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Hazel (1853 KP) rated Blood and Stars in Books
Sep 24, 2017
Children's Fantasy
This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Finally, after leaving everyone on tenterhooks, the fifth book in the Legend of Rhyme series is here. Blood and Stars by Jaime Lee Mann continues on from the tense ending to book four, finally resolving a lot of loose ends. With all the favourite characters from the series, this book transports readers back into the fantasy world of Coraira for more adventure and magic.
Blood and Stars is split into four stories, which eventually all merge together in an explosive climax. Firstly, as expected, the main characters, twins Ariana and Asher, have found themselves separated from each other once again. With Ariana destined to rule Coraira, legend suggests that Asher will be the opposite – a ruler of darkness. But, is there a chance he can be saved from this fate? Meanwhile, the present ruler of Coraira is dying. The only person who could potentially save Calla is her evil twin sister Elora, the infamous witch in the previous books. Can she be trusted enough with such an important task?
Concurrently, in the ethereal world of the mermaids, readers are reintroduced to the mer-queen, Starla and her apprentice, Teagan. Abandoned at birth, Teagan is hoping to discover what happened to her parents; however, her curiosity leads her into the lair of a sea witch. Be that as it may, some dangerous situations result in silver linings.
Eventually, with the majority of the book already concluded, another character is brought back into the story. Grimblerod is still under the curse of an evil king, but he now has hope that it can be broken. As long as his love for Freya does not fail, Grimblerod’s patient determination will lead him back to where he belongs.
With a mix of new and old characters, Jaime Lee Mann smoothly draws her fans back into the storyline with a (mostly) happy ending. There are a couple of things left incomplete, but nothing that will majorly irritate readers. There is no dreaded cliffhanger.
As it may have been some time since children read the last book, or parents and teachers are only just being introduced to the story, the author has provided an in-depth character guide in the end pages to bring everyone up to speed.
Blood and Stars was a more straightforward story than previous books. It resolved more issues than it created. There will be a final book coming (hopefully) soon, but there is no way of guessing what it will feature.
Legend of Rhyme is a series suitable for girls and boys. Mildly scary in parts, the adventure of the twins and their companions will entertain children and their parents. With discussion questions at the end, the books make readers think more about the storyline and help them to understand and interact with the narrative. This is certainly a series for young fantasy lovers.
Finally, after leaving everyone on tenterhooks, the fifth book in the Legend of Rhyme series is here. Blood and Stars by Jaime Lee Mann continues on from the tense ending to book four, finally resolving a lot of loose ends. With all the favourite characters from the series, this book transports readers back into the fantasy world of Coraira for more adventure and magic.
Blood and Stars is split into four stories, which eventually all merge together in an explosive climax. Firstly, as expected, the main characters, twins Ariana and Asher, have found themselves separated from each other once again. With Ariana destined to rule Coraira, legend suggests that Asher will be the opposite – a ruler of darkness. But, is there a chance he can be saved from this fate? Meanwhile, the present ruler of Coraira is dying. The only person who could potentially save Calla is her evil twin sister Elora, the infamous witch in the previous books. Can she be trusted enough with such an important task?
Concurrently, in the ethereal world of the mermaids, readers are reintroduced to the mer-queen, Starla and her apprentice, Teagan. Abandoned at birth, Teagan is hoping to discover what happened to her parents; however, her curiosity leads her into the lair of a sea witch. Be that as it may, some dangerous situations result in silver linings.
Eventually, with the majority of the book already concluded, another character is brought back into the story. Grimblerod is still under the curse of an evil king, but he now has hope that it can be broken. As long as his love for Freya does not fail, Grimblerod’s patient determination will lead him back to where he belongs.
With a mix of new and old characters, Jaime Lee Mann smoothly draws her fans back into the storyline with a (mostly) happy ending. There are a couple of things left incomplete, but nothing that will majorly irritate readers. There is no dreaded cliffhanger.
As it may have been some time since children read the last book, or parents and teachers are only just being introduced to the story, the author has provided an in-depth character guide in the end pages to bring everyone up to speed.
Blood and Stars was a more straightforward story than previous books. It resolved more issues than it created. There will be a final book coming (hopefully) soon, but there is no way of guessing what it will feature.
