The Pliley Review

  Published:    November 7th, 2023. Genre: Fantasy, Romantic fantasy, Fantasy Fiction, Romance novel, High fantasy Rating:   R - violence, torture, sexual content Synopsis:   Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College―Violet included. Now the real training begins, and Violet’s already wondering how she’ll get through. It’s not just that it’s grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it’s designed to stretch the riders’ capacity for pain beyond endurance. It’s the new vice commandant, who’s made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is–unless she betrays the man she loves. *** I’m so happy I was able to jump right into book 2 as it continues pretty much right where it left off from the first.  That being said I was a little nervous that early on (no spoilers) they decided to head back to the school and I got huge Harry Potter ‘let’s get going back to the school at the start of the ...

  Published:    May 2nd, 2023 Genre: Fantasy, Romantic fantasy, Fantasy Fiction, Romance novel, High fantasy Rating:   R - violence, sexual content Synopsis:  A young scribe is thrust into an elite war college for dragon riders where the only rule is graduate or perish. *** I went into reading this book with very little knowledge about it, except it was a huge hit. As Stephen King once said, “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot” And I’m a sucker for a story about dragons.  Slight heads up I rated this as R for my review simply for the action scenes towards the end, grab something to catch your tears, and the sexual content as I think most will consider this a young adult book by mistake. Unless you are comfortable with it, I would avoid giving this book to anyone under the age of 16 at the earliest.  Honestly, I was pulled into the story very quickly and wanted to root for the main character, ...

  Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Musical Rating:   PG Synopsis: After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she's ever faced. *** After the huge success of the first Moana movie I had high hopes for this one.  Right off the bat this was just as visually stunning and the water effects are just breathtaking. The biggest highlights for me were the introduction of the little sister and the same amazing dynamic between Moana and Maui, Auliʻi Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson. The vibe between them is just amazing to watch and each character feels genuine in their struggles.  I was slightly confused with the fact that the village is shown as still living on the same island as the last movie even though they made a big show of leaving at the end. I believed this indicated that the entire village were wayfinders but this ...

  Genre:  Musical, Fantasy Rating:   PG Synopsis: Elphaba, a misunderstood young woman because of her green skin, and Galinda, a popular girl, become friends at Shiz University in the Land of Oz. After an encounter with the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads. *** Disclaimer: I’ve never seen the musical and going into the movie knew nothing about the plot and only vaguely 2 songs.  Right off the bat, I was on Team Green as I hate bullies. Yet I have to say the harshness of the opening definitely pulled me in. The library scene had me cringing as I’m a huge book lover, but all the songs were amazing during the entire movie.  Though I have nothing to compare the performances story or character-wise, high praise goes to both Ariana Grande as Galinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in their respective roles. Ariana, of course, took to the songs like a fish to water and although I had never heard Cynthia sing before the vocals for both were i...

Genre:  Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Fantasy, Family Rating:  PG Synopsis:  When Puss in Boots discovers that his passion for adventure has taken its toll and he has burned through eight of his nine lives, he launches an epic journey to restore them by finding the mythical Last Wish. Honestly, I am seriously shaken to my core by this movie. I love the Shrek movies and when I heard they were making another Puss in Boots I was not expecting much. The first movie was great, about a 7.5, but I wasn't rushing out to watch this one.  I was so wrong to wait. This movie has everything. Action, romance, fantasy, a great storyline, a terrifying villain, and an amazing twist. Once I finished watching it, my son and I had to watch it a second time.  I honestly could write a crazy long post just gushing about how amazing the villain of this movie is. Wagner Moura is a name I will most definitely be on the lookout for. His portrayal was just terrifying and awesome all at the...

  Genre:  Drama, Fantasy, Mystery Rating:  TV-MA Synopsis:  A full moon rises in Beacon Hills, and with it a terrifying evil has emerged. The wolves are howling once again, calling for the return of Banshees, Werecoyotes, Hellhounds, Kitsunes, and every other shapeshifter in the night. But only a Werewolf like Scott McCall, no longer a teenager yet still an Alpha, can gather both new allies and reunite trusted friends to fight back against what could be the most powerful and deadliest enemy they’ve ever faced. Being a huge fan of the TV show I was looking forward to this as I was intrigued as to what my favorite supernatural beings were up to and what they would face.  Honestly, for the villain of the story, I was somewhat confused by the choice, especially with the fact that the character highly connected to it in many ways, was missing entirely. Now I know that not all actors want to return for a follow-up, whether it be a sequel or whatever, however with this...

Genre:  Comedy, Family, Fantasy Rating:  PG Synopsis:  When the Sanderson Sisters are accidentally brought back to modern-day Salem, three friends must figure out how to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking havoc on the world. Right off the bat  Flashing Lights Warning . There are a few scenes that involve flashing lights so if you're sensitive please be cautious.  The movie takes place 29 years after the first movie with a  completely different storyline. This somewhat explains why other original cast members were not included. Although I was slightly disappointed that they didn't at least have a small cameo since we live in a time where cameos are very common.  Didn't really feel like a sequel as only 1 thing was the same, a virgin lit the candle. You do not need to watch the original as any references are clearly explained and some footage included. Personally, I think watching the original would still add to the experience so I do think it w...

  Genre: Action, Animation, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Science Fiction Rating:  PG 13 Synopsis:  When Superman and the rest of the Justice League are kidnapped, Krypto the Super-Dog must convince a rag-tag shelter pack - Ace the hound, PB the potbellied pig, Merton the turtle, and Chip the squirrel - to master their own newfound powers and help him rescue the superheroes. I went into this movie not expecting much really and I was greatly surprised. Even with the rating as I thought it would be PG for little kids. There are t wo after-credit scenes for those interested. The movie started off like most Superman-type movies do and honestly I wasn't mad about it. The main character of Krypto is just freaking adorable and his growth throughout the movie is heartwarming. The others were also amazing and played up to their respective animals well. Though admittedly a lot of the jokes were shown in the trailer.  The overall plotline and story made sense and the execution was p...

Genre: Family, Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy Rating:  PG 13 Synopsis:  A fanboy of a supervillain supergroup known as the Vicious 6, Gru hatches a plan to become evil enough to join them, with the backup of his followers, the Minions. Let me be clear that I'm a huge Despicable Me fan, yet the minion movies are hit or miss for me. Considering the premise for this one I had high hopes.  The opening scene was awesome and the following credits were freaking hilarious. Little Gru is adorable and it was so nice to see Bob, Stewart, and Kevin again. The introduction of another specific minion was unnecessary and honestly in my opinion didn't help the movie.  Since most of us have seen the original movie we know some of what happens already, yet I was admittedly intrigued when I saw the trailer.  The plot was basic and even for a children's movie got a little eye-rolling towards the end. To remain spoiler free I won't say more on the end, but it really was for m...

  Genre: Action, Drama, Fantasy Rating: R for strong/bloody violence and some language. Synopsis:  When a strong-willed princess refuses to wed a cruel sociopath, she is kidnapped and locked in a remote tower. With her scorned, vindictive suitor intent on taking her father's throne, the princess must protect her family and save the kingdom. Straight out of the gate this princess is not one to be messed with. I found myself rooting for her right from the opening scenes. Joey King, as The Princess, really just brought her game and crushed this movie. I felt for her character on so many levels and you really do just want to cheer her on the entire movie. Dominic Cooper shined as Julius, the awful suitor to our wonderful princess. He can definitely play a villain for sure.  The choreographed fight scenes are just beautiful. Joey really did just make the moves her own and never once did it look out of place. The storyline is basic, yet I feel it matched the overall feel of t...