Movie Review: KUNG FU PANDA 2

Kung Fu Panda 2 by Dreamworks
I like cartoons/animated movies. It's one of those things I never managed to outgrow. So, I went to the movies after work last weekend and was glad I did! I really enjoyed this movie! Had me wishing I saw Kung Fu Panda 1 which I sadly missed and I'm still waiting for the DVD to go on sale. Anyway, the kung fu action was well done and imitates nicely choreographed kung fu moves. I also love the humour between the lines! Had me smiling even after the movie finished and was on my way out of the movie complex. I just wished that the story's logic flowed a little better, but hey, this is cartoon! So I chose to ignore that little bit of nitpicking. I'd give this movie a 4 out of 5.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries


Movie Trailer:

Movie Links:
www.kungfupanda.com

I SO WANT TO READ THIS: GEIST & SPECTYR

WISHLIST:

Geist by Philippa Ballantine
Book 1 of the Order of the Deacons

Genre: fantasy

About Geist:

Geists don’t always play by the rules.

Between the living and the dead is the Order of the Deacons, protectors of the Empire, guardians against possession, sentinels enlisted to ward off the malevolent haunting of the geists…

Among the most powerful of the Order is Sorcha, now thrust into partnership with the novice Deacon, Merrick Chambers. They have been dispatched to the isolated village of Ulrich to aide the Priory with a surge of violent geist activity. With them is Raed Rossin, Pretender to the throne that Sorcha is sworn to protect, and bearer of a terrible curse.

But what greets them in the strange settlement is something far more predatory and more horrifying than any mere haunting. And as she uncovers a tradition of twisted rituals passed down through the dark reaches of history, Sorcha will be forced to reconsider everything she thinks she knows.

And if she makes it out of Ulrich alive, what in Hell is she returning to?

Source: Info in the About Geist was taken from the author's website at http://www.booksoftheorder.com/?page_id=4 on 11/06/2011.

Spectyr by Philippa Ballantine

Book 2 of the Order of the Deacons

Genre: fantasy

Publication Date: Coming June 2011 from Ace Books

About Spectyr:

Though one of the most powerful Deacons, Sorcha Faris has a tarnished reputation to overcome. She and her partner, Deacon Merrick Chambers, find themselves chasing down rumors of geists, but long for a return to real action. So they jump at the chance to escort a delegation sent to negotiate the terms of the Emperor’s engagement. Their destination: the exotic city of Orinthal.

But a string of murders has Orinthal on edge, and Sorcha and Merrick are asked to investigate. Meanwhile the Emperor’s sister has unwittingly released a cruel and vengeful goddess, one who it bent on destroying her enemies, including the geistlord who resides inside the shapeshifting rival to the throne—Sorcha’s lover…

Source: Info in the About Spectyrwas taken from the author's website at http://www.booksoftheorder.com/?page_id=124 on 11/06/2011.

WW28: FLESH AND SPIRIT

WW28
A chance to showcase your favourite!

• First you grab our Wicked Wednesday pic.
• Then you grab a book. Turn to page 28. Take the first sentence. And then you post it in your site with a link back to WW28.
• Come back to Cherry Mischievous - WW28 and give us the url of your post (in a comment at a WW28 post) so that other WW28 readers can find your WW28 offering.

WW28 book offering : Flesh And Spirit by Carol Berg

Page 28, 1st Sentence:

The desolation was almost enough to make one believe the Harrowers had succeeded in their mad quest to erase all trace of human works from the land.

About Flesh And Spirit:

Book 1 of the Lighthouse doulogy

In a land torn apart by civil war, pestilence, and shaky alliances, a man branded a traitor ends up in a place he never expected...

The rebellious son of a long line of pureblood cartographers and diviners, Valen has spent most of his life trying to escape what society - and his family - have ordained for him. His own mother has predicted that he will meet his doom in water, blood, and ice. Her divination seems fulfilled when a comrade abandons Valen in a rainy wilderness half-dead, addicted to an enchantment that converts pain to pleasure, and possessing only a stolen book of maps.

Offered sanctuary in a nearby monastery, Valen discovers that his book - rumored to lead men into the realm of angels - gains him entry into a world of secret societies, doomsayers, monks, princes, and madmen, all seeking to unlock the mystery of a coming dark age. To his dismay, Valen must face what he fled so long ago, for the key to Navronne's doom is buried in half-forgotten myth and the secrets of his own past...

Source: Info in the About Flesh And Spirit was taken from the author's website at http://www.sff.net/people/carolberg/lighthouse.html on 20/03/2011.