Legend of Rhyme is a series suitable for girls and boys. Mildly scary in parts, the adventure of the twins and their companions will entertain children and their parents. With discussion questions at the end, the books make readers think more about the storyline and help them to understand and interact with the narrative. This is certainly a series for young fantasy lovers.
Ross (3284 KP) rated The Tower of Living and Dying in Books
Aug 14, 2018
The Empire (of Dust) Strikes Back
*** I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is that review ***
The follow-up to the epic Court of Broken Knives seamlessly the story.
This time the focus of the action stays in the same place for large chunks of the book (7 parts I think), rather than chapters jumping around from one to another. This allowed a slightly greater focus on the plot than in the first book, but the difficulty with that is keeping the momentum on both parallel stories. This wasn't an issue here, as the narrative flows so smoothly that even when the PoV is a character you care less about, the writing is still a joy to read.
Most of the action follows "King" Marith's plight to rule over all of Irlast's kingdoms, using all the evil creatures and tricks he has to hand, regardless of the cost in human lives. Here the story is told by splitting between Tobias, Landra, Marith and Thalia's points of view, so you get a real feel for what is going on and the impacts of events.
The rest of the book stays in Sorlost, the capital of the Empire, still reeling from the assassination attempt and with political intrigue aplenty. These were my less favourite parts of the book but were still enjoyable, compelling and vital. Again, the PoV is split between characters in these sections, giving more of a feel of the general populace than was present in the first book.
Again Smith Spark's lyrical narrative takes centre stage here, but at no point does it detract from the story and somehow acts to accentuate the grittiness of the action unfolding and adds so much emotion.
For me, this book took the grimdark quotient up several notches from the first instalment, as chapter after chapter sees bad things done by utter shit-bags, and they get away with it.
Characters develop aplenty here, Thalia starts to wake up to the reality of what she has married into and while torn about doing the right thing, seems resigned to her fate. Marith becomes the anti-Rand al'Thor as he tries to do everything himself and explores his powers, but he has a great time doing it. Finally we see great powerful war leaders celebrating the successful campaign by getting absolutely shit-faced and high and spewing everywhere (rather than sulky debriefs and mourning the loss of life). Tobias, so clever, cunning and powerful in the first book, here takes a back seat and almost becomes comic relief - his attempts to end Marith's tyrannical reign just go so badly. And everything is starting to go wrong for Orhan, the Lord of Sorlost, who looked to have manoeuvred himself into real power in the city.
A real page-turner and frankly an awesome story told exceptionally well.
The follow-up to the epic Court of Broken Knives seamlessly the story.
This time the focus of the action stays in the same place for large chunks of the book (7 parts I think), rather than chapters jumping around from one to another. This allowed a slightly greater focus on the plot than in the first book, but the difficulty with that is keeping the momentum on both parallel stories. This wasn't an issue here, as the narrative flows so smoothly that even when the PoV is a character you care less about, the writing is still a joy to read.
Most of the action follows "King" Marith's plight to rule over all of Irlast's kingdoms, using all the evil creatures and tricks he has to hand, regardless of the cost in human lives. Here the story is told by splitting between Tobias, Landra, Marith and Thalia's points of view, so you get a real feel for what is going on and the impacts of events.
The rest of the book stays in Sorlost, the capital of the Empire, still reeling from the assassination attempt and with political intrigue aplenty. These were my less favourite parts of the book but were still enjoyable, compelling and vital. Again, the PoV is split between characters in these sections, giving more of a feel of the general populace than was present in the first book.
Again Smith Spark's lyrical narrative takes centre stage here, but at no point does it detract from the story and somehow acts to accentuate the grittiness of the action unfolding and adds so much emotion.
For me, this book took the grimdark quotient up several notches from the first instalment, as chapter after chapter sees bad things done by utter shit-bags, and they get away with it.
Characters develop aplenty here, Thalia starts to wake up to the reality of what she has married into and while torn about doing the right thing, seems resigned to her fate. Marith becomes the anti-Rand al'Thor as he tries to do everything himself and explores his powers, but he has a great time doing it. Finally we see great powerful war leaders celebrating the successful campaign by getting absolutely shit-faced and high and spewing everywhere (rather than sulky debriefs and mourning the loss of life). Tobias, so clever, cunning and powerful in the first book, here takes a back seat and almost becomes comic relief - his attempts to end Marith's tyrannical reign just go so badly. And everything is starting to go wrong for Orhan, the Lord of Sorlost, who looked to have manoeuvred himself into real power in the city.
