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Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated To Seduce a Witch's Heart (Love and Magic, #1) in Books
Jan 11, 2021
3.5 stars.
I've avoided paranormal romances for quite a while as I don't always want the romance to be the main part of my paranormal reads. This one, however, focused more on the romance between our witch, Merle, and our demon, Rhun. Note: I didn't realise this was a paranormal romance when I downloaded it.
It starts with Merle summoning Rhun from the Shadows - a land full of shadows, obviously - where he has been kept prisoner for the last twenty years. He comes back starving for the three things his demon needs - pleasure, pain and blood. He's very good at the charm and persuades Merle to give him two of three before finding out why she'd summoned him. Her sister, Maeve, has been taken by another demon of his kind and she is frantic to find her as she is the only remaining relative of hers.
I liked that the sexual tension between our characters happened from pretty much the first chapter. It was instant physical attraction but done well, in my opinion. He was just using her, initially, to get his powers back and she wasn't willing to let him go after anyone else when she'd been the one to summon him and feelings began to emerge the more they got to know each other/spent time together.
I did feel like the book was a tad overly long. They spent more time in bed together than they did searching for her sister - which made me get a little fed up at times, and also why it's taken me about a week to read this. Don't get me wrong, though. I did enjoy the interactions between our two characters. They had a lovely camaraderie once they got to know each other and I grew to really like them both.
Considering how I wasn't entirely invested in the story, I found myself getting a little emotional towards the end of this. I actually shed a tear when Rhun was forced back into the Shadows. It was so unfair. Of course, it would be a crappy ending to the book if they didn't get their HEA and of course they do (thank God!).
I've avoided paranormal romances for quite a while as I don't always want the romance to be the main part of my paranormal reads. This one, however, focused more on the romance between our witch, Merle, and our demon, Rhun. Note: I didn't realise this was a paranormal romance when I downloaded it.
It starts with Merle summoning Rhun from the Shadows - a land full of shadows, obviously - where he has been kept prisoner for the last twenty years. He comes back starving for the three things his demon needs - pleasure, pain and blood. He's very good at the charm and persuades Merle to give him two of three before finding out why she'd summoned him. Her sister, Maeve, has been taken by another demon of his kind and she is frantic to find her as she is the only remaining relative of hers.
I liked that the sexual tension between our characters happened from pretty much the first chapter. It was instant physical attraction but done well, in my opinion. He was just using her, initially, to get his powers back and she wasn't willing to let him go after anyone else when she'd been the one to summon him and feelings began to emerge the more they got to know each other/spent time together.
I did feel like the book was a tad overly long. They spent more time in bed together than they did searching for her sister - which made me get a little fed up at times, and also why it's taken me about a week to read this. Don't get me wrong, though. I did enjoy the interactions between our two characters. They had a lovely camaraderie once they got to know each other and I grew to really like them both.
Considering how I wasn't entirely invested in the story, I found myself getting a little emotional towards the end of this. I actually shed a tear when Rhun was forced back into the Shadows. It was so unfair. Of course, it would be a crappy ending to the book if they didn't get their HEA and of course they do (thank God!).
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated The Darkest Promise (Lords of the Underworld, #13) in Books
Jan 12, 2021
So I've recently read The Darkest Torment and back in May I read The Darkest Touch, both of which have led to Cameo and Lazarus' story - and I'll admit I am looking forward to reading this one because they have shared some steamy scenes before.
This starts with Cameo using the artefacts to head back to Lazarus in his realm after having snippets of memory of a man that she craved but unable to remember him thanks to her demon. She only knows it was Lazarus thanks to conversations she's had with her friends. She literally falls from the sky and destroys a few organs as she lands on the ground, leaving her in agony until she heals. She eventually manages to get to her feet and wanders the land until she finds Lazarus' kingdom.
I read the first hundred pages in one sitting, I was getting that pulled into this. I was intrigued by their relationship and how they could be together when her demon would never allow her any joy and when her closeness was heralding his death. Their relationship was passionate and Lazarus seemed to know a lot about her and her demon, knowing how to overcome the sadness it always made her feel. He himself, was a bit of a mystery. We knew very little about him but that changed as the book progressed.
I did enjoy this. All the gang are included in this again and I loved seeing their closeness once more. There is one scene that had me smiling like an idiot: a mud fight. Lazarus starts it with Cameo but before long everyone is joining in and it made me a little warm and fuzzy to see all these warriors having fun with their females.
I did feel like something was missing, though. I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would when I started this. I even skipped a lot of the sex scenes towards the end, they just weren't working for me anymore.
I do have book 14 to read, Gilly and Puck's story, but I think I'm going to give this series a little break for now.
This starts with Cameo using the artefacts to head back to Lazarus in his realm after having snippets of memory of a man that she craved but unable to remember him thanks to her demon. She only knows it was Lazarus thanks to conversations she's had with her friends. She literally falls from the sky and destroys a few organs as she lands on the ground, leaving her in agony until she heals. She eventually manages to get to her feet and wanders the land until she finds Lazarus' kingdom.
