My Top Books of 2016 (December Book Wrap-Up)

Well, here we are...the last day of 2016. I swear the years go by faster and faster as I get older. So much has happened to me this year to help me mature and grow as a person, but that's for another post. For now let's talk about books!

Writing
After the disaster that was NaNo2016, I swore to give myself a serious break from writing / recovery period and that's exactly what I did. I didn't even do any writing for Wattpad, although I did announce my next story there on Christmas Day. My readers seem excited! I'm excited, too.

Reading
As stated in last month's post, I dedicated most of my free time this month to reading, and in so doing completed six books! Here's what I read:

• A Whole New World by Liz Braswell
• Shadow Spinner by Susan Fletcher
• Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon
• Lock and Mori: Mind Games by Heather W. Petty
• Narnia #1: The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis
• Narnia #2: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

A Whole New World is the first Liz Braswell book I've ever read, and also Book One in a series called Twisted Tales, in which the stories of various Disney Princesses are tweaked in some way and retold accordingly. The twist in this first book was that Jafar got away with the lamp from the Cave of Wonders, leaving Aladdin trapped with no genie to get him out. All things considered this book was very well done in terms of political correctness and thankfully appealed to older readers (aka rated PG). It was a good mix of romantic and dark, though the romance was way too forced and fluffy for my taste. I didn't particularly like the ending; it was rather depressing, even for fans of tragedy like myself. (Also I was totally right about Iago being important.) I do intend to continue this series.

Carrier of the Mark and I have a history that goes way back. Once upon a time there was an online writer's community called Inkpop, of which I was a member. Inkpop's primary sponsor was HarperCollins Publishing, and on very rare occasions the editors/agents of the company would browse through stories on Inkpop and (on even rarer occasions) offer authors they liked a publishing deal on the spot. This is what happened to Carrier of the Mark. Ever since then I've wanted to read it. And you know, I can totally see why this story would have stood out among others on Inkpop (which doesn't exist anymore, by the way). The story is really unique and the romance is so passionate it actually carries with it a level of legitimate danger, which I appreciate, as it adds another layer to the already dangerous plot. However while I understand why their relationship blossomed so quickly, I do believe certain things within said relationship came on too fast (aka Adam calling Megan "his gorgeous girlfriend" basically the first time they ever actually spoke to each other), and one could argue that the ending was way rushed. *SPOILERS* Like, instead of having Megan captured, rescued, hospitalized, and recovered all within the last 40 pages of the book, why not end it with her being captured, and then have the rescue and etc. be the start of Book Two? It would have been a great cliffhanger. I mean, I definitely intend to read the sequel anyway, but having an ending like that after all the buildup to the actual kidnapping? I would have been rushing to the nearest bookstore to get my hands on Shadow of the Mark to see what happened. Just a thought. *END SPOILERS* Overall, I thought the book was very well done, and I totally get why the HarperCollins people approached Leigh Fallon about its publication way back when. Congrats to her again!

Lock and Mori: Mind Games! GUYS. You may remember that I read the first book in this series (which I recently found out will end up being a trilogy) way back in February of this year. I wrote a full review of it here. I really enjoyed the book, though my biggest complaint was that Sherlock was not really in character. Well, as soon as I got a solid release date for the second book, I requested that my library purchase it. They did, and the DAY AFTER its release it was in my hands. I stopped all other reading I was in the middle of at the time to plow through Mind Games, and HOLY CRAP it was ten times better than the first book! Sherlock was much more in character this time around (and so was Mori, for that matter), and I really appreciated that the author finally started referring to him as just Lock. I mean, it's called Lock and Mori for a reason. I was hooked from page one and had a really hard time ever putting it down. The plot was intense and fast-paced, the romance was really tense but also really...well, romantic - and the ENDING! I had no clue at all who was behind everything, but I was totally blown away when it was revealed in the last ten pages. And then the last line utterly broke my heart! I wanted to scream in rage and bawl my eyes out at the same time! This author knows what she's doing, man. And I don't care what my TBR looks like when the final book is released. I WILL pre-order that sucker. I was really close to pre-ordering this one. Lock and Mori was my greatest book discovery of 2016, without a doubt.