A real page-turner and frankly an awesome story told exceptionally well.
Lucy Buglass (45 KP) rated Hereditary (2018) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Nature vs Nurture
As the classic saying goes… if you haven’t heard of Hereditary by now you’ve probably been living under a rock. It’s everywhere at the moment; on buses and billboards, plastered over film blogs and magazines, you name it, it’s there. It’s this season’s hottest horror film, with critics even branding it the “scariest thing they’ve ever seen”. Critical reception has been largely positive, which made me a little nervous before I went to see it for myself. When a film is this hyped up in mainstream media, it’s even more devastating if you end up disliking it.
For me, Hereditary really does live up to the hype. It’s a truly unique, harrowing film that goes beyond predictable, boring jump-scares in order to thrill its audience. The horror here is much better than that, but still packs a monumental punch. Something I really liked about this film is how it portrayed the genuine horrors of things like grief and a broken family, that real life audiences can identify with. There are scenes within this film that will probably stay with me for the rest of my life, due to how jarring and brilliantly acted they were.
Every member of Hereditary’s family is portrayed brilliantly, I was blown away by the quality of the acting and just how invested I was in each of the character’s lives and feelings. They’re the stereotypical middle-class family; mother, father, son, daughter, except here they have a much darker secret buried within. Toni Collette certainly shines as the family’s matriarch; it’s been a while since I’ve been haunted by a performance before, she truly is amazing in this film and I can’t wait to see what she does next.
Hereditary is filled with many disturbing images and an overall sense of dread throughout the entire film. The cinematography really knows how to make you feel uncomfortable and on edge, yet completely transfixed on the screen. It truly is reminiscent of films such as Rosemary’s Baby and Carrie, proving that horror stories are still able to thrive, and aren’t reduced to constant jumpy moments and excessive violence. I loved the psychological horror of the narrative, and how I’m still thinking about it even a week after watching the film. It’s the kind of film that gets under your skin and makes you think.
Ari Aster’s debut feature film goes beyond simply portraying the supernatural as terrifying, and instead taps into real life horror and all the traumatic, isolating and disturbing feelings that come with it. It’s a horror film that many can identify with, deep down, dealing with some very real psychological experiences and fears. I seriously recommend this, but I also recommend bracing yourself for a wild ride. It’s not for the faint of heart.
https://lucygoestohollywood.com/2018/07/04/nature-vs-nurture-a-review-of-hereditary/
For me, Hereditary really does live up to the hype. It’s a truly unique, harrowing film that goes beyond predictable, boring jump-scares in order to thrill its audience. The horror here is much better than that, but still packs a monumental punch. Something I really liked about this film is how it portrayed the genuine horrors of things like grief and a broken family, that real life audiences can identify with. There are scenes within this film that will probably stay with me for the rest of my life, due to how jarring and brilliantly acted they were.
Every member of Hereditary’s family is portrayed brilliantly, I was blown away by the quality of the acting and just how invested I was in each of the character’s lives and feelings. They’re the stereotypical middle-class family; mother, father, son, daughter, except here they have a much darker secret buried within. Toni Collette certainly shines as the family’s matriarch; it’s been a while since I’ve been haunted by a performance before, she truly is amazing in this film and I can’t wait to see what she does next.
Hereditary is filled with many disturbing images and an overall sense of dread throughout the entire film. The cinematography really knows how to make you feel uncomfortable and on edge, yet completely transfixed on the screen. It truly is reminiscent of films such as Rosemary’s Baby and Carrie, proving that horror stories are still able to thrive, and aren’t reduced to constant jumpy moments and excessive violence. I loved the psychological horror of the narrative, and how I’m still thinking about it even a week after watching the film. It’s the kind of film that gets under your skin and makes you think.
Ari Aster’s debut feature film goes beyond simply portraying the supernatural as terrifying, and instead taps into real life horror and all the traumatic, isolating and disturbing feelings that come with it. It’s a horror film that many can identify with, deep down, dealing with some very real psychological experiences and fears. I seriously recommend this, but I also recommend bracing yourself for a wild ride. It’s not for the faint of heart.
https://lucygoestohollywood.com/2018/07/04/nature-vs-nurture-a-review-of-hereditary/
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Hexed (The Witch Hunter, #1) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
Happy Friday the 13th! By no means was this review deliberately placed on this day because it's witchy (maybe it was deliberate in my subconsciousness. I don't have a say in there).
