Daughter of the Deep

Title:  Daughter of the Deep

Author:  Rick Riordan

Publisher:  Disney-Hyperion

Date Published:  October 26, 2021

Genre:  Middle Grade, Young Adult, Sci-Fi

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

My Thoughts:

-    Harding-Pencroft is a specialized school for students who are gifted in ocean life, ocean exploration, military training, etc. Ana is a young student at HP, and her life is turned upside down when her school is suddenly attacked and falls into the ocean. The only survivors are her fellow classmates who were on a bus heading for a training. They are now being hunted by the people who attacked the school, and Ana learns that she is the primary target. 

-    I really enjoyed Riordan's take on a classic tale. This book isn't a retelling, but it is highly influenced by a couple of Jules Verne novels. It was really cool. 

-    I loved how diverse this book was! It was diverse in so many ways: race, religion, and disabilities. I feel like Riordan did an amazing job at including these topics in a very natural and realistic way. It wasn't shoved down the reader's throat, but it was mentioned and talked about in a real and respectful way. 

-    It was fun getting to know each character, especially through Ana's eyes. It was like meeting new friends, and it reminded me of my grade school days. 

-    My daughter wants to be a marine biologist when she grows up, and I hope she reads this soon. She is going to love it. 

My Thoughts in a GIF:

Dune

My Thoughts:

-    I wasn't planning on seeing Dune. I just wasn't interested, but my friends wanted to go, and they invited me along, so I went.

-    This was my very first IMAX movie. It was impressive. The screen was massive, and the sound quality was amazing. I went to another another movie that evening (yes, two movies in one day), and the screen and sound were not as good. It seemed so small, and I wanted the larger screen. Suey, you spoiled me!

-    The movie only covers the first part of the book. There will be more movies. 

-    Basically, the house of bald and brooding bad guys ruled the spice planet for a long time and became ridiculously rich. The emperor decided to remove the bad guy house from the spice planet and replace them with the good guy house led by a bearded Poe Dameron. Poe's mistress, Jessica, is part of this scary witch group. She has been training her son, Paul, in her witchy/culty ways. Paul is special because of his bloodline and training. Well, he is having vivid dreams about Zendaya and other things on the spice planet. When Poe's people get to the spice planet, they find out the bad guys have left it in bad shape, and bad things happen. There is a lot of political and cultural things going on that are important to the story, but it is a big jumbled mess. 

-    The blue-eyed desert people are really important, but the movie mostly just talks about them. The desert people live on the spice planet, and the big bald bad guys were mean to them, but the new good guys want to work with them in harmony. Zendaya is part of the desert people, but she only gets to be seen for a small part at the end of the movie, and in Paul's dreams. 

-    The ending is a little abrupt, because there are going to be more movies, so the story does not get wrapped up, things are just bad for our heroes. 

-    I didn't like that Jessica kept freaking out during the movie. She is a member of this scary witch group, so she should be able to be more in control of herself. 

-    The movie is LONG, and it feels long. I don't mind long movies, but I mind when they feel long, and I'm wondering when the heck they are going to wrap this up. 

-    Overall, I enjoyed the movie. I thought it was a good adaptation of the book. I felt the same way about the movie that I did the book, so that is good. The movie is a beautiful feast for the eyes. The cinematography was well done. The music is gorgeous. Hans Zimmer really outdoes himself on this one. Yes, I would recommend seeing it in the theater, in IMAX.

My friends and I hosted a read along for Dune a while ago.

I will post links below, so you can check out my previous posts on the book.

Book Review

Discussion Posts

Fan Art

Winter

Goodreads Says:    Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.

Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend—the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters?

My Thoughts:

-    Amazing and very satisfactory ending to a great series! I loved each of these books! 

-    Winter was a very interesting and unique character. I loved her struggles and strengths. She defied Levana in her own way.

-    Very action packed book! I loved that this didn't sugar coat the chaos of war. There will always be casualties and heartache in war.

-    I'm not sure I'm okay with what happened with Wolf.

-    I loved that each of the main characters had their moment to shine. There were some great character developments for everyone! 

-    The world building was awesome! I loved visiting Luna. 

-    I loved that there were classic Snow White elements and moments, but this story is very unique. This series is one of the best fairy tale retellings out there.

-    Even though the reader is introduced to Winter and her story, the other characters are still very prevalent and contribute to the story as a whole. It is really awesome how she was able to do that.

-    This series has a wonderful intricate plot and amazing characters! You CAN have both!

-    I seriously can't gush enough about this series! GO READ IT! 

Previous Lunar Chronicles Books

(click on the cover to see my thoughts)

  

Dune

My Thoughts:

-    This movie is ridiculous! I had to watch it in 3 sittings.

-    The opening monologue gave me the giggles. It was so awful!

-    As far as staying true to the book. I thought the movie did a good job abridging the story and keeping the feel of the book.

-    Jessica is really pretty. Too bad she didn't do much except stand around.