I'll do a full review of the entire Chronicles of Narnia once I've gotten through all seven books.

I also feel I should mention that due to the unexpected amount of bookish gifts I received for Christmas (10 physical books and $65 towards book gift cards) my original TBR Takedown plan has been completely eradicated. I'll do some planning and get back to you with a TBR Takedown 2.0 soon.

And now...*drumroll*

My Top Books of 2016

The following are the books that managed to earn a 5/5 star rating from me in the year 2016:

• The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
• The Forgetting by Nicole Maggi
• Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
• Winterspell by Claire Legrand
• Of Metal and Wishes by Sarah Fine
• The Amazing Book is Not on Fire by Dan Howell and Phil Lester

Of these six books, the ONE that I believe was the best book I read this year is The Forgetting by Nicole Maggi. It was a book that I picked up at Barnes and Noble during one of our few trips to Montana every year, and it's a genre I don't normally read. But the premise intrigued me so I decided to give it a go. This book is an amazing thriller. Project Cain has NOTHING on this. It unashamedly delves into the world of sex trafficking that occurs right underneath our noses every day all while delivering a story that is both terrifying and beautiful at the same time. The romance aspect is perfectly balanced and never overshadows the primary plot. It stirred all the right kinds of emotions in me as I read it. I highly recommend this book.

My Goodreads Reading Challenge goal for this year was 50 books. I read 47 total, which is the same amount I read last year. I had hoped to at least one-up myself this time around, but the beginning of the year started off really wonky with my three lit classes, and I also have a tendency to choose rather long books. If it hadn't been for the fact that I received the entire Chronicles of Narnia for Christmas I would not have even gotten 47 read. My goal for 2017 will be 50 again. One of these years I'll make it happen!

Be sure to check back here in 2017 for more nerdy and bookish blog posts! Happy New Year! :D

That Was Easy (NaNoWriMo 2016 + My Grand TBR Takedown Plan)

Writing
I did it. I won NaNoWriMo for the third year in a row, beating out my previous final word counts by 200 - AND I won a day early. My final word count was 50,317. Not bad!

I know I don't sound very excited about it, but I am very happy to have won again this year. However, I feel like this year was just a bad experience all-around, for reasons I'll get to in a moment. But if there's one thing I have to say for sure about NaNo 2016, it's that it was too easy for me.

I think my not being in school this year was the biggest factor of this. It helps when you don't have fifteen million other words to write for three literature classes at once every single day. It probably also helps that my job - while amazing! - is only part-time. I had a lot of time to spend focusing solely on my novel this year, and I think losing the challenge factor took some of the fun away from it.

Another issue I had with this year's NaNo was the story itself. At the very end of October I was trying to decide between this and another idea. I am immensely glad I chose this one, because strictly based off of how it went, I wouldn't have made it past 10k words with the other idea I had. Both were contemporary New Adult books. The difference being that one was a "detective story" and one was a messed-up love pentagon. I struggled to get to 10k words because I decided to be a plantser rather than a full-out planner this year (my mistake), but once I hit that I breezed right through the next 20k words. Then I hit 30k, and it was a constant battle to find motivation to get words on the page. By the time I got to 45k, I was DONE. I wrote the last 5k words, passed that finish line, and felt nothing but immense relief that it was finally over.

Don't get me wrong - there were definitely scenes I enjoyed writing, and you can tell where those scenes fell within my novel due to the massive jumps in my chart. But as a whole, I'd say that while I liked the premise of the novel in the beginning, my enthusiasm quickly died out and I struggled with and practically hated the last 15k words I wrote. Everything about Jenkins and Smith 2 was just...awful. Ugh. I am so not proud of this one, guys. So not proud.