Hexed follows Indigo Blackwood, aka Indie, who has a perfect life dating the captain of the football team, popular, and has a mom who works at a voodoo shop. At least until the family "bible" goes missing after a random stranger by the name of Bishop pops into her life and tells her she may be in danger if she doesn't get the bible back. Oh, and add that there's a centuries old rivalry.
Hexed was a pretty delightful read, but it didn't exactly click with me as other witchy books do. I do love Indie's personality though (and her name it's cute), but for a good part of the book she seemed to be the type that let others walk all over her. She seems hesitant sometimes, but then decides to do it anyway, because it makes the person happy. It's not until after some [major] things go down and a chunk of the book (no books broken in process) that she finally realizes her childhood friend Bianca isn't exactly a true friend.
Thus the cheering behind the screens didn't exactly begin until a little over half the book, when Indie basically tells Bianca, "Screw you. I'm outta here." *zips off to new friend recently made that's a lot better than former friend* Oh, and she officially stops being a doormat.
There's also Bishop, in which I actually thought he either a) was shaped like the chess piece, b) has a very diagonal life, also like the chess piece I suppose, and "Bishop" was just a nickname for something super complicated, or c) he just has a weird name. A was an exaggeration, B may or may not be true except for the nickname part and C was the right answer.
Bishop to me was a bit annoying. Immature, and the sexual innuendos weren't exactly appreciated even though he's humorous. Maybe not exactly immature, but Bishop is more of the very carefree type. He also seemed to be the stalker type at first, which I personally really hate (no privacy. Come on!), following Indie around and popping up just everywhere. On the bright side, he had a legitimate reason rather than, say, "Hey, I just met you. And this is crazy. But I have a MAJOR crush on you, so let's go on a date?"
But the bread talk. I thought that was Peeta's job?
Recommended For: Paranormal Romance fans
The "Cellar": Sorcerers vs. Witches aka Magic vs. Magic rather than Mortal/Machine vs. Magic or Humans vs. Witches.
----------------
Advanced review copy provided by publisher for review
Original Review posted on <a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/2014/06/arc-review-hexed-by-michelle-krys.html">Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
<a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gi5Rk5yLloA/UtliaUbdL3I/AAAAAAAACbE/J27z92_qrYU/s1600/Official+Banner.png"; /></a>
Hexed follows Indigo Blackwood, aka Indie, who has a perfect life dating the captain of the football team, popular, and has a mom who works at a voodoo shop. At least until the family "bible" goes missing after a random stranger by the name of Bishop pops into her life and tells her she may be in danger if she doesn't get the bible back. Oh, and add that there's a centuries old rivalry.
Hexed was a pretty delightful read, but it didn't exactly click with me as other witchy books do. I do love Indie's personality though (and her name it's cute), but for a good part of the book she seemed to be the type that let others walk all over her. She seems hesitant sometimes, but then decides to do it anyway, because it makes the person happy. It's not until after some [major] things go down and a chunk of the book (no books broken in process) that she finally realizes her childhood friend Bianca isn't exactly a true friend.
Thus the cheering behind the screens didn't exactly begin until a little over half the book, when Indie basically tells Bianca, "Screw you. I'm outta here." *zips off to new friend recently made that's a lot better than former friend* Oh, and she officially stops being a doormat.
There's also Bishop, in which I actually thought he either a) was shaped like the chess piece, b) has a very diagonal life, also like the chess piece I suppose, and "Bishop" was just a nickname for something super complicated, or c) he just has a weird name. A was an exaggeration, B may or may not be true except for the nickname part and C was the right answer.
Bishop to me was a bit annoying. Immature, and the sexual innuendos weren't exactly appreciated even though he's humorous. Maybe not exactly immature, but Bishop is more of the very carefree type. He also seemed to be the stalker type at first, which I personally really hate (no privacy. Come on!), following Indie around and popping up just everywhere. On the bright side, he had a legitimate reason rather than, say, "Hey, I just met you. And this is crazy. But I have a MAJOR crush on you, so let's go on a date?"
But the bread talk. I thought that was Peeta's job?
Recommended For: Paranormal Romance fans
The "Cellar": Sorcerers vs. Witches aka Magic vs. Magic rather than Mortal/Machine vs. Magic or Humans vs. Witches.