I read the first hundred pages in one sitting, I was getting that pulled into this. I was intrigued by their relationship and how they could be together when her demon would never allow her any joy and when her closeness was heralding his death. Their relationship was passionate and Lazarus seemed to know a lot about her and her demon, knowing how to overcome the sadness it always made her feel. He himself, was a bit of a mystery. We knew very little about him but that changed as the book progressed.
I did enjoy this. All the gang are included in this again and I loved seeing their closeness once more. There is one scene that had me smiling like an idiot: a mud fight. Lazarus starts it with Cameo but before long everyone is joining in and it made me a little warm and fuzzy to see all these warriors having fun with their females.
I did feel like something was missing, though. I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would when I started this. I even skipped a lot of the sex scenes towards the end, they just weren't working for me anymore.
I do have book 14 to read, Gilly and Puck's story, but I think I'm going to give this series a little break for now.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Black Christmas (1974) in Movies
Dec 8, 2020
Black Christmas is one of those all timers, a horror film that is ground breaking, brimming with well written characters, and most essentially, is still scary as fuck 40+ years after it's release.
Considered by many to be one of the first modern slasher horrors alongside The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (and predating Halloween by 4 years), it's importance can't be understated, and still remains at the top of the pile in terms of quality.
Straight off the bat, Black Christmas is genuinely unsettling. The largely unseen killer makes his presence known mainly through phone calls, but the things he says, and the tone of his voice is genuinely disturbing, and all too realistic. The couple of glimpses we do get are iconic, namely the underside shot during the infamous glass unicorn scene, and then the goosebump inducing moment where lead character Jess spots a singular eye of his staring at her through a crack in a door. It's honestly horrific. Pair that with other creepy shit, such as the corpse in the rocking chair from the poster, and you have some pretty nightmare inducing stuff.
The Christmas setting also provides an unsettling atmosphere, a time that is mostly considered a happy and festive, soured by all of the unpleasantness going on here, and it's all topped off with a pretty bleak ending.
The characters are great - the mostly female cast are all likable, intelligent, well developed protagonists that you want to see win. Stands outs include Olivia Hussey and Margot Kidder, both great actresses who's early career appearances here bring a touch of class to proceedings. It's always nice to see genre favourite John Saxton too.
The narrative is pretty straight forward stuff - little is revealed about the killer so nothing gets bogged down in exposition, and it's perfectly paced. It's never gets boring, and the dialogue centric scenes are engaging. It also deals with heavy topics such as abortion, toxic masculinity, and manages to be subtly feminist, a quality that propels the movie as a whole even further, especially being a 70s film.
Black Christmas is pretty much perfect in my opinion, and easily stands shoulder to shoulder with Halloween in terms of slasher greatness.
Considered by many to be one of the first modern slasher horrors alongside The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (and predating Halloween by 4 years), it's importance can't be understated, and still remains at the top of the pile in terms of quality.
Straight off the bat, Black Christmas is genuinely unsettling. The largely unseen killer makes his presence known mainly through phone calls, but the things he says, and the tone of his voice is genuinely disturbing, and all too realistic. The couple of glimpses we do get are iconic, namely the underside shot during the infamous glass unicorn scene, and then the goosebump inducing moment where lead character Jess spots a singular eye of his staring at her through a crack in a door. It's honestly horrific. Pair that with other creepy shit, such as the corpse in the rocking chair from the poster, and you have some pretty nightmare inducing stuff.
The Christmas setting also provides an unsettling atmosphere, a time that is mostly considered a happy and festive, soured by all of the unpleasantness going on here, and it's all topped off with a pretty bleak ending.
The characters are great - the mostly female cast are all likable, intelligent, well developed protagonists that you want to see win. Stands outs include Olivia Hussey and Margot Kidder, both great actresses who's early career appearances here bring a touch of class to proceedings. It's always nice to see genre favourite John Saxton too.
The narrative is pretty straight forward stuff - little is revealed about the killer so nothing gets bogged down in exposition, and it's perfectly paced. It's never gets boring, and the dialogue centric scenes are engaging. It also deals with heavy topics such as abortion, toxic masculinity, and manages to be subtly feminist, a quality that propels the movie as a whole even further, especially being a 70s film.
Black Christmas is pretty much perfect in my opinion, and easily stands shoulder to shoulder with Halloween in terms of slasher greatness.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Murder on the Orient Express (2017) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
It is 1934, and our moustachioed detective has just solved a theft in Jerusalem. He looks forward to resting in Istanbul, but his break is interrupted with the news that he must return to London for a case. It seems like Poirot's luck is in, having just met his friend who is director of the Orient Express.
Once on board Poirot catches the attention of the businessman, Samuel Ratchett. Ratchett has received threatening letters, and wishes to hire the detective as his bodyguard during their journey, but the offer is politely declined.
That night an avalanche derails he train and the passengers are stranded. In the morning Ratchett is found dead, stabbed a dozen times. Poirot and Bouc, the train director, investigate the passengers as repairs begin. Poirot discovers a partially destroyed note connecting Ratchett to the kidnapping of Daisy Armstrong, a child who was abducted from her bedroom and held for ransom. After the ransom was paid, Daisy was found murdered. Ratchett is identified as John Cassetti, Daisy’s kidnapper and murderer.