And you might be thinking, "But I thought you said it was too easy this year?" It was. The premise I went with was something I was totally on board with at first, so the first half of this novel came easily to me. I consistently kept on target with the ideal daily word counts. But then I hit the climax way earlier than I anticipated I would, and so the last 15k words were essentially filler space. It was awful - but it was so awful that I figured, "Hey. Can't ruin it any more than it already is." So I just wrote whatever came to mind to fill the space and called it done. It was too easy, and I hated that.

I wanted more of a challenge than I had this year. Initially I was trying to get the 30-Days badge for the first time, since I've yet to win it. I was doing so well keeping up with it, even when I was sick. But then there was one fateful day that I forgot to update my word count and I lost it. So then I decided my new personal challenges would be to A) win before November 30 for the first time and B) write more than I had in previous years. Both of which I accomplished, easily.

Long story short, guys - this year's NaNoWriMo was not fun for me, mostly because there was no challenge factor and the story idea I went with, in retrospect, was the worst I have ever conceived. So while I'm happy I have won three years in a row, I am not proud of this last one. But I intend to learn from my mistakes this year and come back stronger in November 2017. Also, I think that (for now, at least) I am going to lay Bryan Jenkins and Wren Smith to rest. I have utterly ruined them at this point.

All right. I'm done talking about this. Moving on!

I'm going to give a real quick shout-out to my Wattpad story before I get to the reading portion of this blog post. At the beginning of November I finished writing "Worlds Collide" entirely, and on November 25 I posted the final chapters and marked the book as being complete. The ending has been well received! I'm very happy that my readers are so happy. Their encouraging comments always make my day. It seems that my stats have mostly come to rest at 4,843 reads; 374 votes; and 165 comments. (Wow - that's a LOT for just one month!)

I will be announcing a new fanfiction story there on Christmas Day. No spoilers here! Sorry, Wattpad readers! ;)

Reading
As expected, my reading was seriously pushed to the sidelines during the month of November to make way for NaNoWriMo. I have not read a single page of anything in over two weeks. I feel like I'm dying. But there is good news to remedy that! First, however, I'd like to say that I finished Warlock Holmes by G.S. Denning this month, and it was SO much fun to read. Guys, if you're looking for Sherlock Holmes meets fantasy, this is the parody for you. I loved every single page and I am beyond hyped for Book 2 in May! I am also currently about 75 pages into A Whole New World (an Aladdin retelling).

All right. I'm super excited about this next part.

So if you've followed my blog for the past year or so, you'll already know this, but I'm going to say it again anyway: I have a problem. I have serious book guilt, and it has only gotten worse as the year has progressed. I started with 11 books on my TBR (To Be Read) in January, which became 21 by July, which has since only whittled down to 19 today. This is while I've been actively working to reduce it, mind you. It's just that bad. I love books, I love new books, I buy new books every time my family makes a trip to Montana (which is really only four or five times a year), and...the list of excuses goes on.

BUT NO MORE!

As of midnight tonight, on December 1, I am going to refocus my energy into crushing my TBR in my very own, personalized TBR Takedown. Originally my goal was to not buy any new books until I'd gotten it down to 10, but that is not good enough! (And clearly not an effective motivator.) My TBR is sitting at 19 books right now, including the one I'm currently reading. Our first trip to Montana is most likely slated for March/April of 2017, and I am determined to have my TBR down to ZERO by then.

Every reader has their own idea of what a TBR List is for them, and thus have their own ideas about how TBR Takedowns work for them. My TBR consists of books I own but have not read yet which, in my mind, should take priority over library books and whatnot. I like to keep my TBR to a minimum, which really means I just like to make sure I'm constantly reading. 2016 has been an epic fail of a year in that respect (and I do blame my three lit classes for that), but the time for sitting back and doing nothing about it is over! I refuse to wait until the New Year to change my ways. I will do it now!

