The Shadow Casket by Chris Wooding

Series: The Darkwater Legacy (#2)

Format: 848 pages, Paperback

Published: February 16, 2023 by Gollancz

Fantasy/own

Oh it is a trilogy? I actually did not know. This one actually had an ending, and I thought ok it is good for now, but like yeah more can come and I guess it will.

It takes place 3 years after book 1. Aren and his people have been trying to sow the seeds of revolution for all that time, and it does not go well.

They must defeat the evil invaders, but for that they need people and everyone is scared, or hanging on to the power they have.

It is about a quest, a coming revolution (or not), trying to find allies, and mostly hiding from the bad guys.

I liked it. very old school

A BAND OF REBELS.

A TRAITOR IN THEIR MIDST.

A REVOLUTION ABOUT TO BEGIN.

It's been three years since Aren seized the Ember Blade. Three years since they struck the spark they hoped would ignite the revolution. But the flame has failed to catch. The Krodans have crushed Ossia in an iron grip of terror. The revolution seems further away than ever.

Far in the north, the Dawnwardens seek to unite the fractious clans of the Fell Folk and create a stronghold from which to retake their land. But even if they can overcome the danger of treachery from within, they still have to contend with the dreadknights. Only the druidess Vika can resist these near-unstoppable foes, and there's only one of her.

But what if there was a weapon that could destroy the dreadknights? A weapon of such power it could turn the tide? A weapon that, if it fell into the wrong hands, might mean the end of all hope?

The Shadow Casket has returned from out of the past, and it will save or damn them all.

Audio: This Inevitable Ruin by Matt Dinniman

By: Matt Dinniman

Narrated by: Jeff Hays, Travis Baldree

Series: Dungeon Crawler Carl, Book 7

Length: 28 hrs and 40 mins

Release date: 02-11-25

Publisher: Audible Studios

Lit rpg/Own

Book 7 and it is getting hard to review without spoiling.

So 9th floor, that means War. Different factions fighting, everything at stake. The AI being all crazy and keeping everyone in the system.

Carl being all Carl, intense, shoeless, still in his underwear. Poor man is never getting shoes or pants.

Donut becoming a warlord, poor Donut. But she is awesome.

Gods and Goddesses running around.

Intense, crazy and just amazing in audio.

They call it Faction Wars. The ninth floor.

Nine armies, each led by rich and powerful aliens from across the galaxy. Each team has one objective: to capture and hold the castle at the very center of the battlefield. Strategy, alliances, pitched battles, and, of course, betrayal... It all makes for great fun and even greater television.

After all, none of these powerful aliens really die when they’re playing war.

Except this time. This time, winner takes all. Those who fall, stay in the ground.

As the AI continues its rapid decline, Carl and company take advantage of the chaos. For the first time ever, the crawlers are fighting back. They are now one of the nine teams. And this season, there’s a tenth army on the playing field. The NPCs, who are normally used as nothing but cannon fodder, have become fully self-aware and formed a team of their own.

For Donut and Katia, the stakes are even higher. Only one of them will be allowed to leave this level.

If they all want to survive, they’re going to need a little help from a veteran or two.

This is it.

This is what they’ve been fighting toward.

This is war.

This inevitable ruin.

Audio: All the time in the world

By: Cara Bastone

Narrated by: Emily Bader, Lewis Pullman, Josh Hurley, James Lurie, Merissa Czyz, Marc Vietor, L.J. Ganser

Length: 4 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher: Audible Originals

Contemporary romance/from audible 

This was fun! I read one of hers which has worm holes, and this is actually set in the same universe! It takes place 5 years later and most worm holes have been closed except for 3.

Celeste and Everett is going to an island (separately) to jump into wormholes. A thing you should not do, but they have things they want to see, do.

So they hike this island, meet each other, and yes it is a romance, so friendship and that HEA is promised. Though it is more friendship to be honest, until they realise that they could be great.

I liked it! Short and fun. And omg the sound effects had me freaking when I was walking and heard wolves.

very good narration too

Celeste Varick has a simple find one of the last wormholes on earth and walk right in. The catch? She has no idea where she'll land, or that she's about to fall for the one stranger chasing the same impossible leap.

Everett Ludlow booked the same charter to the same island to find the same wormholes at the same exact moment. A kindhearted skeptic, he doesn't believe in fate but is desperate enough to leap into the future to save someone he loves.

Forced together in the wilderness, two lost souls start tempting fate, and each other. Neither came here looking for a partner; they came to fix the pasts and futures haunting them. But the longer they brave the wild together, the more the present starts to feel like the one timeline worth fighting for. And as the wormholes draw closer, the scariest leap isn't through time at it's taking a chance on happiness together, right here, right now.

Carole´s Movie review: Pressure

 

Title: Pressure

Length: 1h 40 m

Released: 2026

Genre: Drama, Docudrama
Rating: PG-13
Where I Got It: Peacock

SUMMARY:

In the tense 72 hours before D-Day, General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Captain James Stagg face an impossible choice--launch the most dangerous seaborne invasion in history or risk losing the war altogether.

Trailer

REVIEW:

I had heard that Brendan Fraser was playing good ol' Ike Eisenhower. Love this actor, and I am addicted to WWII. So when this popped up on Peacock, I had to check it out. 

It is 72 hours before D-Day. Captain Stagg and General Eisenhower will face an impossible choice....when to launch the most dangerous seaborne invasion in history.

Being a nerd, I knew why D-Day was delayed, and it is just facts. I never really knew the behind-the-scenes of this decision. I loved that they showed this part of the war. Not all heroes wave a gun around or are the face of an Army. Some heroes are nerds who are meteorologists. 

I'm glad we didn't get stuck on the details of the science. I wouldn't know anything, and I feel like if it was too science-y, you would lose some of the viewers. We want the drama. The decisions. The war. 

I liked the cast overall. They fit, and they all did well. I did have issues with Fraser acting "angry". It just didn't land quite right for me. Maybe it is because he just has such a kind face. LOL. Other than that, I think he did an excellent job as the man who is larger than life. Eisenhower was brilliant, but he knew he didn't know everything. That is why he was such a great leader. Leaders don't know everything. They rely on their team to help. Beautifully done.

Honestly, I would watch this again. This was really good. 

If you like WWII films, you'll like this. This is just another story and another POV that helped with the war efforts. 

I would say 4.5, but I rounded up because I'm a sucker for WWII and Fraser. 5 stars.