How Dare They?

It doesn’t matter what political “side” you’re on, just like burning and looting businesses, this behavior is unacceptable and should be condemned by everyone.

charles french words reading and writing

I am now feeling angry, frustrated, and frightened, all at once. My wife and I went out for what was supposed to be a short afternoon trip. The day was going to busy, with just a short afternoon diversion.

There was a Trump rally at the intersection near our place, and that is not an issue. Everyone has the right to protest in the U.S.A, but some were carrying automatic rifles (perhaps semi-automatic, but that really doesn’t change anything) and standing right at the edge of the road and screaming at cars. This should not be allowed–when I saw this, I immediately thought–they would have been at home in Nazi Germany. They are bullies, and they are not supporting democracy. How dare they try to intimidate people that way.

The election is over, and Trump lost. That is what happens with elections; sometimes your candidate wins, and sometimes your candidate…

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City of Villains (City of Villains #1), By Estelle Laure ~ 3.0 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, Mystery, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: January 26th, 2020

240 Pages

Synopsis: Disney’s Villains meet Gotham in this gritty fairy-tale inspired story.

Mary Elizabeth Heart is a high school senior by day, but by night she’s an intern at the Monarch City Police Department. She watches with envy from behind a desk as detectives come and go, trying to contain the city’s growing crime rate. For years, tension has simmered between the city’s wealthy elite, and their plans to gentrify the decaying neighborhood called the Scar—once upon a time the epicenter of all things magic.

When the daughter of one of the city’s most powerful businessmen goes missing, Mary Elizabeth is thrilled when the Chief actually puts her on the case. But what begins as a missing person’s report soon multiplies, leading her down a rabbit hole of a city in turmoil. There she finds a girl with horns, a boyfriend with secrets, and what seems to be a sea monster in a poison lake. As the mystery circles closer to home, Mary finds herself caught in the fight between those who once had magic, and those who will do anything to bring magic back.

This dark and edgy YA series explores the reimagined origins of  Maleficent, Ursula, Captain Hook, and other infamous Disney villains like you’ve never seen before.

I was quite excited when I read the premise of City of Villains with the tagline Disney villains meets Gotham, but I have to be honest and say it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. My biggest problem I think is that everything is told rather than shown. I was never able to fully connect with the characters, the setting, or the story. However, seeing the origin stories of some of my favorite Disney villains was interesting and kept me turning the pages. I also have to say this is a quick read which I breezed through in couple of hours. Overall, while City of Villains wasn’t everything I was hoping it would be, there was just enough there that not only kept me reading, but also has me sufficiently interested enough to give the sequel a try when it comes out.