Movie Review: Need for Speed directed by Scott Waugh

Title: Need for Speed

Director: Scott Waugh

Producer (s): John Gatins, Patrick O'Brien, Mark Sourian, Shane Black

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: March 14, 2014
For more on the move visit the Official Site

My Thoughts:

     I was lucky enough to get tickets to see an advanced screening of Need for Speed back in February—yeah, I saw it kind of early, and I was glad for it too—so I decided to do a bit of a review for it.

     Judging by the trailer it seems almost…I don’t know lackluster. But don’t judge it by how that trailer looks. Need for Speed was something else, something I hadn’t even expected. For starters, I found the movie surprisingly good, it was very entertaining. And for someone who likes car movies then this is it folks—this movie should be on your radar. Despite a seemingly slow beginning where the key players of the movie are introduced and the plot is initially set up, once the whole thing got rolling—literally—well it had me on the edge of my seat. It was surprising. Really, you seriously never knew what was going to happen next, and eventually I found myself rooting for the characters to succeed. There were so many unexpected moments that by the end I was almost wishing for a sequel. Really, it was like watching a Need for Speed game come to life! But Need for Speed wasn't all about cars and races, there was a story to it. There were some very emotional moments in movie, most of them surrounding Tobey Marshall and his friends—Benny, Pete, Joe Peck, & Finn. I can’t reveal anything about certain incidents but it really set up the course for the movie. I liked how the directors and the screenwriters decided to portray Tobey’s determination to succeed. New bonds were formed, while old ones faded away, and there were high-stake races to be had—losses and victories to happen. I do have a bit of a warning: there was one instance of nudity. But all in all, it was a good movie. (Actual rating is 4.5)

Check out the Trailer Below!

And this video about multimillion dollar sports cars.  I think if I had a car that was THAT expensive, I'd cry if someone scratched the paint...I think I really would.

So, are you planning on seeing Need for Speed, or are you going to skip it?

Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Final Stand by Rose Garcia

Welcome, today we have yet another cover reveal to do this time for Rose Garcia's, Final Stand, set to release March 24, 2014.  You know how it works, first, you;ll get to see the cover before the giveaway at the bottom of the post.  So, you know, scroll down!

Synopsis

Dominique is still alive after killing Tavion, the Tainted who's hunted her for lifetimes. Yet her protectors still fear for her life. They force her to flee Houston and abandon the friends she loves. But they can't protect her from herself. When Dominique starts hearing Tavion's voice in her head, she realizes that her personal connection to the Tainted still exists. And when her car is ambushed, she discovers another frightening truth—someone close to her is a traitor.

Desperate for answers, Dominique seeks the aid of first lifers Trent and Infiniti. With their help, she hopes to find her new enemy. But things get complicated with Trent when she finally accepts her eternal love for Farrell, and even more complicated when the whispers in her head threaten her loved ones. Determined to live, Dominique decides to make a final stand against the forces that want to end her. For good.

GET THE FIRST BOOK IN THE SERIES FOR ONLY 99¢ 

Amazon

Praise for Final Life...

"Rose Garcia will explode your mind with action packed scenes and emotional turmoil.” - Moonlight Book Reviews 

"The whole transhuman concept had the whole Sci-Fi/Fantasy element going on, yet Rose Garcia has written it in a way that is both fresh and believable, with the classic good versus evil theme incorporated." - Always YA at Heart 

"Final Life is filled with magical moments, heart aching moments, action, and suspense. I look forward to the next chapter of Dominique's story." - WinterHaven Books 

Check out the trailer for Final Life below:
The trailer

Normal things apply, all you have to do is follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter form below to be entered for a chance to win a $25 Gift Card!

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Rose Garcia is a lawyer turned writer who's always been fascinated by science fiction and fantasy. From a very young age, she often had her nose buried in books about other-worlds, fantastical creatures, and life and death situations. More recently she's been intrigued by a blend of science fiction and reality, and the idea that some supernatural events are, indeed, very real. Fueled by her imagination, she created The Transhuman Chronicles--a series of books about people who have overcome human limitations.

Rose lives in Houston with her husband and two kids. You can visit Rose at www.rosegarciabooks.com

Alienated Launch & Nook Giveaway

First off, welcome to the Alienated Launch post!  Before we get to the giveaway, below Melissa Landers explains about her new book Alienated.