That said, here is what my version of a TBR Takedown looks like:

19 Books on TBR (Including Currently Reading)
December - 6.5 books minimum to beat last year's Goodreads total (12 books left)
January - 5 books, consisting of one library book (I promised a friend I'd read it in January and cannot back out on said promise lest I lose my very soul) (8 books left on TBR)
February - 5 books (3 books left)
March - Finish TBR

The goal within this Takedown is to NOT read any library books or buy any new books whatsoever, with the exception of the promised book in January. The reason I have so many books lined up for December is because I generally take December off from writing because of the insane stress of NaNoWriMo (though this year I think the break will mostly be to convince myself I'm not a total failure as an author). And since I'll be off from writing, that leaves plenty of room for reading. Also, I'm currently at 41/50 books on my 2016 Goodreads goal. Last year I read 47 books total, so I want to at least one-up myself by reading 48 total this year, which means I'd need to finish the book I'm currently reading and six more by midnight on December 31 to accomplish that goal. If I could get to 50 I would, but I honestly doubt that is going to happen at this point. Curse you, incredibly stressful but ultimately helpful literature classes from January-May of this year!

I'm really excited to just leave my trainwreck of a novel in the snow dust and read like crazy next month. I'm also really excited to have created my first personalized TBR Takedown. I'm going to plow through these books at a supersonic rate; y'all will be left amazed at my reading prowess. So check back here next month to make sure I'm keeping up the pace!

Until then, I'm outta here. See you next time!

NaNoWriMo 2016 Update #2

This has been the easiest NaNoWriMo I have done so far. I think it certainly helps that I'm not in school (aka not writing fifteen thousand essays in addition to an entire novel), but most of it I think comes from writing a story I've wanted to write forever and didn't even know it. Now that I've written so many novels and have an array to choose from for publication, I've started to shift my focus on trying new genres and playing around with my style and voice. That's what I'm doing this month. It's my second attempt at New Adult Crime Fiction, but I'm trying so many new things I can't even list them all. The story itself is a mess and way, WAY worse than last year's, but I'm having fun with it and that's what matters to me right now. (Not to say that there isn't a serious plot, because there is; it's just all over the place at the moment.)

As soon as I recovered from being sick my word count shot up rapidly, and for a couple of days I was actually ahead. Then I fell into a more steady pace of being right on track, and now I'm sitting at just a couple of days behind. I intend to use my Thanksgiving break to pull ahead and win this sucker - possibly even a few days early since I'm not going for the 30-days badge anymore. (If you follow me on Twitter you know why.) I'm looking forward to the epic climax and wrapping up this story with a major development in my protagonist. If I end up writing any more Jenkins and Smith adventures in the future, they are certainly going to be a much crazier ride because of the events of this book.

It's all downhill from here, guys! The 30,000's don't even scare me this year.

I am currently at 29,139 words.

NaNoWriMo 2016 Update #1

So far I'd say this year's NaNoWriMo is going along all right, though I definitely didn't get the start I wanted. After writing 6,000 words on Day One last year, starting off with only 2,400 on Day One this year felt like a major step backwards, and having absolutely no excuse for it (homework assignments, class the next morning, etc.) only made it worse. I was pretty discouraged at first, especially since I was being teased about falling behind so quickly. But I picked myself up and kept going because even though I hadn't started well, I knew that once I hit 10k I would be able to plow through the rest of the story much easier, since that's when the plot really gets going.

Just as I suspected, the closer to 10k I got, the easier writing became. I hit 12k without a problem...and then I got sick, and have been sick, and so I've fallen behind again. But like I said on Twitter: last year I was 25k behind during Thanksgiving week and I STILL managed to catch up and win. I'll do so again this year, thank you very much.

So while I had a rough beginning, overall I'd say things will probably be easier for me from here on out. Just as soon as I get over this dumb sickness.

I am currently at 12,151 words.

This is Halloween (October Book Wrap-Up)

I'm 21 years old, drunk on root beer, and have to get this post written before midnight so I can focus on NaNoWriMo! Let's go!

Writing
Holy crap I got so much writing done this month. About halfway through I was worried I would never get the rest of my story over on Wattpad written before NaNo, but midway last week I suddenly got this burst of motivation out of absolutely nowhere, wrote 6500+ words in one sitting, and now only have 1.5 chapters and an epilogue to write before the end of November to finish up "Worlds Collide." It felt so awesome to write so much in one go. That was my version of NaNoPrep! My current stats for this story are 4,169 reads; 307 votes; and 144 comments.

