Reviews by year

Film and Book Reviews for 2016

Films released in 2016

Moana directed by Ron Clements and John Musker

A young woman in ancient Polynesia sets off on an epic quest with the demigod Maui to restore her island, against the wishes of her father.
Ghostbusters directed by Paul Feig

A group of physicists struggling to prove the existence of ghosts are called upon to save New York from a ghostly invasion.
Rogue One directed by Gareth Edwards

A young woman becomes a reluctant ally of the rebellion when the galactic Empire builds a Death Star. A prequel to the Star Wars film A New Hope.

Books published in 2016

A Brief History Of Everyone Who Ever Lived by Adam Rutherford

The story of what our genetics can tell us abour ourselves and where we came from, and the limitations of this modern science at the time of writing.
Monstress Volume One: Awakening by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda

A teenager searches for answers about herself and her war-torn past, whilst a monster stirs inside her. A graphic novel.
Real Food Fake Food by Larry Olmsted

The food on your plate may not be what it seems to be. Larry Olmsted examines food fraud and deception, providing a guide that will help you to eat more food that is genuinely healthy and tasty.
Weapons Of Math Destruction by Cathy O'Neil

Big Data has infiltrated many aspects of our daily lives. But the algorithms that determine our schooling, jobs, insurance, finances, and more may not be as fair or useful as we believe.
Abducted by Evangeline Anderson

An ordinary paralegal is transported around the universe by a hunky alien who believes she is very special. Book one of the Alien Mate Index.
As Old As Time by Liz Braswell

A young woman is held captive by a beast in a cursed castle, whilst trying to untangle what that curse has to do with her family.
Once Upon A Dream by Liz Braswell

It takes more than the kiss of a prince to wake Sleeping Beauty in this retelling of the Disney version of the tale. Part of the Twisted Tales series.
The Immortality Cure by Tori Centanni

A former vampire must solve a murder mystery and prove that she is innocent of crimes that other vampires believe her to be guilty of. Henri is used to having an eternity before her, and now time is running out in this urban fantasy set in America.
The Silver Tide by Jen Williams

The reckless Black Feather Three embark on an adventure to a cursed island in search of treasure and answers, but they find themselves meddling with gods and magic best left alone. The third part of the Copper Cat Trilogy.

In This Year

The author Sheri S. Tepper died.

Unreviewed books

Paper Girls Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang
For a group of young paper girls, delivering the news without getting picked on by local teenagers is challenging enough. But alien-like invaders, disappearances and other creepy occurences come to their small town in this graphic novel.

Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee
A captain is taken from a far-future battlefield in disgrace for using unconventional methods, and offered a challenge in order to redeem herself and save the Hexarchate. The first in the Machineries of Empire trilogy.

Rat Queens Volume Three: Demons by Kurtis J. Wiebe and Tess Fowler
In the third episode of the Rat Queens series the Queens travel to a mage university in search of answers. A graphic novel.

Spook's: The Dark Army by Joseph Delaney
Humans face a fight for survival against a dark army of beasts. The second novel in the Starblade Chronicles.

Restoration by Alexander Larman
A social history focusing on London in the year of the Great Fire of 1666.

Saga: Volume Six by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
Hazel is being brought up in captivity, whilst her parents cross the universe to find her. The sixth graphic novel in the Saga series.

Dominion by John Connolly and Jennifer Ridyard
Earth has been invaded by aliens, and two young people have to learn to trust each other so they can save their worlds. The third novel in the Chronicles of the Invaders.

Death To The Witch-Queen by P. K. Lentz
A talkative and ill-informed troublemaker is rescued from death by a taciturn cyborg, and accompanies her on adventures to save the universe in this steampunk novella.

Symphony Of War by Ros Jackson
A group of adventurers have awakened sleeping dragons in their bid to rescue their people, but the price they pay may be war. Book two of the Kaddon Keys series.

Crimson Death by Laurell K. Hamilton
A vampire hunter travels to Ireland to face a vampire who has kidnapped her friend. The twenty-fifth Anita Blake adventure.

Protected by Evangeline Anderson
A young woman in an abusive relationship comes to the attention of aliens with designs on her, not all of them noble. The second in the Alien Mate Index series.

Untouchable Lover by Rosalie Redd
Alien races fight for control of Earth and its precious water. The first novel in the Worlds of Lemuria: Earth Colony series.

Wanted by Jo Ho
A runaway teams up with a dog with special abilities. Together they try to survive and evade the notice of a ruthless company trying to recapture the dog. The first in the Chase Ryder series.