Review: RIVER MARKED

River Marked by Patricia Briggs

Book 6 of the Mercy Thompson series

Genre: adult urban fantasy

About River Marked:

Car mechanic Mercy Thompson has always known there was something different about her, and not just the way she can make a VW engine sit up and beg. Mercy is a shapeshifter, a talent she inherited from her long-gone father. She’s never known any others of her kind. Until now.

An evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River — one that her father’s people may know something about. And to have any hope of surviving, Mercy and her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will need their help…

Source: Info in the About River Marked was taken from the GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8087906-river-marked on 29/05/2011.

My Thoughts:

I read this book right after I read Silver Borne so there was continuity in the reading experience which enhanced my reading enjoyment of this book. I think this series is blessed by the cover art goddess in the US. Not so much in the UK. If I was encountering this series for the first time on a bookstore shelf, the US cover would trigger my book buying radar with an irresistible pull!

River Marked is not as dark as Iron Kissed which I liked. The very dark urban fantasies is not too much to my liking. There were also a few revelations in this book which were a pleasant surprise! I said in my review of Bone Crossed (book 4), that Patricia Briggs is getting predictable, this book proved me wrong! I liked these new twists in the plot. It also points that interesting things are happening in the coming books in this series. Something to look forward to! Overall, this is another masterpiece installment in the Mercy Thompson series and I would give it a 4.5 out of 5.

Empirical evaluation:
Story Telling Quality = 5
World Building = 5
Character Development = 5
Writing Style = 5
Plot = 4.5
Pace = 4.5
Story Itself = 4
Ending = 4

Overall Rating 4.5 out of 5 cherries


Books In This Series:
Click on the cover image to go to my review or the GoodReads page of the book for more info.


Thank you to ACE for the ARC of River Marked by Patricia Briggs received!

BREAKING DAWN Trailer

I know a lot of you probably are not Twilight fan, but I am, and soo looking forward to Breaking Dawn! :)

Movie Release Date: 2 August 2011

IN THE MAIL: SATI

I would like to thank Theresa of Fantasy & SciFi Lovin' News & Reviews for hosting a giveaway which made it possible for me to win a copy of Sati by Christopher Pike!

Sati by Christopher Pike

About Sati:

I once knew this girl who thought she was God. She didn’t give sight to the blind or raise the dead. She didn’t even teach anything, not really, and she never told me anything I probably didn’t already know.
On the other hand, she didn’t expect to be worshipped, nor did she ask for money. Given her high opinion of herself, some might call that a miracle.
I don’t know, maybe she was God. Her name was Sati and she had blonde hair and blue eyes.

For all who meet her, Sati will change everything. Sati may change everything for you.

Source: Info in the About Sati was taken from the author's website at http://christopherpikefanclub.com/2011/03/29/sati-the-season-of-passage-released-today/ on 05/06/2011.

WW28: BLAZE OF MEMORY

WW28
A chance to showcase your favourite!

• First you grab our Wicked Wednesday pic.
• Then you grab a book. Turn to page 28. Take the first sentence. And then you post it in your site with a link back to WW28.
• Come back to Cherry Mischievous - WW28 and give us the url of your post (in a comment at a WW28 post) so that other WW28 readers can find your WW28 offering.

WW28 book offering : Blaze Of Memory by Nalini Singh

Page 28, 1st Sentence:

It's not that I have anything against Catherine and Arif.

Sometimes we get the most lousy lines in WW28 that don't make a lot of sense, but I've just started reading this book so can't give you a better sentence than that yet... but this a PsyChangeling book and all of the books in that series are good so far...

About Blaze Of Memory:

Nalini Singh returns to the Psy/Changeling world and its “breathtaking blend of passion, adventure, and the paranormal”* as a woman without a past becomes the pawn of a man who controls her future…

Dev Santos discovers her unconscious and battered, with no memory of who she is. All she knows is that she’s dangerous. Charged with protecting his people’s most vulnerable secrets, Dev is duty-bound to eliminate all threats. It’s a task he’s never hesitated to complete…until he finds himself drawn to a woman who might yet prove the enemy’s most insidious weapon.

Stripped of her memories by a shadowy oppressor, and programmed to carry out cold-blooded murder, Katya Haas is fighting desperately for her sanity itself. Her only hope is Dev. But how can she expect to gain the trust of a man who could very well be her next target? For in this game, one must die…

Source: Info in the About Blaze Of Memory was taken from the author's website at http://www.nalinisingh.com/blaze.php on 05/06/2011.