian crime ring kidnaps him in 1973.
Based on the assumption that his divorced mother sits on a heap of money, the kidnappers demand an extraordinary sum. The only problem: she is pretty much broke. The person with money is her former father in law, John Paul Getty who is -at that time- the richest man in the world. But Getty refuses to pay. A series of heart-wrenching negotiations begins…

 

The Rating:
Based-on-a-true-story-films are always my favorites. I love cross checking the depicted facts and people with original photos and stuff. The background to this movie offers lots of interesting stuff to read about, so be sure to take a look.
In general, this is a compelling story that will move you. The fact that it we are talking about real events makes the whole thing even more intense. I was quite impressed with Michelle Williams’ performance. Although I had never been a big fan of her, she did an amazing job for this film. Charlie Plummer portrayed the young JP Getty III and showed great acting skills. He has a bright future ahead of him, I’m sure about it.
However, the best performance was given by somebody who was not even supposed to be in the movie.