----------------
Advanced review copy provided by publisher for review
Original Review posted on <a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/2014/06/arc-review-hexed-by-michelle-krys.html">Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
<a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gi5Rk5yLloA/UtliaUbdL3I/AAAAAAAACbE/J27z92_qrYU/s1600/Official+Banner.png"; /></a>
50 Museums to Blow Your Mind
Lonely Planet and Ben Handicott
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The Vintage Tea Party Book
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BookwormLea (3034 KP) rated Love and Monsters (2021) in Movies
Apr 17, 2021
Good take on an apocalypse. But really?
Contains spoilers, click to show
So the world's going to end with a huge comet but they save themselves with a rocket. But the rocket is made of some weird crap that lands back on earth and mutates all the bugs and lizards. Don't ask me why only those things and not actual animals because I don't know.
In a year, 95% of the worlds population has been wiped out. Those that are left have spent 7 years in bunkers, safe houses and other hidey holes. Joel is one of them. He was 16 when the world ended and now he wants to go find his ex girlfriend who lives in a different (what they call) colony. He's lonely because all his colony family have shacked up and he's the odd one out. He's also totally useless. He freezes up at the sight of the giant mutant bugs. But yes, he leaves to take a 7 day journey across mutant filled terrain, thats overgrown over 7 years.
Far fetched right? But he does it. With the help of a dog (yeah, a dog survived 7 years alone) an old man and his adopted daughter who know everything there is to know about the mutants, and at some weird point, a broken AI who just happens to have a few moments spare to comfort him. Also, sky jellies??? Mutations can't make sea animals fly...
So he gets there eventually, and finds her looking after old people. She's about to pack up and boars a yacht for a creepy youngish captain. And after some deliberation, Joel realises he's not who he says he is and he's actually a food stealer which, haha, ironically Joel kept being accused of being just that!! The captain sets this giant crab onto the biddies and sets sail to loot some other colony. But Joel looks right into that creepy crabs slightly human looking eyes and realises, he just wants to be free like any other self respecting mutant crab. So of course he frees him.
And then because his ex is a bitch who totally forgot about him and didn't really want him to go there, he goes back to his old colony to help them get to the mountain where there is a huge safe haven supposedly.
No romantic ending. He mysteriously survived 14 days on the surface, only coming close to being eaten like 5 times. And we don't even see if they make it to the mountain. Instead we hear his speech over the radio signals, encouraging people who've been safe for 7 years to risk their lives outside trying to make it to the mountains. Because if he can, anyone can.... gross.
So in summary, if they'd skipped the romance part, and maybe made it about a guy finding his parents or something, great movie. And someone give the damn dog his human back!
In a year, 95% of the worlds population has been wiped out. Those that are left have spent 7 years in bunkers, safe houses and other hidey holes. Joel is one of them. He was 16 when the world ended and now he wants to go find his ex girlfriend who lives in a different (what they call) colony. He's lonely because all his colony family have shacked up and he's the odd one out. He's also totally useless. He freezes up at the sight of the giant mutant bugs. But yes, he leaves to take a 7 day journey across mutant filled terrain, thats overgrown over 7 years.
Far fetched right? But he does it. With the help of a dog (yeah, a dog survived 7 years alone) an old man and his adopted daughter who know everything there is to know about the mutants, and at some weird point, a broken AI who just happens to have a few moments spare to comfort him. Also, sky jellies??? Mutations can't make sea animals fly...
So he gets there eventually, and finds her looking after old people. She's about to pack up and boars a yacht for a creepy youngish captain. And after some deliberation, Joel realises he's not who he says he is and he's actually a food stealer which, haha, ironically Joel kept being accused of being just that!! The captain sets this giant crab onto the biddies and sets sail to loot some other colony. But Joel looks right into that creepy crabs slightly human looking eyes and realises, he just wants to be free like any other self respecting mutant crab. So of course he frees him.
And then because his ex is a bitch who totally forgot about him and didn't really want him to go there, he goes back to his old colony to help them get to the mountain where there is a huge safe haven supposedly.
No romantic ending. He mysteriously survived 14 days on the surface, only coming close to being eaten like 5 times. And we don't even see if they make it to the mountain. Instead we hear his speech over the radio signals, encouraging people who've been safe for 7 years to risk their lives outside trying to make it to the mountains. Because if he can, anyone can.... gross.
