The Cloverfield Paradox Review

Cloverfield_paradox_posterSo I finally sat down and watched The Cloverfield Paradox which I liked the most out of the Cloverfield movies so far. The movie starts out with some info dumping about how Earth is running out of power sources and so the world has sent a team to a space station to work with a massive particle accelerator to attempt to find a new power source. When the experiment works all hell breaks loose on the space station has they ended up breaking the fabric of reality. Though it is a science fiction movie I would classify it more as a body horror such as Alien or the Thing than just straight sci-fi.

I’ve never loved any of the Cloverfield movies and this ones no exception though I do like it better than the others. In Cloverfield, I felt like the characters were very annoying and I didn’t care what happen. It doesn’t help that I have never been a fan of found footage movies either. 10 Cloverfield Lane on the other hand was a movie that I like the concept of but found the movie as a whole very boring. So, I didn’t have high expectations for Cloverfield Paradox. Though I don’t think Paradox was needed as part of the Cloverfield series I did like the concept of the movie and I wasn’t bored. If any of the Cloverfield movie got direct squeals I would want it to be Paradox as I feel like it has the most that could be done with it given how the story and ending is set up. It is the only Cloverfield movie that has any real horror in my opinion. 

As the movie progresses it starts to feel like they characters are trapped in space where no one can help them which preys on the fear of the dark and unknown. The one thing that I’ve always disliked about theses movies is that most of the characters are just unlikable with few redeeming factors. For instance in Paradox, Ava’s arc does work  as she wants to stay in an alternate world where her children are still alive but she doesn’t think what thorough the consequences of if she stays and there is a version of her in the world. And then there’s Jensen who was on the other ship and who’s reality is in jeopardy who comes off as a bitch who just wants everyone dead so, I was very happy that she ends up dying.

Paradox also is the movie where the explanation for how the alien invasions happened in the other movies is supposed to exist. This is never really explained, just that in accidentally ending up in an alternate reality and then jumping back to their own unleashed horrible monsters. I do feel like Paradox has the best ending out of all the Cloverfield movies just because its slightly more hopeful than the other two but the ending of these movies are never very good.

Rolling in the Deep and Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant Review

Mira Grant aka Seanan McGuire is one of my favorite authors and these books are no exception. Under Mira Grant, McGuire writes Science Fiction and Science Fiction Horror novels which if your a fan of Michael Crichton I feel like you will love.

23634011Rolling in the Deep by Mira Grant is a novella about a research vessel going to the Mariana Trench to find Mermaids. Commissioned by the Imagine Network (which feels to me like if you combined the Discovery Channel fake documentaries with Asylum the creators of Sharknado),  the scientist think that the company sponsoring the trip is just going to film a mockumentary but they end up finding real mermaids who are not kind or beautiful. This book is technically a prequel to Into the Drowning Deep but it works as a stand alone. However, if you want to have no information about what the mermaids are like and the twist at the end of In to the Drowning Deep read the full length novel first. I didn’t know about the novella when I first read the novel so they work in either order. I didn’t connect to the characters as much due to how short the book is but what is there is great. It made me want more from this world and story.

34523174Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant is a science fiction horror novel about a research ship going out to the Mariana Trench to find mermaids and what happened to the ship, the Atargatis, that went out seven years previously. This is a reread for me and I loved it just as much as the first time I read it. The characters are amazing and complex from the woman who convinced Image that mermaids existed, the sister of one of the missing from the previous expedition, two big game hunters and many others. The wonderful thing about McGuire’s stories is she adds diverse characters in a way that is natural, they are diverse because our world is, this includes deaf sisters and a journalist who is both a lesbian and autistic.

The best way I can describe it is the book is everything I didn’t know I wanted out of murderous mermaids. These are not the pretty ladies of the sea but monsters from the deep that humanity has long feared. The character that you dislike or hate have a reason to be there and get what they deserve and those that you love must survive horrible circumstances to make one of the biggest discoveries of the world. The ending is left open ended enough for a possible squeal but doesn’t leaving anything hanging. I absolutely love these books and hope that a squeal will happen. 

