xoliana
Member Since: July 31, 2016Reviews
Inkdeath
This is the third and final book in the trilogy by Cornelia Funke. It has also been translated to English from its native German. Though the first book was decent and the second one even better, I found the third to be quite boring. I did make my... +
This is the third and final book in the trilogy by Cornelia Funke. It has also been translated to English from its native German.
Though the first book was decent and the second one even better, I found the third to be quite boring. I did make my way through the entire thing, but I haven't read it again since. It just didn't do much to satisfy me, therefore I don't feel like the series ended on a high note. I feel like I'm in the minority here, though, as I've seen plenty of other reviews online that would strongly disagree with me on this.
This is certainly the darkest book in the trilogy, and there's nothing wrong with being dark -- I enjoy that! -- but for me, this was just morose and bland. If this could be described as a colour, it would be grey, because it's lifeless.
You may want to read it to feel like you've reached some sort of conclusion to the series. Who knows, you may be one of the ones who really enjoys it! But for me, this was a real drag.
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Inkspell
This is the second book in a trilogy by Cornelia Funke. It has been translated into English from its native German. I found the pacing of this book to be a bit more exciting than its predecessor, making it a bit easier to get through. It takes... +
This is the second book in a trilogy by Cornelia Funke. It has been translated into English from its native German.
I found the pacing of this book to be a bit more exciting than its predecessor, making it a bit easier to get through. It takes place in a different world than the first book, there's a lot more going on, and my favourite character Dustfinger gets more attention.
The length is about the same as Inkheart. They're both around 600 pages or thereabouts, so they're a bit on the longer side. If you don't mind a longer read, and you at least somewhat enjoyed the first book, I would recommend this one. It's a definite improvement on the first and worth reading at least once.
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Inkheart
This is the first in a trilogy of books by Cornelia Funke. The books have been translated from their native German. This is about a father, named Mo, who enjoys reading aloud stories to his daughter, Meggie, but finds out that every time he reads... +
This is the first in a trilogy of books by Cornelia Funke. The books have been translated from their native German.
This is about a father, named Mo, who enjoys reading aloud stories to his daughter, Meggie, but finds out that every time he reads, he quite literally brings the story to life. This becomes dangerous when Mo reads a villain into existence, and he and another literary creation named Dustfinger must keep Meggie safe from harm's way.
While the premise for this book is fantastic, and the characters are very likeable and unique -- Dustfinger is probably one of my favourite characters from a young adult novel -- I find that it's a bit of a slog to get through. Perhaps this is because the book has in fact been translated. I do tend to find that translated books are harder for me to get through. It may be a case of the pacing being thrown off a bit.
I do feel that this is worth a read at least once. This was also adapted into a film, oddly enough starring some of the people I pictured when reading the book (namely Paul Bettany as Dustfinger and Helen Mirren as Aunt Elinor). It's an okay film, but not great.
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His Dark Materials
His Dark Materials is a trilogy by Philip Pullman. It contains the novels The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. These are some of the best young adult fantasy novels ever written. Each book is absolutely wonderful and... +
His Dark Materials is a trilogy by Philip Pullman. It contains the novels The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass.
These are some of the best young adult fantasy novels ever written. Each book is absolutely wonderful and unique, and worth reading multiple times. It's easy to see why, at just twenty years old, the series is considered a classic.
Not only is the writing quality fantastic, but the themes that take place throughout these books are very dark and heavy for "kids" books. Life, death, and purgatory is explored thoroughly, and its religious themes are quite blatant if somewhat controversial. Though these may not be suitable for very young children, teens and adults of all ages can certainly glean some enjoyment out of these books.
The Golden Compass was adapted into a feature film about ten years ago, but sadly it was not a very faithful adaptation, and it was not very good. Hopefully, one day, someone will adapt the trilogy into a show or film series that remains more thoughtful and true to the original.
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Gatefather
This is the third book in the Mither Mages trilogy. After thoroughly enjoying the two books, particularly the second and its thrilling climax, I was so looking forward to reading the conclusion to the series. After receiving the book as a... +
This is the third book in the Mither Mages trilogy.
After thoroughly enjoying the two books, particularly the second and its thrilling climax, I was so looking forward to reading the conclusion to the series. After receiving the book as a Christmas gift, I eagerly began to read it in the hopes of finding out what would happen next.
This book feels as though it were written by an entirely different person. Although the series was always intended for a young adult audience, this comes off as extremely childish, with a bunch of sex-related jokes about being horny or being embarrassed to be a virgin. It's as though any thought of fantastical elements were chucked by the wayside. I honestly couldn't stomach it, and I gave up after only about 50-70 pages in.
It's very sad, because I did want to find out what happened, but this is simply not a good book. It's completely unrelated to its predecessors.
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The Gate Thief
This is the second book in the Mither Mages trilogy by Orson Scott Card. In this instalment, the reader finds out more about Loki, who was the first person to wield the ability to make gates and who caused a rift between worlds. It also explores... +
This is the second book in the Mither Mages trilogy by Orson Scott Card.
In this instalment, the reader finds out more about Loki, who was the first person to wield the ability to make gates and who caused a rift between worlds. It also explores the extent of Danny's powers as he trains with different mages.
This, in my opinion, is better than the first book. It has a lot of magic involved, which I always enjoy, but it also deals with some pretty deep issues, such as power and control and whether to abuse these things or not. The Norse Mythology is also explored more here, which is another plus, if you're a fan of that sort of thing.
Because Danny is in high school, there is some teen angst and drama involved, which I found to be a bit passe, but I could overlook it with all of the good things this book had going for it.