So in summary, if they'd skipped the romance part, and maybe made it about a guy finding his parents or something, great movie. And someone give the damn dog his human back!
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Nobody (2021) in Movies
Jul 10, 2021
Having been out of the trailer game for a while this one managed to sneak up on me. It looked intriguing enough.
Hutch has a humdrum life. Work, home, sleep, repeat. When that monotony is broken by criminals, his past comes back to mix things up a bit.
This film is short and sweet, I was shocked to come out of the cinema to something that passed for sunlight. At just over an hour and a half it packs an action-filled punch. It does love a montage, which helps its length. I thought I'd get bored of them, but no, each time summed up the scenes well and really gave the non-action great pace to keep up with the actiony bits.
I loved the experience of seeing this in the cinema, the reactions were really entertaining. The air was filled with sharp intakes of breath and winces accompanied by laughter. It was a joyful bit of viewing. (Apart from the three women in front of me, for the second film in a row, who spoke "spoilers" out loud during the screening. They were obvious, and I could see them coming, but that wasn't really the point.)
Bob Odenkirk is one of those actors I recognise, but generally wouldn't be able to identify from anything specific. (Apart from the dad in Little Women.) That for me was worked really well as it's exactly what matched the character, Hutch needs to be forgettably memorable, and the pairing worked really well. His reactions to the violence added that underlying menace that really won me over. And I'm not going to lie, my reaction to my house is the same as his.
Christopher Lloyd was a pleasant surprise in the cast, and I wasn't disappointed with his scenes. Pure ridiculous joy. Could he have done with more to do? Maybe. Was I bothered that he didn't get it? Not really, it just made for a wonderful addition.
Seeing it jump around locations a nice touch, and it used confined spaces particularly well. The bus scene had me ducking and weaving along with the fighting. There were moments though where I wanted to see a little more of what was happening in some of those spaces though. There were some very elaborate setups but we seemed to be left with unanswered questions. The same goes for a couple of the other bits of the film, and while the intrigue sufficed for some, it didn't carry through to all of them.
Nobody proved to be an entertaining action film, John Wick for the "regular" person. It didn't get me so hyped that I was buzzing and couldn't sleep, it got me to the verbalising the action with every gut punch point... and I'm here for it. Can't fault it... apart from it not having more Christopher Lloyd action scenes.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2021/07/nobody-movie-review.html
Hutch has a humdrum life. Work, home, sleep, repeat. When that monotony is broken by criminals, his past comes back to mix things up a bit.
This film is short and sweet, I was shocked to come out of the cinema to something that passed for sunlight. At just over an hour and a half it packs an action-filled punch. It does love a montage, which helps its length. I thought I'd get bored of them, but no, each time summed up the scenes well and really gave the non-action great pace to keep up with the actiony bits.
I loved the experience of seeing this in the cinema, the reactions were really entertaining. The air was filled with sharp intakes of breath and winces accompanied by laughter. It was a joyful bit of viewing. (Apart from the three women in front of me, for the second film in a row, who spoke "spoilers" out loud during the screening. They were obvious, and I could see them coming, but that wasn't really the point.)
Bob Odenkirk is one of those actors I recognise, but generally wouldn't be able to identify from anything specific. (Apart from the dad in Little Women.) That for me was worked really well as it's exactly what matched the character, Hutch needs to be forgettably memorable, and the pairing worked really well. His reactions to the violence added that underlying menace that really won me over. And I'm not going to lie, my reaction to my house is the same as his.
Christopher Lloyd was a pleasant surprise in the cast, and I wasn't disappointed with his scenes. Pure ridiculous joy. Could he have done with more to do? Maybe. Was I bothered that he didn't get it? Not really, it just made for a wonderful addition.
Seeing it jump around locations a nice touch, and it used confined spaces particularly well. The bus scene had me ducking and weaving along with the fighting. There were moments though where I wanted to see a little more of what was happening in some of those spaces though. There were some very elaborate setups but we seemed to be left with unanswered questions. The same goes for a couple of the other bits of the film, and while the intrigue sufficed for some, it didn't carry through to all of them.