Melissa Landers:
Hey, fiction lovers. I’m author Melissa Landers, and I’m thrilled to announce that my debut YA sci-fi romance, ALIENATED, is finally available from Disney-Hyperion! Cue the dancers and toss the confetti, because it’s been a long wait!

In a nutshell, ALIENATED is the story of valedictorian Cara Sweeney, who gets more than she bargained for when she agrees to host the nation’s first intergalactic exchange student, the gorgeous but emotionally-stilted Aelyx (pronounced A-licks) from planet L’eihr. The tone is light and humorous, but I explore some deeper themes as well.

What the reviewers have to say:

“The storyline is out of this world and character development paired with authentic voice is superb. Filled with intrigue and suspense, this book will appeal to both sci-fi and contemporary YA fiction fans.” –VOYA

“Interstellar relations heat up in this start to a new romantic science fiction series. Landers [explores] larger social, ecological, and ethical issues in this tense, fast-paced read.” –Booklist 

“The perfect blend of sizzling romance, action, and suspense.” –#1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout

“Smart, funny, and epic. I am now awaiting contact from planet L’eihr.” Julie Cross, bestselling author of Tempest.

“Intergalactic exchange students? Yes, please! I fell in love with this story and couldn’t put it down.” Jodi Meadows, author of Incarnate.

If you like hot, swoony science fiction as much as I do, I hope you’ll give ALIENATED a try. It’s now available in stores and online.

Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depo     Indie Bound

                                                                     

Before we get to the Giveaway, check out the Alienated Book trailer below!

To celebrate Alienated's book birthday, Melissa Landers is offering one lucky winner a Nook Simple Touch. She's even throwing in a $25 gift card to Barnes & Noble so you can fill your new e-reader with whatever you want! Now for the fine print: This giveaway is open to US residents only. (Sorry, international friends, but you need a US billing address to buy digital content on the Nook.) Due to sweepstakes laws, entrants must be 18 years or older to participate. Best of luck, and happy reading!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

About Melissa Landers

Melissa Landers is a former teacher who left the classroom to pursue other worlds. A proud sci-fi geek, she isn’t afraid to wear her Princess Leia costume in public—just ask her husband and three kids. She lives outside Cincinnati in the small town of Loveland, “Sweetheart of Ohio.” For more information, or just to say hello, visit www.melissa-landers.com.

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Review: Curtsies & Conspiracies by Gail Carriger

Title: Curtsies & Conspiracies (Click title for Synopsis)
Source/Format: Won, Hardback
Age Range: YA
Publisher/Publication Date: Novermber 5, 2013 Little Brown Books for Young Readers
My Thoughts:

Curtsies & Conspiracies (C&C) by Gail Carriger was an interesting read—one that I happened to enjoy considering the lack of enthusiasm I’ve had for reading lately.  I found the overall writing style and plot refreshing.  It was nice to see an alternative-history based book targeted at a YA audience.  I wasn't familiar with the characaters because I didn't read the first book prior to diving into C&C.  But, I didn’t have any trouble following along with Sophronia’s adventures.  As a main character, Sophronia was alright, and I liked seeing the relationships she developed with the people around her.  She had a habit of being a bit nosey, but she did it with good intentions.  There were a whole host of characters, but to avoid spoiling anything, I won’t go into them.  Now as for the school, well, it’s one I’d like to attend after all it is in a dirigible. Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing School was a creative take on the boarding school concept sometimes found in YA.  My only problem with C&C is that all the action, albeit brief as it was, happened at the very end of the book.  And at times, the pacing seemed to slow down.  But that didn’t hamper my overall enjoyment of the C&C.  To sum it up, I liked Curtsies & Conspiracies, and I’m even more curious now than ever to see how the whole series started. 

 

Check out the Trailer for the book below!

 

MOVIE, BOOK, OR BOTH? The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Directed by Peter Jackson Review

So there's an occasional thing we like to do on Our Thoughts Precisely. We'll go see a movie and then read the book after to see if there are any differences, if it's more detailed and whatnot. All to see if we like the Movie, the Book, or Both. So it's only fitting that we call it: Movie, Book, or Both?  Now before I get to my thoughts on The Hobbit:  The Desolation of Smaug, take a look at the awesome trailer!