But, as you know, National Novel Writing Month starts at midnight tonight! I have yet to announce my novel here, so I'll go ahead and do so. Last year I wrote my very first attempt at New Adult Crime Fiction, Jenkins and Smith, which you can read about here. It turned out awful as I had no idea what I was doing and majorly changed the plot at least once or twice, but I had so much fun writing it, and I had a fantastic idea for a sequel, so that's what I'm doing! My NaNoWriMo 2016 novel is titled Jenkins and Smith: Last Man Out. Feel free to stalk my progress here. I'm so excited to start writing!

Reading
My reading progress has been lacking recently, and I truly don't have much of an excuse for that. My plan for now is to put reading to the back-burner during November, then come back with a bang in December and read like crazy. So prepare yourselves for the December post! This month I read:

• Of Dreams and Rust by Sarah Fine
• The Amazing Book is Not on Fire by Dan Howell and Phil Lester

*SPOILERS AND RANTING AHEAD* Back in August I read Of Metal and Wishes, which I praised as being an even better version of The Phantom of the Opera. And it truly was amazing! I gave it five stars without a second thought. Then I began my determined quest to obtain its sequel, Of Dreams and Rust. And...ugh. Just thinking about the second book makes me so mad. I ultimately gave it four stars because it was really, really well done and a very worthy sequel, but I cannot get over the fact that A) Wen did not end up with Bo and B) BO DIED!! Are you kidding me? I would have at least felt better if she didn't end up with him and he lived, but not only did she choose Melik over him, he died saving Melik's life! Wen had no idea what an amazing person Bo was and how much better of a choice he was for her, even after he was gone. I am enraged that stupid Melik won her over. He does not deserve her in the slightest! UGH. #WenAndBoForever

Okay. Calming down now.

At the same time I read The Amazing Book is Not on Fire by Dan and Phil. Who knew that the essence of their videos could be compressed into a physical form, through mere words? I loved every single page of this adventure and am now even more proud and happy to be part of the Phandom. This was a much-needed reprieve after the tragedy of the book discussed above (even though I finished this one first).

I suffered a serious book hangover for the first time in a while after finishing Of Dreams and Rust. It took me a good few days to get out of the utter depression it left me in, but I've finally been able to move on and pick up a new story. I am now currently reading Warlock Holmes, which is fantastical and mysterious and stupidly fun. I'm loving it so far.

And that sums up October! NaNoWriMo, here I come!

Side note: Do not expect serious blog posts throughout next month, as I will be busy drinking Cherry Cola, eating M&M's, and writing my story at all hours of the day. Instead I will do what I did last year and give you two brief updates as well as a final recap of my ventures when it's all said and done. (AKA I'mma show off my winner's page again!) See you next time! ;)

Ratchet and Clank: Movie Review *Spoilers*

You may or not remember this, but way back in 2013 I created a post here on Endless Possibilities that talked about my (then) recent discovery of and love for a game series called Ratchet and Clank. I also mentioned that I'd read the movie novelization back in May after having seen the film in theaters. Well, now I'm here again to give you my review of the Ratchet and Clank movie, as well as my thoughts on how it compares to the games!

I love this movie. I was so excited when they announced it about three years ago, and was even more excited when the day finally came for me to see it. I abandoned my roommate on a Friday night to go see the premiere showing and walked away with the biggest smile on my face.

I like how the creators took the story of the very first game and revamped it, keeping it the same while also adding new elements to it. I thought that Quark's betrayal, while premature in comparison to the games, was a great route to take with the film, as it helped Ratchet's character development and maturity move along at a believable pace. I like that Grim was introduced as Ratchet's caretaker. It makes much more sense than the first game, when he's a fifteen-year-old who has essentially raised himself from before he could walk, even. I like that Clank's introduction is almost a complete parallel to his introduction in the games, and that the two's meeting went about the same as well. I think that from there the story moved along at a good pace, with a perfect balance of action and non-action scenes. (The references to the many, many types of weapons and tools was fantastic, by the way. I was so glad to see the holo-guise used in this film.)