First off, let me address the elephant in the room... that'll be Kenneth Branagh as Poirot. David Suchet will always be my Poirot, he's perfect. Branagh, for me, has an overacting issue. And that moustache, it's just ridiculous. That's not even taking into account the scene where Poirot is laying in bed and he doesn't have his night-time moustache cosy on. Crazy.
Agatha Christie's tale has definitely been given the Hollywood treatment. It's gone from the quite dark Suchet version, to something quite farcical in comparison. I can understand remaking some things, but when you have such a definitive portrayal of a character why would you recast them?
Having just rewatched the 2010 version I will say that the story line in the movie is probably easier to understand. It's also more suitable for a younger audience.
As a passing comment to everyone who was surprised to hear they were going to do Death On The Nile next... no shit, Poirot! It was dropped in at the end of the film.
Once on board Poirot catches the attention of the businessman, Samuel Ratchett. Ratchett has received threatening letters, and wishes to hire the detective as his bodyguard during their journey, but the offer is politely declined.
That night an avalanche derails he train and the passengers are stranded. In the morning Ratchett is found dead, stabbed a dozen times. Poirot and Bouc, the train director, investigate the passengers as repairs begin. Poirot discovers a partially destroyed note connecting Ratchett to the kidnapping of Daisy Armstrong, a child who was abducted from her bedroom and held for ransom. After the ransom was paid, Daisy was found murdered. Ratchett is identified as John Cassetti, Daisy’s kidnapper and murderer.
First off, let me address the elephant in the room... that'll be Kenneth Branagh as Poirot. David Suchet will always be my Poirot, he's perfect. Branagh, for me, has an overacting issue. And that moustache, it's just ridiculous. That's not even taking into account the scene where Poirot is laying in bed and he doesn't have his night-time moustache cosy on. Crazy.
Agatha Christie's tale has definitely been given the Hollywood treatment. It's gone from the quite dark Suchet version, to something quite farcical in comparison. I can understand remaking some things, but when you have such a definitive portrayal of a character why would you recast them?
Having just rewatched the 2010 version I will say that the story line in the movie is probably easier to understand. It's also more suitable for a younger audience.
As a passing comment to everyone who was surprised to hear they were going to do Death On The Nile next... no shit, Poirot! It was dropped in at the end of the film.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated A Wrinkle in Time (2018) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
After the disappearance of her scientist father, three peculiar beings send Meg, her brother, and her friend to space in order to find him.
There aren't enough good words to describe how much I love this film. I've sat staring at this screen for twenty minutes trying to work out how to sum it up, and it's really difficult. It will sound ridiculous, but I was left with such a feeling of well being. It sounds daft doesn't it? But it really gave me a sense of perspective that is so easily forgotten. I'm kind of paraphrasing the film but just think about how many decisions the universe had to make to make you... and if you think about that for a while, it's kind of a wow moment.
There are two moments in the film that I love. The first being the moment where they see the universe as it is, and all the things we can't perceive about someone's life. It's poignant and quite emotional. The second is when Charles Wallace goes to the dark side... that kid is amazing and truly demonic, and I loved every second of it.
The only reason that this didn't get five stars is because of the casting. I found Reid and Miller very frustrating to watch, and a little awkward.
It feels spiritual, and I understand that the book has a significant Christian leaning. There are still elements in the film that come across in that way. The Mrs all have a very angel-like, but there's no specific moments that would make you think "bible". There are plenty though that make you think about self and your own place in the universe.
Quite frankly this film made me think more beyond the film than anything else has. My stance is that I always go into a film to not think, the idea is that you're breaking from reality, to unwind, to enjoy yourself. So it usually isn't until a second watching that I might look beyond what's presented, but this one really didn't give me that option, and I liked it.
There aren't enough good words to describe how much I love this film. I've sat staring at this screen for twenty minutes trying to work out how to sum it up, and it's really difficult. It will sound ridiculous, but I was left with such a feeling of well being. It sounds daft doesn't it? But it really gave me a sense of perspective that is so easily forgotten. I'm kind of paraphrasing the film but just think about how many decisions the universe had to make to make you... and if you think about that for a while, it's kind of a wow moment.
There are two moments in the film that I love. The first being the moment where they see the universe as it is, and all the things we can't perceive about someone's life. It's poignant and quite emotional. The second is when Charles Wallace goes to the dark side... that kid is amazing and truly demonic, and I loved every second of it.
The only reason that this didn't get five stars is because of the casting. I found Reid and Miller very frustrating to watch, and a little awkward.
It feels spiritual, and I understand that the book has a significant Christian leaning. There are still elements in the film that come across in that way. The Mrs all have a very angel-like, but there's no specific moments that would make you think "bible". There are plenty though that make you think about self and your own place in the universe.
Quite frankly this film made me think more beyond the film than anything else has. My stance is that I always go into a film to not think, the idea is that you're breaking from reality, to unwind, to enjoy yourself. So it usually isn't until a second watching that I might look beyond what's presented, but this one really didn't give me that option, and I liked it.
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