May 2019 Illumicrate

IMG_0526So in May I decided to try a new book subscription box which was Illumicrate. Illumicrate is a monthly book subscription box that focuses mainly on young adult titles. When I heard that the May book was going to be Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff I knew I had to try and order the box. May’s theme is The Final Frontier.IMG_0527

This is my first time ordering this box and this month was very good. The bookish items included a Lunar Chronicles cooler bag/lunch bag, an Illuminae pillowcase with Kady and Ezra on one side and AIDAN quotes on the other, a Red Rising inspired luggage tag, a Squad 312 pouch to use for glasses or phone, some space themed sticky notes, and a collectible magnetic coin featuring Kady Grant. The box also included two extra book chapter samplers from the books The Furies by Katie Lowe and Emily Eternal by M.G. Wheaton. I’ve never been a big fan of chapter samplers but I know some people like them.

The book is Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. The Illumicrate edition is signed, has a slightly changed cover and pink sprayed edges, and comes with a letter from the authors. I don’t think that I could ever describe the book better than the official summary from Goodreads so I have added that here: The year is 2380, and the graduating cadets of Aurora Academy are being assigned their first missions. Star pupil Tyler Jones is ready to recruit the squad of his dreams, but his own boneheaded heroism sees him stuck with the dregs nobody else in the Academy would touch…

A cocky diplomat with a black belt in sarcasm
A sociopath scientist with a fondness for shooting her bunkmates
A smart-ass techwiz with the galaxy’s biggest chip on his shoulder
An alien warrior with anger management issues
A tomboy pilot who’s totally not into him, in case you were wondering

And Ty’s squad isn’t even his biggest problem—that’d be Aurora Jie-Lin O’Malley, the girl he’s just rescued from interdimensional space. Trapped in cryo-sleep for two centuries, Auri is a girl out of time and out of her depth. But she could be the catalyst that starts a war millions of years in the making, and Tyler’s squad of losers, discipline-cases and misfits might just be the last hope for the entire galaxy.

They’re not the heroes we deserve. They’re just the ones we could find. Nobody panic.IMG_0529

The book sounds amazing and I hope to read it soon. I really liked this box but at the moment I don’t think I will be subscribing to it. I do intend to keep up to date on their special edition books and boxes and I might buy those in the future.

 

Owl Crate June 2019

Owl Crate is a young adult book subscription box where every month you receive one new hardcover book and an assortment of bookish goodies connected to the monthly theme. Some of these items are very practical and others are better suited as decor or for a pin/builtin board. June’s theme was Libraries of Wonder.IMG_0544

This time there where fewer bookish goodies but they were a higher quality and I assume more expensive for this month which I prefer. I would rather get fewer high quality practical items than more items that are cheap and I don’t know what to do with them. The bookish items included a gel pen shaped like a key, a coaster set with quotes about libraries on them, a tote bag inspired by Strange the Dreamer, some coffee from Book Beau Brew inspired by Bell’s Library, and a set of metal bookends inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia. Over the months that I’ve received Owl Crate most of the boxes get better each month with better items.

Each monthly box includes a new hard back book that has an exclusive cover, an author letter, and the book is signed by the author. Also the enamel pin included with each box is inspired by the book. This months book is Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson. Sorcery of Thorns follows Elisabeth who works at a library that contains magical and dangerous grimoires where she attempts to complete her apprenticeship. When she is thrust into a plan to sabotage the library she must team up with a sorcerer and his demonic servant on a journey to save the library while questioning everything she knows. This is Margaret Rogerson’s second book and it sound very interesting.IMG_0551

July’s theme is Tournaments and Trials.

