Science fiction author
The traditional star system is just a bit limited in what it can tell a potential reader/viewer about what someone thought of a particular story. To make things plain and simple, here’s the breakdown of my system so you can understand at a glance why a book/movie/show received a particular
Uprooted by Naomi Novik Madeleine’s Score: Made myself finish it (2/5 cool points) “You intolerable lunatic,” he snarled at me, and then he caught my face between his hands and kissed me. It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed a fantasy book, and part of the reason is that I’ve been passively
Continue readingUprooted: Beware the Woods, Beware the Bitter Wizard More
Madeleine’s Score: Loved it—telling everyone about it! (5/5 cool points) Love and Monsters came out in fall 2020, which means it may have slipped under your radar due to pandemic craziness. If so, you’ve been missing out. I’ve only ever applied the term “cute” to two post-apocalyptic movies. The first
Continue readingLove and Monsters: Aww-Inspiring Creature Feature
The Book of Koli by M.R. Carey Madeleine’s Score: Enjoyed it—would read it again (4/5 cool points) “Everything that lives hates us, it sometimes seems. Or at least they come after us like they hate us. Things we want to eat fight back, hard as they can, and oftentimes win. Things
Continue readingThe Book of Koli: Bye Technology, Hello Carnivorous Trees!
Madeleine’s Score: Enjoyed it—would watch it again (4/5 cool points) Dune. Sci-fi fans everywhere know how loaded of a title it is, and most of us have strong emotions attached to it—either positive or negative with little middle ground. I’ll save my review of the novel Dune for another day
Madeleine’s Score: Loved it—telling everyone about it! (5/5 cool points) The sequel to A Quiet Place came out way back in May of this year, and even though I watched it right when it came out, I somehow waited until now to review it. Over Halloween weekend when social folks
Continue readingA Quiet Place Part II: Coming of Age in the Apocalypse
Madeleine’s Score: Loved it—telling everyone about it! (5/5 cool points) A few weeks ago, I decided to rewatch Netflix’s Daredevil series. I devoured each season when they originally came out several years ago, and I’ve rewatched them individually at one point or another. But upon my recent binge of the
Continue readingDaredevil (S1): Superior Superhero Storytelling
Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson Madeleine’s score: It was okay—wouldn’t read it again (3/5 cool points) What if there were people with superpowers? And what if they were all villains? In the near future, Epics have taken over the world. In the U.S.—now called the Fractured States—Epics do as they please,
Madeleine’s Score: Enjoyed it—would watch it again (4/5 cool points) Gus is just a normal kid. He loves his dad, reading books, playing with his stuffed animal named “Dog,” and guzzling sugar. There’s just one thing… He’s part-deer. The world fell ten years ago during “The Great Crumble” when a
Continue readingSweet Tooth: An Endearing Tale about a Very Special Boy
The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey Madeleine’s Score: It was okay—wouldn’t read it again (3/5 cool points) “The burn patrols have to be really careful, because there are lots of hungries still out there. If they get your scent, they’ll follow you for a hundred miles, and
Continue readingThe Girl with All the Gifts: Believable Zombie Apocalypse