The Marble Masquerade: Remnants of the Past by Miriam Rosenbaum
A teenager with money problems despairs when her favourite creepy old mansion is sold, containing a statue she is obsessed with. The first book in The Marble Masquerade series.

Username: Regenerated by Joe Sugg
A young woman pines for a return to a virtual reality world where her friendships felt more solid than those in the real world. This graphic novel is the second in the Username series.

Marrying A Monster by Mel Dunay
A city shopkeeper travels back to the mountain village where she grew up to take part in a ceremonial marriage to a guardian spirit.

Project Hell by Felicity Kates
In a future where humans are on the brink of extinction, a doctor is gifted with a companion robot he does not want.

Kirev's Door by J. C. Andrijeski
Kirev is a seer living in an alternate version of Earth, where his kind are enslaved by humans and treated appallingly. This novella is a prequel to the Quentin Black series.

Wyvern's Mate by Deborah Cooke
A dragon shifter princess meets her prophesied mate, but if he wants to keep his freedom he must assassinate her. The first in the Dragons of Incendium series.

Caves Of Ice - Caverns Of Fire by Chogan Swan
A young man goes on a quest to save world from evil. The first novella in the Against That Shining Darkness series.

The Vengeful Half by Jaclyn Dolamore
Olivia and her mother are both hiding from people from the Hidden Lands. When a young man comes to ask for a cure for the blindness curse put on him, they are thrust back into a strange parallel world.

Scarred Beauty by Jennifer Silverwood
A young woman imprisoned within a castle is afflicted by a curse that turns its inhabitants beastly. Book two in the Wylder Tales series.

Stellix by L. Danvers
In the future a journalist follows a story about missing people, no matter the risk to her reputation and the trouble it will get her in.

Magic Eclipse by Ella Summers
A mage looks forward to her wedding when a ripple of magic breaks out across San Francisco, fracturing the world, and she finds herself in a new reality where she is the enemy of her intended. The first in the Dragon Born Shadow World series.

Infernal Ties by Holly Evans
In a Prague full of elves, lycans, and magic, Evelyn Hawke sets out to find out where her twin has gone. A prequel novella to the Infernal Hunt series.

Trapped On Talonque by Veronica Scott
A soldier and his crew are captured by a brutal, primitive alien society where they must competefor survival in a deadly game.

Glimmers Of Glass by Emma Savant
A fairy godmother is set a task to matchmake a happy ending for someone else, and she will be able to go to college to study biology if she succeeds, leaving the fairy world behind. But something seems ethically wrong about her mission.

Invasion Zombie Apocalypse by M. D. Massey
A combat veteran wakes from a fever to find America overrun with zombies. The first in the THEM series.

Facade by Alice Sabo
A small undercover team of spacefaring adventurers meet a woman whose psychic connection to one of them overturns all they thought they knew. The first in the Transmutation series.

Sweet Desire by Stacy Claflin
A witch estranged from her family and in hiding in an enchanted forest tries to avoid her own murderous coven. But a confrontation may be inevitable.

Mechanical Hearts by Nicole Blanchard
A young woman decides to hide in a boat when thinigs get too much, and wakes up in an ocean of pirates and mechanical people in this portal fantasy. Part of the multi-author Skeleton Key series.

The Undying King by Grace Draven
Imogen is cursed with a touch fatal to other people, and believes she will never marry. Then she hears a legend of an immortal king living in a hidden land, who may be able to break her curse.

Lady Mechanika Volume 2: The Tablet of Destinies by Joe Benitez, M. M. Chen, Martin Montiel, and Mike Garcia
In this graphic novel comes to the rescue of a young friend in an adventure that takes her to Africa in search of ancient artifacts.

The Pirate Articles by Lavinia Kiss
A refined woman is taken by pirates and must fight for her heart in this fantasy set on the high seas.

Faerie Fruit by Charlotte E. English
In the town of Berrie, orchards that have lain barren for decades suddenly begin to produce fruit. But the people who eat them are changed in peculiar ways.

Unreviewed films

Dead Sunrise directed by Michal Imielski
A group of friends go on a trip to the woods, only to discover children with hunger for human flesh.

ARQ directed by Tony Elliott
In a future ravaged by war and pollution, a couple are caught in a time loop that keeps repeating.

Gods Of Egypt directed by Alex Proyas
When the god Set takes over ancient Egypt and makes war on the other gods, a mortal thief enlists the help of the god Horus to help him recover his lost love and restore peace.