 

June 2019 Wrap Up

June has been a pretty good month. I read 7 books and I’ve started a play though of Final Fantasy 7 so I can have it finished before the remake comes out next year.

Books:

31216051Caught in the Revolution: Witnesses to the Fall of Imperial Russia by Helen Rappaport is a historical nonfiction book that uses accounts of foreigners in Russia at the time of the Revolution to show the reality of what happen in Petrograd. In general, its a quick read because Rappaport writes the account more like a novel than a historical account just giving facts. Though the beginning of the book is more entertaining because no one knows exactly whats going on and eye witness accounts are more interesting to read. As the book goes on its more about politics which can be boring. There is almost no mention of the Romanov family in the book so this historical account is best suited for a reader that has some back ground in this period of Russian history but wants either more information or a different perspective of the events. Overall, the accounts are woven together well to give the reader the most well rounded timeline of events but it slows down at times when it focuses more on the day to day events and lives of these people as important things are not going on. 3/5 starts.

7968243Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff is a historical nonfiction book that attempts to separate the fact from fiction of Cleopatra’s life and tells her story from childhood to her death. The major focus of the book is Cleopatra’s rise to power, how she kept that power, and her relationships with Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony. Her story is deeply intertwined with the actions and events of Rome and the Roman empire. At times the book seems to focus more on Rome than Cleopatra which makes reading some chapters very slow. Given the lack of historical sources from Egypt and Cleopatra more information must be taken from Roman sources which often were written by her detractors though Schiff does a great job at attempting to separate what really happened and the embellishments of those who had no love for her. Cleopatra is much more than the myth and stories that pop culture loves to give us and this book is a good resource for those wanting more of the truth. 3.5/5 stars

46194335._SY475_Macbeth by William Shakespeare is a tragedy where Macbeth kills his king after three witches tell him that it is his destiny to be king. He and his wife are slowly driven mad by their actions and Macbeth is eventually killed. Macbeth is my favorite Shakespeare because its never stated whether Macbeth acts because of predetermined fate or is it his ambitions that lead to his raise and fall. I don’t read many classics on my own because I often feel like I’m missing something but Macbeth is still good. However, given that this is meant to be a play and viewed instead of read I do feel like there is something lost by not seeing it preformed. 3.5/5 stars

MementoMemento by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff is an Illuminae Files novella that was a pre-order bonus when you pre-ordered Aurora Rising. The novella is set primarily before the events of Illuminae and focuses on the AIDAN the learning AI that is on the Alexander battleship and his interactions with the crew members, specifically Olivia Klein. Since the novella is set mostly before AIDAN is damaged in battle it shows how he learns and what information allowed him to become rouge in the rest of the series. Its a fun story that adds more to the world of the Illuminae Files but is not needed to understand the rest of the series. However, many fans, myself included, love AIDAN and consider him one of the best characters of the series so more of him is always good. 5/5 stars.

Saga vol. 1-3 by Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples is a graphic novel series following Marko and Alana, lovers from two warring societies who have a child together and the whole galaxy is out to destroy their family. The story is told to the reader from Hazel’s telling her story to the audience which allows information to be add in that the characters might not know. This is a reread for me so that I can catch up and finish the 9 volumes currently out. I still love the story but I feel like some of the nudity and graphic content is there for shock value and doesn’t add much to the story. But at the same time it doesn’t put me off reading it either, so take that as you will. When I have finished all nine volumes I will be doing a full review of the entire series. 5/5 stars

Games:

ff7Since E3 was in June I’m excited for all the new games coming out but especially the Final Fantasy 7 remake. Final Fantasy 7 is one of my favorite games and since we now have a release date for the remake I have gone back and starting playing the original again. When I was younger I got about half way through the game but never finished it so I’m going back to play it in its entirety before the remake so I can see what is changed. I’m playing it on my PS4 which means some of the PC game cheats are available. Though I don’t think its the best way to play the game with cheats activated they are fun to play around with.