-    The whole movie is pretty boring and cheesy.

-    The first scene with the Baron is disgusting! EW!!!

-    Why do people whisper to themselves in their head? It is like they are haunting themselves. I don't talk to myself like that. It was SO annoying.

-    What is the nasty fat worm in the glass train thingy? I'm so confused!

-    I didn't need to see the baby in the womb. It was gross.

-    The acting is awful. Why do they talk so monotone? Ugh!

-    I will never see Sting the same way again!

-    Terrible movie! 

Dune

From Goodreads:    Here is the novel that will be forever considered a triumph of the imagination. Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, who would become the mysterious man known as Muad'Dib. He would avenge the traitorous plot against his noble family--and would bring to fruition humankind's most ancient and unattainable dream.A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune won the first Nebula Award, shared the Hugo Award, and formed the basis of what it undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction.








My Thoughts:

-    Okay Goodreads! That is a really lame synopsis for this book. There is a whole lot of stuff that goes down in this book!

-    My brothers love this book, and they used to watch the 80s movie a lot. I wasn't sure if I would ever read Dune or not, but Jenni forced coerced helped persuade me to finally give it a shot, and I'm glad she did. 

-    The book starts off pretty darn slow. There is a lot of talking and politics, and then there is more talking and more politics. It is really boring, but it is all important for later.

-    The story picks up after about 120 pages. It has more slow parts, but there are intriguing parts as well. 

-    It was a bit confusing. I read a little on Sparknotes, and the glossary, and I asked Jenni a lot of questions. All were extremely helpful.

-    Paul's lack of emotion bugged me. There wasn't a lot of emotion from any of the characters really. I didn't feel a connection or attachment to anyone.

-    The ending was very anticlimactic. I was a bit disappointed. The Baron needed a more horrible death. The fighting was too short was lacking in epicness. 

-    I think this is one of those books where the more you read it, the more you'll appreciate and love it. There is a lot of complicated info! 

-    I did love the world building, and I can appreciate everything this book has to offer. Overall, I think it is a good read, but it definitely isn't for everyone, and you have to be in the right mood for it. 

Dune Discussion Posts:

Book 1

Book 2

Book 3

Interstellar

My Thoughts:

-    Another movie that didn't live up to the hype.

-    I knew I shouldn't have watched this, but I was outvoted on movie night.

-    The robot made me laugh every time it moved around. Why didn't it just roll around all the time?

-    The cast was good. I liked Michael Caine. McConaughey looked super thin, almost sickly. Jenni said it was because of a previous role. 

-    The majority of the movie was really slow and boring. It had its moments, but not enough of them.

-    The ending was cheesy and dumb. Wow! Humans are so amazing that we can save ourselves from extinction! Wahoo!

-    Thought above was sarcasm in case some of you didn't get that.

-    I liked the real interviews from people from a drought. That was cool. 

-    I didn't find this as thought provoking as people led me to believe. It was slow and boring, and the ending was corny. 

For Darkness Shows the Stars

Goodreads Says:    In the dystopian future of For Darkness Shows the Stars, a genetic experiment has devastated humanity. In the aftermath, a new class system placed anti-technology Luddites in absolute power over vast estates—and any survivors living there.

Elliot North is a dutiful Luddite and a dutiful daughter who runs her father’s estate. When the boy she loved, Kai, a servant, asked her to run away with him four years ago, she refused, although it broke her heart.

Now Kai is back. And while Elliot longs for a second chance with her first love, she knows it could mean betraying everything she’s been raised to believe is right.

For Darkness Shows the Stars is a breathtaking YA romance about opening your mind to the future and your heart to the one person you know can break it. 

My Thoughts:

-    I really enjoyed this book! I though it was a very clever twist on Persuasion.

-    It reminds a little bit of The Winner's Curse.

-    I loved all the tech stuff.

-    Kai was really cruel. Since he represents Captain Wentworth, I didn't like how mean he was to Elliot. It would have been better if Kai just ignored Elliot or was very formal with her.

-    I liked the letters between Kai and Elliot. It gives the reader glimpses of what kind of relationship they had before, and it helped me realize what Elliot had lost. It also helped me know that Kai wasn't always a jerk.

-    The ending wasn't as satisfying as I wanted. I loved the ending of Persuasion, and this one just didn't live up to that. Kai's letter wasn't as good Captain Wentworth's.

-    I'm excited to read the next book! It is supposed to be a twist on The Scarlet Pimpernel. I've had a horrible experience with The Scarlet Pimpernel movie, and I've never read the book because of it. I think I might put old grievances aside and try to read the original story before I read Across a Star-Swept Sea.

Red Rising

Goodreads Synopsis:    The war begins...

Darrow is a Helldiver, one of a thousand men and women who live in the vast caves beneath the surface of Mars. Generations of Helldivers have spent their lives toiling to mine the precious elements that will allow the planet to be terraformed. Just knowing that one day people will be able to walk the surface of the planet is enough to justify their sacrifice. The Earth is dying, and Darrow and his people are the only hope humanity has left.