One thing I'm kind of torn about is Dr. Nefarious. Of course I know him from the games and am familiar with his backstory, but seeing him pre-robot for 99% of this movie was very strange and took some getting used to, even after I'd seen it once already. While it was a look I wasn't used to, I did still very much enjoy his role in the film - those little smirks were the best! And when he finally did have that one glorious scene at the end as his robot self, it was FANTASTIC. That was the greatest end scene I could have ever asked for! (I may or may not have been fangirling in my seat during that final scene.)

Something I didn't particularly like about this movie was the addition of the Galactic Rangers. While Captain Quark has been known to work with other heroes in teams before, there has never been a consistent group that he has led like he did in this movie. I didn't like that Ratchet was so eager to become like Captain Quark when he can't stand the guy in the games. Of the actual rangers introduced, the only character I kind of liked was Elaris, and only because she preferred to think things through rather than bust down the door and start shooting without any preparation. While they were a good fit for the movie, I didn't really like them as characters. I also hated that Ratchet and Clank's induction into the Galactic Rangers had them working separately a lot rather than together. It distracted them from being able to grow a close friendship like we see in the games.

Which leads me into my final point. The ending of this movie (that epic end scene with Nefarious!) left it totally open for a sequel, should the developers decide to make one. I think they should, personally. It would give them a chance to expand on Nefarious' evil like they do in the games, this time without the "backseat" bad guy of Chairman Drek. It would also give them an opportunity to veer away from the Galactic Rangers' story and focus more on the adventures of Ratchet and Clank together, allowing the characters to have a better chance for their friendship to grow. (While I loved that Clank came back to stay with Ratchet in the end, he really had no reason to. He barely knew Ratchet. His mindset was probably something along the lines of, "My mission is completed. Ratchet was the first person I met, and he helped me, so maybe I should stay with him now." But that was it. He didn't really stay because they were good friends.) I also think it would be neat to see the developers expand on the story of the Lombaxes and what happened to them, or go into further detail about why Clank was a defect (though that may not be valid anymore due to his altered backstory). The games have excellent plots for both that would be amazing to see on the big screen!

Overall, despite the movie's much lighter tone and kid-friendly plot, I thought that the movie adaptation of Ratchet and Clank was awesome. I loved every minute of it and am proud to own it now. The subtle references to other characters and plots of the games throughout the movie were great. I especially liked cameo at the very, very end of the credits. (If you follow the games, you know who shows up.) I am very much hoping for a sequel!

My Thoughts on TMNT: Out of the Shadows *Spoilers*

Everything about this movie is leaps and bounds ahead of the first one. I saw it in theaters twice, and when I came home from the first showing on opening night I felt so much better about it than I did coming home after seeing the first movie in the theater on its opening night. The story is better, the characters are better both inside and out, there are tons of great references, and the few "retro" characters that are introduced are spot on (except for Krang...I'll get to that in a moment). Not to say that the first movie was awful, because it wasn't. I thoroughly enjoyed the first movie. But I thoroughly enjoyed this sequel ten times more.

I am beyond glad that the story for this film was actually taken from the Turtles' universe. It made it so much better! (Mind blown, right?) The Turtles finally take center stage and command the screen from beginning to end, with great plot pacing and good character development - especially in Leo. Casey Jones was a good addition to the team; I thought Stephen Amell was a great choice for him...and at first I was like "where's his long hair?" but after having seen the movie a few times I think that shorter hair suits this version of Casey better. We also finally get to see some legit Shredder action, whereas in the first movie he hid in the shadows all the way up until the final battle. Although Shredder did not physically fight like he did in the first film, he was at least more active in and in control of his clan's work this time. It was great to see Baxter Stockman become a more prominent character in this film (casting choice for him was on point, by the way), as well as seeing Bebop and Rocksteady make their first live-action appearance. I thought their characters were portrayed excellently, and the brief battle between them and the Turtles was a ton of fun to watch. As for Krang...it was awesome to see him make his first live-action appearance as well, and despite my personal opinions about his voice he was certainly a force to be reckoned with! I look forward to seeing him return in the next movie.