Nobody proved to be an entertaining action film, John Wick for the "regular" person. It didn't get me so hyped that I was buzzing and couldn't sleep, it got me to the verbalising the action with every gut punch point... and I'm here for it. Can't fault it... apart from it not having more Christopher Lloyd action scenes.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2021/07/nobody-movie-review.html
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Emergency Contact in Books
Oct 8, 2020
This is the fifth book in my #atozchallenge! I'm challenging myself to read a book from my shelves that starts with each letter of the alphabet. Let's clear those shelves and delve into that backlist!
Penny Lee is heading to college in Austin, Texas to finally start her life. She's leaving behind her needy Mom, her annoying boyfriend, and everything else. She wants to become a writer and now, she thinks, is when her life will truly begin. For Sam, his life in Austin is at a standstill. He's broken up with his girlfriend and is living above the coffee shop where he works. He has a mattress on the floor, a dying laptop, and a dream of becoming a movie director. When Sam and Penny meet, it's not glamorous or romantic. They know each other, vaguely, via Penny's roommate, Jude. But they soon are texting each other--a lot. Sharing everything about their lives, all the time. But can the two maintain this intimate friendship if they meet again in real life?
I absolutely loved this book. There was just something about it that spoke to me, and I was lost in Sam and Penny's world from practically the first page. I had to laugh, because I read some other reviews that maligned Penny, calling her an unlikable character. However, I felt like Penny was ME--I empathized with her character so much, and found so many good lines in the books that I could relate with. (What that says about me, we won't go into, ha.)
This was such a funny, sweet, and real story. I didn't find Sam and Penny's relationship to be insta-love whatsoever as they bonded over text. As anyone who has met someone and shared things online knows, it can become something so deep and private--offering something about yourself with someone you don't see. I loved the wit and sarcasm in their texts. These are my kind of people--funny, wounded, and just so them.
There's definitely seriousness to this book, and the theme of family runs across the entire novel. Sam and Jude are oddly related in a way I won't unpack here. Sam and Penny both have complicated and difficult relationships with their mothers. Penny's mom is a character unto herself. And we see friendship presented in various ways, including Penny's relationship with Jude, and Jude's best friend, Mallory. I loved all the characters, who are each so individualistic.
Overall, this was just a great book for me. It's funny yet dark at times and the humor was right up my alley. I fell hard for the characters, so everything hit me right in the gut. I can see how it might not be for everyone, but I think it's definitely worth a read. I'm glad my challenge made me finally pick this one up. 4.5 stars.
Penny Lee is heading to college in Austin, Texas to finally start her life. She's leaving behind her needy Mom, her annoying boyfriend, and everything else. She wants to become a writer and now, she thinks, is when her life will truly begin. For Sam, his life in Austin is at a standstill. He's broken up with his girlfriend and is living above the coffee shop where he works. He has a mattress on the floor, a dying laptop, and a dream of becoming a movie director. When Sam and Penny meet, it's not glamorous or romantic. They know each other, vaguely, via Penny's roommate, Jude. But they soon are texting each other--a lot. Sharing everything about their lives, all the time. But can the two maintain this intimate friendship if they meet again in real life?
I absolutely loved this book. There was just something about it that spoke to me, and I was lost in Sam and Penny's world from practically the first page. I had to laugh, because I read some other reviews that maligned Penny, calling her an unlikable character. However, I felt like Penny was ME--I empathized with her character so much, and found so many good lines in the books that I could relate with. (What that says about me, we won't go into, ha.)
This was such a funny, sweet, and real story. I didn't find Sam and Penny's relationship to be insta-love whatsoever as they bonded over text. As anyone who has met someone and shared things online knows, it can become something so deep and private--offering something about yourself with someone you don't see. I loved the wit and sarcasm in their texts. These are my kind of people--funny, wounded, and just so them.
There's definitely seriousness to this book, and the theme of family runs across the entire novel. Sam and Jude are oddly related in a way I won't unpack here. Sam and Penny both have complicated and difficult relationships with their mothers. Penny's mom is a character unto herself. And we see friendship presented in various ways, including Penny's relationship with Jude, and Jude's best friend, Mallory. I loved all the characters, who are each so individualistic.
Overall, this was just a great book for me. It's funny yet dark at times and the humor was right up my alley. I fell hard for the characters, so everything hit me right in the gut. I can see how it might not be for everyone, but I think it's definitely worth a read. I'm glad my challenge made me finally pick this one up. 4.5 stars.