Until the day Darrow learns that it is all a lie. Mars is habitable - and indeed has been inhabited for generations by a class of people calling themselves the Golds. The Golds regard Darrow and his fellows as slave labour, to be exploited and worked to death without a second thought.

With the help of a mysterious group of rebels, Darrow disguises himself as a Gold and infiltrates their command school, intent on taking down his oppressors from the inside.

But the command school is a battlefield. And Darrow isn't the only student with an agenda...

My Thoughts:

-    OMG! This is probably the most intense book I've ever read! The institute makes the hunger games look like a picnic.

-    The beginning is a little slow. It was hard to get into, and the world is complicated. It was hard for me to picture and understand. But once it starts going, it never stops! I was hanging on every word. 

-    The society reminds me of an episode from Stargate SG-1. 

-    Oh the violence! There is A LOT! Some of the savage and violent acts bothered me. I would not recommend this for teens. It is for adults.

-    In the beginning Darrow reminds me a lot of Day from Legend, but Darrow learns and grows a lot and he becomes his own distinct character in the end. He is hardened, and he becomes a leader I would follow. 

-    There are a lot of characters in this book, and it was a little difficult to keep them all straight. I liked a lot of the sub characters though, especially Sevro and Mustang. I loved Pax as well.

-    Cassius and Darrow's relationship makes me sad. I want them to be friends. They would be unstoppable together.

-    This story was amazing! I felt so many emotions for the characters, but mostly I am scared for them. Wonderful read, but again, it is pretty graphic. 

Ender's Game

My Thoughts:

-    The movie was a really condensed version of the story, but they fit a lot of the highlights in. Overall, I think the movie was a really good interpretation of the book.

-    I loved seeing the battles come to life on the big screen. The battle room was almost exactly how I pictured it, but bigger. 

-    The cast was perfect! I loved seeing all the characters, especially Ender's squadron. All those young actors did fantastic. Harrison Ford was SO good as General Graff. 

-    I saw this with my parents, and they were so intrigued that they want to read the book now, and I think that is a huge success for the movie. 

-    It bugged me that they didn't call the enemy Buggers. 

-    The movie focuses all on Ender, and it there isn't any of the political stuff with Valentine and Peter. I kinda liked that they left all the stuff out. 

-    I'm hoping for an Ender's Shadow movie now, cause Bean is such an amazing character and his story is WAY more intriguing.

-    I still like the book better, but the movie was pretty good. I recommend seeing it!

Hubby's Thoughts:

-    I liked it overall. I thought they did a goo job putting a complex book into a condensed movie. 

Scarlet

Goodreads Synopsis:    The fates of Cinder and Scarlet collide as a Lunar threat spreads across the Earth...

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

My Thoughts:

-    Marvelous from beginning to end! I LOVE this book!

-    I kept picturing Scarlet as Red Riding Hood from Once Upon a Time...a red head version.

-    The story is so well thought out! It is so intricate but not confusing. I love how all the pieces came together and the two stories fit together!

-    The writing was really good. I like the way things were said, and I liked the word choice. Marissa Meyer is really good at storytelling and writing!

-    I really liked how different chapters were from different perspectives, and we got to get bits and pieces of the whole story. It was really well done and clever.

-    Each character was so amazing in their roles! I liked seeing the old characters from Cinder, but I loved all the new additions.

-    I liked Wolf a lot. He was like a mix of Four from Divergent and Wolf from The Tenth Kingdom. I loved it! He might just be my new literature heartthrob.

-    I was so hooked all the way through the book. It gives you just enough anticipation and info to keep to you intrigued and dying to find out what happens next!

-    This is one of those stories I had to know what happens, but I'm so sad it ended! This book has really picked up the momentum for the story!! I am eagerly awaiting the next book!!!

Previous Lunar Chronicles Book

(click on the cover to see my thoughts)

Cinder

Goodreads Synopsis:    Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, the ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

My Thoughts:

-    The story and characters are brilliant!!  This is such a unique twist on a classic fairy tale that has been re-told countless times!  Meyer has brought the story back to life!

-    I love the font.  It's so different, but still easy to read.  Plus it looks really cool.

-    A lying sensor would be very useful, but I wouldn't want everyone to have one, just me.

-    The plot was predictable.  I figured it out really early in the book, but the story is still great, and it kept me captivated.

-    It ends with a bit of a cliffhanger!  Grrrr!!  I'm angry that I have to wait for the 2nd book to find out what happens!!!!!

-    I loved all the characters!  Even the evil characters, they are the kind that you love to hate.  I hope justice is served in a very brutal manner!  I LOVED Cinder!  She is a girl I can really relate too.  I enjoyed her attitude and confidence.  I also liked Prince Kai!  He is a wonderful knight in shining armor type protagonist.  

-    I didn't have a ton of thoughts while reading, I just enjoyed the story and let it take me along for the ride.  It was a really fun read!