I really appreciate that this movie is more Turtle-focused than April-focused. I mean...let's be real. In the first movie, we didn't fully see the Turtles for the first time until about fifteen to twenty minutes in. In this movie, they are the FIRST characters we see, and we don't see April until about ten or fifteen minutes in. That is a great turnaround! I also really appreciate that this time, the Foot Clan are actually NINJAS instead of standard NYC criminals with guns. They fight like ninjas and never once pull out a weapon that isn't a sword or shuriken. (Oh, and the credits song? Best credits song ever!)

Truly, the only issue I've had with this movie from the first time I saw it to now that I've seen it a few times is Krang. I'm thrilled that he was introduced into this movie universe, I thought that he played an important part in the story and of course his final battle against the Turtles was fantastic. His android body was an excellent blend of the retro look with a more modern twist (unlike the over-the-top Shredder suit from the first movie). Everything about him as a character was great and enjoyable...except for one thing. His voice actor.

Whoever thought that Brad Garrett was a good voice acting choice for Commander Krang needs assistance in making good decisions. I'm not naive - of course Krang cannot always sound like the 80's Krang (and honestly, I'm glad they didn't try to duplicate that voice), and every version of him is unique (like with the 2003 and 2012 series), but here's the thing. So far as we're aware, Krang is not part of a race of Kraang - he is KRANG. The only Krang. Like, an individual instead of a species. With this being the case, clearly this film's version of him was trying to pull inspiration from the 80's. Again, I didn't expect him to sound like 80's Krang, nor did I want him to. But when trying to portray Krang as an individual, there is a right and wrong way to do so. Perhaps part of this has to do with the fact that Krang's character as a whole was different, but still - Brad Garrett was a terrible choice of voice. His style of voicing Krang portrayed the character as a laidback, chill, backstabbing alien who saw Earth as just another trophy to add to his growing list of "worlds I've destroyed for fun." This is not the Krang that Turtles fans know to be confident, demanding, focused, and power-hungry. I will admit that "Out of the Shadows" nailed his attitude towards Shredder and all other beings in general, but this is only one saving grace in a line of mistakes that could have easily been avoided with a better voice actor. Anyone can sound nonchalant - it takes a great voice to pull off an evil alien warlord hell-bent on expanding his empire. Brad Garrett did not deliver this type of voice at all. I have nothing against him as a person or even as an actor - I've heard him voice other characters in other films and portray them very well. I simply do not agree with Brad Garrett as the voice of Krang.

One thing I noticed that this movie did not address in the slightest is what ever happened to Eric Sacks. He was never mentioned, his face was never seen anywhere, his companies were never mentioned, cleanup of the disaster that took place on top of his business building was never explained. It's like he never existed. While most people who saw the first film probably assume that he was in prison somewhere in the sequel, his being alive but put away doesn't explain why he was never at least mentioned briefly. In light of all of this, I propose a new theory. In the final battle against Eric Sacks, Vern hit him over the head with a microscope - those things are heavy, and head injuries are never minor. This, in addition to no mention of him in "Out of the Shadows," leads me to believe that he died from the injury. I don't know this for certain, but until further notice, it is my personal theory.

The ending of this film leaves it wide open for several different story options. In the absence of the Shredder, we may see Karai step up as leader of the Foot Clan. We might get to see the briefly mentioned "facility in Tokyo" and learn whether Shredder has established an empire there. We may get some more backstory. There are also questions to be answered. What will happen to Bebop and Rocksteady? Obviously Krang will return, but when he does, will he bring an army? Will there be a full-out war that could possibly involve the Triceratons? (There was one frozen on his ship next to Shredder - just saying!) Will we learn more about the alien commander, his story, where he comes from, why he's on the warpath? Will Shredder return? If he does, what will that be like? Wherever the filmmakers decide to take it, as long as the third movie is done in the way this one was, it will be amazing. I can't wait to see it!