Cinfii

About me:

hello, my name is Cinfii! I'm 16 and from Ireland. I love movies, books, video games etc. especially when I can analyse them! Feel free to IM if you want to chat!! The best way to get to know me is probably my book log which I update really frequently. I'd love if you could check it out!

Last Movie I watched

Gattaca (1997) - Rating- 4.5 Stars

Wow. This movie was absolutely phenomenal. Everything from the dialogue to the colour grading to the characters, to the story was totally on point and beautifully executed. The world lured me in almost instantaneously, one in which parents choose to perform eugenics to ensure their child is as perfect as possible, having the freedom to choose what their child will look like down to the eye colour. We follow Vincent, a child born through love and is as such an "invalid". Throughout his life he is shunned and discriminated against by everyone including his parents who had another child who is "valid". Vincent refuses to be relegated to jobs seen as appropriate for invalids and instead sets his sights on Gattaca, a space agency. He enlists the help of Jerome Morrow, by all accounts the perfect human being except for the fact that he could not succeed under the weight of the pressure society put on him and so gives up his identity to Vincent. The story progresses by following "Jerome" and his journey to fulfil his dreams. It was difficult to look away throughout the entire film and throughout everything I felt a weight in the bottom of my stomach because I felt genuine concern for this character. Maybe it was just because of our mutual obsession with space though. If you need any more convincing to give this film a go, let it be the final quote: "For someone who was never meant for this world, I must confess I'm suddenly having a hard time leaving it. Of course they say every atom in our bodies was once a star. Maybe I'm not leaving... Maybe I'm going home." (Film 15 this year)

Current Read

The Poppy War - Rating 4.5 Stars

I would like to preface this by saying that I finished this book 2 hours ago and have just about picked my jaw off the floor so forgive me if this review feels a little rushed. The Poppy War follows the story of Fang Runin (or Rin), a war orphan drug mule turned Sinegardian scholar, a prestigious title from the most elite military school in the Empire of Nikan. She continues to be an outcast from her peers by training to be a shaman with her seemingly insane master. What should be a recount of her various trials, tribulations and ultimate acceptance by her aristocratic peers is brought to a screeching halt with the Mugenese invasion of Nikan- Rin is forced into the front lines of a generational war conscripted to the Cike, a band of shamanistic misfits. She must abandon all of her preconceived notions about the spirit world, herself and her training in order to navigate this age old conflict.

I will be the first to say that I was not a fan of this book throughout the first two parts. I thought that Rin acted as more of a caricature of a military-fantasy protagonist than a fleshed out and unique one. She's determined, stubborn and wholly unable to take advice from anyone. The prose felt inconsistent at best, sometimes delivering a rich, descriptive overview of this world completely separate from our own and others moving at such break-neck speeds, I struggled to latch onto anything at all. However these problems were miraculously solved during the third part of the book, which I thought was paced beautifully. In the interest of keeping this review spoiler free, I won't give away too much but suffice it to say, I felt actually sick to my stomach at the descriptions.

Kuang becomes an entirely different beast in the third act, masterfully balancing careful worldbuilding, character growth and the overarching plot in a way that is not a delight to read but made the experience all the more gut-wrenching. If you had told me whilst reading Part 2 that I would be purchasing the second instalment in the trilogy, I would have laughed in the face of such a seemingly absurd prospect. Now however, I'm struggling to grasp with the fact that I can't read it right this second and must wait an undefined amount of time before I can visit a bookshop to pick it up.

--------------- If you want to see the other past books I've been reading, click the link please! My Reading Blog!

Current Play

Red Dead Redemption 2 - (Current) Rating TBD

Full transparency, I tried this game about 2 years ago and dropped it at the beginning of chapter 2. After playing tlou part 1 and 2 (at a friends recommendation) and gaining a renewed interest in Triple A games, I decided to give it a go again (at the same friend's request). I can confidently say, it's a brilliant game. The characters are unbelievably complex and well written, every mission feels fresh and the open world is nothing short of phenomenal-though I don't explore it as much as I should. I can't wait to play more!

Who I'd like to meet:

anyone and everyone interested in the same things as me, please be cool!! I'm also learning French so it'd be awesome to have someone to chat with who'd be willing to practice with every once in a while