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The Lost Gate
This is the first book in a trilogy by Orson Scott Card, best known for his Ender's Game books. The Lost Gate focuses on a teenager named Danny, who finds out he has the ability to make small gates that he can travel between. Because this is a... +
This is the first book in a trilogy by Orson Scott Card, best known for his Ender's Game books.
The Lost Gate focuses on a teenager named Danny, who finds out he has the ability to make small gates that he can travel between. Because this is a very rare and strong ability, this creates a rift in his family and he goes on the run. The book focuses on Danny's travels as well as the people he encounters, and his quest to find out about himself and his ability.
The book starts off a bit slowly, but within a few chapters, the pace picks up quite a bit. Because this is set in the real world, I found it to be quite relatable, and many of the characters were unique and likeable. I did find that some of the writing was perhaps aimed at a slightly younger audience, which isn't a surprise considering the protagonist is quite young himself. Still, this is a good read if you're a fan of fantasy novels, and it has an interesting take on the different Norse Gods and what kinds of powers they may have had.
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Pantene Expert Collection Pro-V Advanced+ Keratin Repair Split End Fuser
I received this product in a beauty subscription box. I have very short, very fine hair, so I don't feel that this product was necessarily made for me, but based on my experiences, I think that this would work quite well on those with longer and... +
I received this product in a beauty subscription box. I have very short, very fine hair, so I don't feel that this product was necessarily made for me, but based on my experiences, I think that this would work quite well on those with longer and thicker hair.
I find that this has a bit of a strong smell, but it fades quickly. As long as I wash it off of my hands, I'm fine. It is a bit thick, and though the product itself is not greasy, it can definitely make your hair feel that way if you are more oily.
I can use a small amount of this on the very tips of my hair when I'm in between hair cuts. My ends tend to look a bit unruly and frayed after a few weeks, so this helps with smoothing them out, but other than that I personally can't get too much use out of it.
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Benefit Cosmetics Primping With The Stars Kit
I received this makeup kit as a birthday gift from my mom. I absolutely love the packaging, both for the kit as a whole -- which is made of cardboard, so it's recyclable -- and each individual product. There are six deluxe sample size products in... +
I received this makeup kit as a birthday gift from my mom. I absolutely love the packaging, both for the kit as a whole -- which is made of cardboard, so it's recyclable -- and each individual product. There are six deluxe sample size products in here as well as a mirror and cards which suggest how to use each product. I will give a mini description and review of each product as follows:
Stay Don't Stray: This is a primer for eye shadows and under eye concealer. This came in the shade light/medium, so I find that it's too dark to use under my eyes, but it works well on my eye lids. I have lots of veins on my lids and this does provide a bit of coverage, though not as much as an actual concealer. This really does help to prevent creasing of shadows and keeps them in place throughout the day.
Some Kind of Gorgeous: This is a cream foundation, but it's way too dark for me, so I gave it to my mom. She really enjoyed it!
The Porefessional: This is a face primer that's supposed to minimize the appearance of pores by filling them in, for a smoother makeup application. I don't wear liquid foundation, but I do wear liquid concealer and powder foundation. I have large pores and sebaceous filaments on my nose and cheeks and this definitely helps provide a nice, even finish for my makeup. The product itself also feels so velvety soft and smooth.
Benetint: This is a lip and cheek tint. I'm usually not much for tints, but I really enjoy wearing this, particularly on my cheeks. I dot it on and provides the perfect flush. On lips, I find that the colour stains the centre of my lips moreso than the rest of my mouth, so it never looks quite right, plus I need some moisture throughout the day and this doesn't really have any.
Girl Meets Pearl: This is a liquid illuminator. I really like the Watts Up, but this is a pretty huge miss for me. I find that it's just way too pink and sparkly to really do anything with it.
They're Real: This is a mascara, with an unusual ball-tip applicator. I'm not really a fan of rubberized wands in general, and this one is just kind of awkward to use. It clumped up my lashes more than I would have liked.
Overall this is a really great set and an excellent way to try out some of Benefit's bestsellers before investing in a full size.
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Coastal Scents 88 Piece Makeup Palette
My best friend bought me this palette several years ago when I used to wear more colourful eye shadows. Even though my makeup tastes have matured, I still have this palette in my collection, as it does contain some neutral shades, but I don't find... +
My best friend bought me this palette several years ago when I used to wear more colourful eye shadows. Even though my makeup tastes have matured, I still have this palette in my collection, as it does contain some neutral shades, but I don't find myself reaching for it the same way I did when I was younger.
As the name suggests, this palette contains 88 colours. Most of them are matte or demi-matte, but there are a few shimmers in here as well. You get everything from white to black, pinks and purples, blues and greens. The pans are on the small side, but chances are if you run out of a favourite shade, you'll find a similar one close by.
The pigmentation varies from fair to poor. The best pigmentation comes from the very bright and the very dark shades, which is fairly typical. The very pale shades, such as the whites, creams, and very pale beiges, are pretty well non-existent. Every single shade in here is very dry and dusty, because the quality isn't as good as a higher end brand. Because of this, I find that you're much more likely to experience both fading and fallout -- with or without a base -- than if you spent more money on something of better quality.
Having said that, these shadows are not impossible to use, and you can definitely create some decent looks with them. I think a palette like this is good for someone who is just starting out with makeup and/or doesn't have the money to spend on something else. These still have a lot of value, in that respect, and I would certainly recommend them for just that purpose. If, however, you can save up your money, it's worth spending it on shadows that are of a higher quality than these. Perhaps make your own Z palette.
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