 

Title:The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Director: Peter Jackson

Screenwriter(s): Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Phillipa Boyens & Guillermo del Toro

Rating: PG-13

Official Site: Click Here

Release Date: December 13, 2013

My Thoughts:

Thanks to 760 AM KFMB,  I attended an Advanced Screening of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. I usually like to indicate if I liked the movie, book, or both. I haven’t read the book, so for now let me just say that The Desolation of Smaug is one of my favorite movies of 2013.

Although, I enjoyed The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. It was fairly slow paced and some of the scenes were drawn-out, so I was unsure of what to expect from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Was it slow paced? Absolutely not. The Desolation of Smaug was action packed early on. The battle scenes were epic and  somewhat graphic with disturbing images as indicated in the movies ratings; yet, skillfully depicted.  I don’t usually like to watch movies in 3D, but this was the perfect effect for this movie. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I found myself jumping off the seat during a couple of the unpredictable action sequences. The movie kept me glued to the screen. I was so captivated by the movie that I lost track of time. And just right smack at the height of the action, there’s a turning point—and then the end that left me saying, “Noooooo, you just can’t end the movie like this. A big cliffhanger??? Really???” Oh well, other than leaving me on the edge wanting answers, The Desolation of Smaug is an awesome must see movie.

*On a side note: Although I give all of the crew kudos, I should have known Guillermo del Toro had a hand in the creation of this movie because I loved it just as much as Pacific Rim, in which he was a director/producer/screenwriter.

     

Review: The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

Title:The Rithmatist (Click title for Synopsis)

Source/Format: Won, Hardback

Age range: YA

Publishder/Publication Date: Tor Teen, May 13, 2013

My Thoughts:

     Let me just say that I will never ever look at chalk the same way I did before I read this book.  I can’t express to you how much I absolutely adored The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson.  I’ve read good things about his other books, so I was excited to start this one—his first young adult novel.  And let me just tell you, the world of The Rithmatist is just brilliant—it was so unlike anything I’ve read this year. 

     The characters were phenomenal in their respective roles.  On one hand we have Joel, someone who feels he missed his chance to become a Rithmatist.  And on another we have Melody, a Rithmatist with some questionable skills, and a few hidden talents.  I love the way Melody and Joel’s friendship developed throughout the book.  It developed over time, rather than all at once, and I liked seeing the interactions they had with each other.  There was also no shortage of character development present in The Rithmatist, with both Melody and Joel seemingly developing a sort of comfort with their own skills.  The secondary characters were also well-written, with Professor Fitch in particular being one of my favorite characters. 

    And then there was the story itself.  The plot was so good that I read The Rithmatist in a few hours, and I was left wanting the sequel more than ever.  Right from page one I found myself immersed in the wonderful world that Sanderson had created.  I can’t say much about the plot, because I don’t want to reveal any spoilers by accident.  But just know that the ending left me hanging, and now I wish that I’d taken more time to read The Rithmatist rather than speeding through it.  Part of my enjoyment of this book came from the fact that it was a YA book with no romance.  It makes me wish that there were more YA books like it out there.  And those are my thoughts precisely.  So, do I even need to say what my rating for this one will be?  Seriously, I recommend this one to everyone!

 

 

Check out the trailer below
 

 

Early Movie Review: Pacific Rim directed by Guillermo del Toro

Title: Pacific Rim
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Producer: Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, Guillermo del Toro, Mary Parent
Screenplay: Travis Beacham, Guillermo del Toro
Story by: Travis Beacham
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: July 12, 2013
For more info on the movie visit the official site HERE

My thoughts:

        So, last night I saw an advanced screening of Pacific Rim, yeah, awesome giant robots called Jaegers that battle monsters—that also happen to be you know, GIANT—rising out of the sea. Uh-huh, what’s not to like about that? That’s the point, Pacific Rim was my kind of movie. It blended near-apocalyptic elements perfectly with technology only found in science fiction!

          Raleigh Becket, oh gosh, the guy started out as a Jaeger pilot that came off as a little too arrogant for his own good. But certain events changed him, and in the end he had to live with those decisions. Then there was Mako Mori, once I knew her history, I understood where she was coming from. There were other characters, but I won’t go into that. I don’t think I could say much about certain ones without spoiling the entire movie. Although, I will say that one of my favorite characters from the movie was Dr. Newton Geizler, the guy was spontaneous and reckless when it came to his research.

      Oh, the plot of Pacific Rim, it was fast paced despite the length of the movie, and the dialogue was kept in check. Almost from the very beginning the action started as mankind tried to take a stand against the invaders, Kaiju. The technology behind the Jaegers was pretty impressive, and the concept in itself was enough to grab my attention. It wasn’t all just mindless fighting.  There was a story to it that I liked seeing. At times, the movie left me questioning the decisions of a few characters, and the ending…no, on second thought I don’t think I’ll say anything about that.   Because I want to be as vague as possible about this, I’ll just end this review here since I could go on all day. But if you want to know how it ends, well, you’ll have to see Pacific Rim for yourself to find out, because I’m not telling you. {Actual rating 4.5}

I won tickets to an advanced screening.

 

Check out the trailer below

 

Review: The Hero's Guide to Storming the Castle by Christopher Healy

Title:The Hero's Guide to Storming the Castle (Click title for Synopsis)
Source/Format: Won, Hardback
Age Range: Middle Grade
Publisher/Publication Date: Walden Pond Press, April 30, 2013



My Thoughts:


     So many times, the classic fairy tales have been remixed into all sorts of wonderful tales, but not like this.  The Hero’s Guide to Storming the Castle is on a whole other level—it’s hilarious, entertaining, and everything else in-between.  Healy did a fantastic job of taking the tales we know and love, and giving them a fresh take that anyone is bound to enjoy.  Personally, I loved this book, from the characters, to the setting, and even to the plot.  And I haven’t even read the first book yet, but I plan to since I want to know how the whole series started.

     In the Hero’s Guide to Storming the Castle, the Prince Charmings—Liam, Duncan, Fredric, and Gustav—are yet again enveloped in a plot that quickly spirals out of control.  After having their reputation’s destroyed, they'd spent the months prior to the start of the story in hiding.  I’m not familiar with the characters, which were all different in personality and skill set, but they were well-written and I found their antics entertaining.  Briar Rose was just crazy.  Healy did a superb job of developing Briar Rose’s character, and inevitably illustrated all of the traits that made her spoiled-rotten. 

     The plot was really interesting with aspects that I found highly entertaining, as well as hilarious.  Almost from the first chapter, the princes are thrust into yet another dangerous, high-stakes adventure.  Throughout, there was a lot of character development and lessons learned, but I can’t say anything about it because that would be too big of a spoiler.  The end, oh the end, it left me wanting the next one already!  From the way it was written, I honestly don’t know what’s going to happen next.  In a nutshell, this book was awesome, and I definitely recommend to everyone!

 

Now, check out the trailer below...

Review: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Title: Leviathan (Click title for Synopsis)
Illustrations by: Keith Thompson
Source/Format: Purchased, Paperback
Age Range: YA
Publisher/Publication Date: Simon Pulse, October 6, 2009



My Thoughts:


    Oh, I just feel the need to get this out first: I just love the Leviathan Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld!  It’s a wonderful mix of history and some very imaginative technology that combined living creatures with machines.  For someone like me who likes history, this is absolutely one of my favorite series.  Leviathan has it all action, an intriguing storyline, and a superbly built world.  Scott did an outstanding job crafting the Clanker the Darwinist societies, making the differences present from the beginning, and highlighting the tension between them.  Oh, and not to forget the beautiful illustration’s done by Keith Thompson, which captures the Clanker machines and Darwinist Beasties perfectly.

     In Leviathan we are introduced to Deryn Sharp who happens to be posing as a boy—Dylan Sharp—to gain entry into the Service/Military.  Due to a series of nail-biting events, Deryn as Dylan ends up aboard “the great hydrogen breather” Leviathan, as one of the middies.  And then there’s Alec, a prince on the run after the untimely death of his parents.  Poor Alec had a hard time with things, and I felt bad for him for how he found out about the whole thing.  There were a slew of highly interesting secondary characters as well, with Dr. Barlow being one of them.  As a boffin, which is a Darwinist fabricator, was one character that really held my interest throughout the book.  She was very secretive with what she was up to.

     There was never a point in the plot that was slow—there was a lot going on.  Once the war got rolling, everything just kind of unfolded from there.  Once Alec and Deryn finally met, well, their combined interactions just made the plot all that much better.  The science behind Leviathan was just marvelous!  The whole concept of the Beasties, and that having a living ecosystem to sustain the hydrogen breathers, just had me from page one.  Having started the trilogy right in the middle of it with Behemoth, I found that I really did miss all of the details and important events that happened in Leviathan.  Now, I just want to reread the entire trilogy from start to finish again. 

 

Now, check out Leviathan's book trailer below: