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Awix (3310 KP) rated Tell It to the Bees (2019) in Movies
Jul 24, 2019 (Updated Jul 25, 2019)
Well-staged hats-and-ciggies period drama struggles to find anything new to say, or indeed to surprise or engage in any way. Much-put-upon single mum (Grainger) meets newly-arrived town doctor (Paquin) in a laborious cute-meet; what follows you can probably write for yourself, with the exception of a really weird climax involving bees (the bees are a sort of motif throughout, but it's still weird).
Reasonably good acting, although Paquin's attempt at a Scottish accent is not particularly easy on the ear. The problem is that the film is deeply predictable and not especially subtle (the girl-on-girl stuff is classily handled, though). I found it quite heavy going; the bit with the magic bees is a genuine 'You WHAT?' moment bafflingly at odds with the dour realism of much of the rest of the film.
Reasonably good acting, although Paquin's attempt at a Scottish accent is not particularly easy on the ear. The problem is that the film is deeply predictable and not especially subtle (the girl-on-girl stuff is classily handled, though). I found it quite heavy going; the bit with the magic bees is a genuine 'You WHAT?' moment bafflingly at odds with the dour realism of much of the rest of the film.
The Wacky Man
Book
My new shrink asks me, 'What things do you remember about being very young?' It's like looking into...
David McK (3562 KP) rated A Quiet Place (2018) in Movies
Aug 23, 2020 (Updated Jan 10, 2023)
I'd heard good stuff about this film.
They lied.
Slow, plodding, and lacking any sense of peril or tension, this is set in a post-apocalyptic world where seemingly invulnerable blind monsters (which we're never told where they come from) hunt by sound, and sound alone - which explains why there's not even any bird song. This then follows a tight-knit family trying to survive in this new reality, complete with a deaf kid and a mother about to give birth.
Yes, all the cliches are here: creaking floorboards, jagged nails sticking up from the wood, a kid who blames herself for the loss of her younger sibling early on in the film ...
About the only good thing I can say is that this is short, with a running time of just over 1.5 hours.
They lied.
Slow, plodding, and lacking any sense of peril or tension, this is set in a post-apocalyptic world where seemingly invulnerable blind monsters (which we're never told where they come from) hunt by sound, and sound alone - which explains why there's not even any bird song. This then follows a tight-knit family trying to survive in this new reality, complete with a deaf kid and a mother about to give birth.
Yes, all the cliches are here: creaking floorboards, jagged nails sticking up from the wood, a kid who blames herself for the loss of her younger sibling early on in the film ...
About the only good thing I can say is that this is short, with a running time of just over 1.5 hours.
Dana (24 KP) rated Fairest - Levana's Story in Books
Mar 23, 2018
As always, there are going to be spoilers in this review, so be warned.
As much as I love the Lunar Chronicles series, I did not enjoy reading this book. Yes, we got backstory into Levana's life and (finally) are told what she actually looks like, but she is not a likable character in the slightest. I was expecting some sort of redeemable quality for the character and got nothing. It is hard for me to believe that any villain has absolutely zero things that can be said are good, but Levana is one of them.
She is painted as this self involved, self-loathing, overly power hungry character who has no feelings except what she thinks is love. This, again, is hard to imagine. I mean, I understand (but do not condone) her lack of feelings toward her parents. They were not there for her at all as a child and basically let Channary get away with physically maiming her little sister. But still, she didn't feel anything toward them when they were brutally murdered and actually fantasized about doing it herself? Like, what the hell?
And then there comes her very abusive relationship with her "husband." First off, disguising yourself as his wife, that's weird, but then doing it after that wife dies, only weeks after she died, that's messed up. Then taking away his agency, his ability to say no, by manipulating him mentally, come on! Really? And getting jealous that he actually loves his daughter and wanting her to suffer for it. This girl has issues!
And to top it all off, trying to get Selene murdered by "accident" only to take her throne and have the gall to stand up at the podium at both Selene's and Channary's funeral smug as hell because she gets to be queen now? I can't believe that someone would be that heartless.
Channary, for all of her messed up qualities, is even given some amount of redemption in her love for Selene. It was only really revealed eight years after she was murdered, but still, it is something that shows she is at least part human in her emotions. Even though she is a pretty bad character, I kind of like Channary?!? Out of the two sisters, she is the most "real" in her ability to act like a person.
I also like getting the backstory of Winter so I can know what to expect and understand why she acts as she does before I start reading her book. It is interesting to know that she, Selene, and Jacin were really close as children and that Selene's death hit her so hard. I also like that we got to meet her mother, Solstice, because she was a freaking angel and should not have died. Ugh. But then, Selene wouldn't have had any friends growing up because Levana would have shut that down so fast.
Overall, I was disappointed with this book. Especially since all of the other ones have been so great. It is hard to see characters who are just so bad with no redeeming qualities. It makes me think less of the story, in a way, because it is not making that character as deep as they can be. I am going to read the rest of the series, because I love the other characters, but this one was kind of a let down.
As much as I love the Lunar Chronicles series, I did not enjoy reading this book. Yes, we got backstory into Levana's life and (finally) are told what she actually looks like, but she is not a likable character in the slightest. I was expecting some sort of redeemable quality for the character and got nothing. It is hard for me to believe that any villain has absolutely zero things that can be said are good, but Levana is one of them.
She is painted as this self involved, self-loathing, overly power hungry character who has no feelings except what she thinks is love. This, again, is hard to imagine. I mean, I understand (but do not condone) her lack of feelings toward her parents. They were not there for her at all as a child and basically let Channary get away with physically maiming her little sister. But still, she didn't feel anything toward them when they were brutally murdered and actually fantasized about doing it herself? Like, what the hell?
And then there comes her very abusive relationship with her "husband." First off, disguising yourself as his wife, that's weird, but then doing it after that wife dies, only weeks after she died, that's messed up. Then taking away his agency, his ability to say no, by manipulating him mentally, come on! Really? And getting jealous that he actually loves his daughter and wanting her to suffer for it. This girl has issues!
And to top it all off, trying to get Selene murdered by "accident" only to take her throne and have the gall to stand up at the podium at both Selene's and Channary's funeral smug as hell because she gets to be queen now? I can't believe that someone would be that heartless.
Channary, for all of her messed up qualities, is even given some amount of redemption in her love for Selene. It was only really revealed eight years after she was murdered, but still, it is something that shows she is at least part human in her emotions. Even though she is a pretty bad character, I kind of like Channary?!? Out of the two sisters, she is the most "real" in her ability to act like a person.
I also like getting the backstory of Winter so I can know what to expect and understand why she acts as she does before I start reading her book. It is interesting to know that she, Selene, and Jacin were really close as children and that Selene's death hit her so hard. I also like that we got to meet her mother, Solstice, because she was a freaking angel and should not have died. Ugh. But then, Selene wouldn't have had any friends growing up because Levana would have shut that down so fast.
Overall, I was disappointed with this book. Especially since all of the other ones have been so great. It is hard to see characters who are just so bad with no redeeming qualities. It makes me think less of the story, in a way, because it is not making that character as deep as they can be. I am going to read the rest of the series, because I love the other characters, but this one was kind of a let down.
Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated The Girl Before in Books
Mar 15, 2018
Read my review here: https://bookbumzuky.wordpress.com/2017/02/04/review-the-girl-before-by-j-p-delaney/
<b><i>Please make a list of every possession you consider essential to your life.</b></i>
One Folgate Street is a minimalist house built by the mysterious, controlling and handsome Edward Monkford. To be granted lease, you must fill in a laborious questionnaire and attend a face-to-face meeting with Edward himself, and even then, you’re unlikely to be approved. There are a large number of rules you have to abide by when you live in the house, such as, no books (?!?!?!), no rugs, no curtains, and no leaving things out, such as clothes, toiletries etc, to name a few. You must also open your home for tours every so often and complete various questionnaires/assessments throughout your stay.
So, I know what you’re thinking, you’re thinking “who the hell would agree to that?” but as it happens, two women choose to live at One Folgate Street. Thanks to its low rent and dishy architect, both Jane and Emma are happy putting up with all the rules. Jane is the girl from now, and Emma is the girl before. Both women are troubled and both begin a relationship with architect Edward.
What follows is a novel full of mystery and sex. If you’re also not into the whole “daddy” thing then this won’t be for you.
Starting off this book, I was very worried I was going to hate it, because I’d seen a lot of people say the focus on kinky sex as a bit left field and overpowering to the plot. But, I managed to get over that when it started to appear in the story. In my opinion, it wasn’t as bad as many people had made it out to be and in any case, you can always skip over it. I thought it was going to go full 50 Shades at some moments, but it managed to avoid any of the scenes becoming too tactless.
The mystery of “the girl before” is certainly intriguing and kept me hooked (for the first half, at least). I liked the way this was set out as Emma (before) and Jane (now) and how the chapters often mirrored each other so we could see the similarities in each of the tenants lives and relationships with Edward.
What I didn’t like about this book was the characters, which I’m kind of assuming was the goal by Delaney? If not, then he/she (does anyone know and can inform me on their gender?) is pretty terrible at creating characters. Although Edward is set up to be our “villain”, I found Emma to be the most dislikable character, even after all was said and done. She was manipulative, unnecessarily forward, obnoxious and total putty in Edward’s hands. Women who can’t act on their own accord because of a man infuriate me, which is probably why I didn’t get on with this novel that well, as it’s kind of what the whole plot is about. I like my women strong and independent!
The ending of this novel, no word of a lie, infuriated me. What a total cop out. People are comparing this to <i>Gone Girl</i>, LOL. The conclusion to this novel is the most overused and uninspired “twist” you can ever imagine. What a way to ruin a perfectly OK novel.
Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus Books for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
<b><i>Please make a list of every possession you consider essential to your life.</b></i>
One Folgate Street is a minimalist house built by the mysterious, controlling and handsome Edward Monkford. To be granted lease, you must fill in a laborious questionnaire and attend a face-to-face meeting with Edward himself, and even then, you’re unlikely to be approved. There are a large number of rules you have to abide by when you live in the house, such as, no books (?!?!?!), no rugs, no curtains, and no leaving things out, such as clothes, toiletries etc, to name a few. You must also open your home for tours every so often and complete various questionnaires/assessments throughout your stay.
So, I know what you’re thinking, you’re thinking “who the hell would agree to that?” but as it happens, two women choose to live at One Folgate Street. Thanks to its low rent and dishy architect, both Jane and Emma are happy putting up with all the rules. Jane is the girl from now, and Emma is the girl before. Both women are troubled and both begin a relationship with architect Edward.
What follows is a novel full of mystery and sex. If you’re also not into the whole “daddy” thing then this won’t be for you.
Starting off this book, I was very worried I was going to hate it, because I’d seen a lot of people say the focus on kinky sex as a bit left field and overpowering to the plot. But, I managed to get over that when it started to appear in the story. In my opinion, it wasn’t as bad as many people had made it out to be and in any case, you can always skip over it. I thought it was going to go full 50 Shades at some moments, but it managed to avoid any of the scenes becoming too tactless.
The mystery of “the girl before” is certainly intriguing and kept me hooked (for the first half, at least). I liked the way this was set out as Emma (before) and Jane (now) and how the chapters often mirrored each other so we could see the similarities in each of the tenants lives and relationships with Edward.
What I didn’t like about this book was the characters, which I’m kind of assuming was the goal by Delaney? If not, then he/she (does anyone know and can inform me on their gender?) is pretty terrible at creating characters. Although Edward is set up to be our “villain”, I found Emma to be the most dislikable character, even after all was said and done. She was manipulative, unnecessarily forward, obnoxious and total putty in Edward’s hands. Women who can’t act on their own accord because of a man infuriate me, which is probably why I didn’t get on with this novel that well, as it’s kind of what the whole plot is about. I like my women strong and independent!
The ending of this novel, no word of a lie, infuriated me. What a total cop out. People are comparing this to <i>Gone Girl</i>, LOL. The conclusion to this novel is the most overused and uninspired “twist” you can ever imagine. What a way to ruin a perfectly OK novel.
Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus Books for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated Whisper to Me in Books
Jun 24, 2019
This book is fantastic. I know it sounds cheesy, but I literally could not put it down.
The plot isn't just one simple story line; it's twists and turns and ups and downs all over the place. Cass is writing to someone - who is never named, actually - recapping events. The style means that she can switch from talking about the past to describing her current situation and feelings, in the present. She's able to reflect on the past, add a whole new level to the story. I loved it. And when "you" are in the story, she describes you but also skips the mundane details that you would already know, keeping the story really interesting. It really sounded like she was writing to someone.
Cass's letter/email is an apology, an explanation, for hurting someone. She acknowledges this right from the start, but it takes a long, long time to get into what really happened. Not in a boring, dragged-out way, but in a suspenseful way. Constantly, I wanted to know what she was referring to, what had happened to require the writing of this email.
So the plot is, as I said, not a straight line at all. But some important things are:
Cass starts to hear a voice. A voice that's not there, not really.
Cass meets "you" and the voice is quiet and everything is great. But things go wrong. Things go so, so wrong.
Cass's dad has issues - untreated PTSD from serving as a MARINE.
Cass has some, uh, unacknowledged issues caused by the death of her mother.
Cass meets Paris. Paris is sunshine and love and happiness.
There's a serial killer on the loose.
As you can see, there is a lot going on in this book. I won't tell you how all the things link together, but it's so clever. And oh, so heartbreaking.
Let's just say that you know it's coming - you can tell by Cass's choice of language that something is going to happen - but you still hope for some miracle.
Leading on from that last point, the characters are fantastic. Paris is honestly just amazing; I really fell in love with her. Probably more than Cass's actual love interest. Oops. And Cass's dad is so complex, clearly struggling with some stuff, and although he does wrong and he gets angry and he scares Cass sometimes you don't hate him, not really, and neither does Cass. He's her dad and she loves him, and he's trying his best and I could really feel that.
Some books really do just click with you, and this was one of those for me. I made excuses to read for longer than planned, stayed up later. It was lovely to have that excitement back when reading, even if I do feel kind of sad and empty now it's finished.
Part of me wants some kind of follow-up, but I also know that that would kind of ruin the whole mysterious, imaginative element that the ending leaves. I don't know.
I would completely definitely certainly recommend it. It covers so much - mental illnesses and single parents and love and death and sex workers and just so many different aspects of life that you maybe wouldn't expect to find thrown together into one book. But Cass doesn't seem crazy, isn't made out to be some kind of mental patient. And no single theme dominates the story - this isn't just about love, or just about murder. It's about life.
Definitely 5 stars. I adored this book.
The plot isn't just one simple story line; it's twists and turns and ups and downs all over the place. Cass is writing to someone - who is never named, actually - recapping events. The style means that she can switch from talking about the past to describing her current situation and feelings, in the present. She's able to reflect on the past, add a whole new level to the story. I loved it. And when "you" are in the story, she describes you but also skips the mundane details that you would already know, keeping the story really interesting. It really sounded like she was writing to someone.
Cass's letter/email is an apology, an explanation, for hurting someone. She acknowledges this right from the start, but it takes a long, long time to get into what really happened. Not in a boring, dragged-out way, but in a suspenseful way. Constantly, I wanted to know what she was referring to, what had happened to require the writing of this email.
So the plot is, as I said, not a straight line at all. But some important things are:
Cass starts to hear a voice. A voice that's not there, not really.
Cass meets "you" and the voice is quiet and everything is great. But things go wrong. Things go so, so wrong.
Cass's dad has issues - untreated PTSD from serving as a MARINE.
Cass has some, uh, unacknowledged issues caused by the death of her mother.
Cass meets Paris. Paris is sunshine and love and happiness.
There's a serial killer on the loose.
As you can see, there is a lot going on in this book. I won't tell you how all the things link together, but it's so clever. And oh, so heartbreaking.
Let's just say that you know it's coming - you can tell by Cass's choice of language that something is going to happen - but you still hope for some miracle.
Leading on from that last point, the characters are fantastic. Paris is honestly just amazing; I really fell in love with her. Probably more than Cass's actual love interest. Oops. And Cass's dad is so complex, clearly struggling with some stuff, and although he does wrong and he gets angry and he scares Cass sometimes you don't hate him, not really, and neither does Cass. He's her dad and she loves him, and he's trying his best and I could really feel that.
Some books really do just click with you, and this was one of those for me. I made excuses to read for longer than planned, stayed up later. It was lovely to have that excitement back when reading, even if I do feel kind of sad and empty now it's finished.
Part of me wants some kind of follow-up, but I also know that that would kind of ruin the whole mysterious, imaginative element that the ending leaves. I don't know.
I would completely definitely certainly recommend it. It covers so much - mental illnesses and single parents and love and death and sex workers and just so many different aspects of life that you maybe wouldn't expect to find thrown together into one book. But Cass doesn't seem crazy, isn't made out to be some kind of mental patient. And no single theme dominates the story - this isn't just about love, or just about murder. It's about life.
Definitely 5 stars. I adored this book.
Louise (64 KP) rated Our Chemical Hearts in Books
Jul 2, 2018
*I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
So this is another book that was on my #Beatthebacklist TBR for 2017 and I don’t really know how I feel about this book!
Henry Page has always seen his friends fall in out of relationships so many times but that has never appealed to him before, he is more interested in his studies and becoming editor for the school newspaper. This all changes when Grace Town starts at Henry’s school and is offered co-editor. Grace is not like normal girls, she wears boys clothes, walks with a limp and her eyes constantly look pained. Whilst Henry gets to know Grace, he discovers the dark truths and how broken Grace Town really is.
My feelings on this book can be summed up in one word….MEH! I wasn’t blown away but I didn’t hate it either. I liked that this was told from a male perspective although written by a female author. I loved that there were references to fandom in the book.
At times this book was frustrating to read just because Henry knew that Grace was a broken soul and she had been telling him that and he just kept going back for more and get hurt over and over again. The problem is he see’s a picture of Grace on Facebook before all her troubles began and he wanted her to be like she was and he felt like he saw glimpses of that person break through when he was with her sometimes,however she was never going to be the same again and Henry just didn’t seem to realise this.
The characters were a bit hit and miss with this book, I really didn’t like his best friends. One was just portrayed as a stereotypical Australian with bad jokes and Lola just didn’t seem realistic. Henry was frustrating and a bit stalkerish. Grace was actually the only character that I thought felt genuine, she had flaws, she was grieving and very secretive about her past and she was a really fleshed out, three-dimensional character.
This is a short review as I don’t really know what to say. This book deals with grief, self harm and first loves. This has been compared as a hybrid between John Green and Rainbow Rowell. I can tell you now that the characters in this book are not as pretentious as the ones in TFIOS(sorry fans of John Green), but the book doesn’t have the same emotion and connection as Rainbow Rowell’s books.
I rated this book 2 out of 5 stars
So this is another book that was on my #Beatthebacklist TBR for 2017 and I don’t really know how I feel about this book!
Henry Page has always seen his friends fall in out of relationships so many times but that has never appealed to him before, he is more interested in his studies and becoming editor for the school newspaper. This all changes when Grace Town starts at Henry’s school and is offered co-editor. Grace is not like normal girls, she wears boys clothes, walks with a limp and her eyes constantly look pained. Whilst Henry gets to know Grace, he discovers the dark truths and how broken Grace Town really is.
My feelings on this book can be summed up in one word….MEH! I wasn’t blown away but I didn’t hate it either. I liked that this was told from a male perspective although written by a female author. I loved that there were references to fandom in the book.
At times this book was frustrating to read just because Henry knew that Grace was a broken soul and she had been telling him that and he just kept going back for more and get hurt over and over again. The problem is he see’s a picture of Grace on Facebook before all her troubles began and he wanted her to be like she was and he felt like he saw glimpses of that person break through when he was with her sometimes,however she was never going to be the same again and Henry just didn’t seem to realise this.
The characters were a bit hit and miss with this book, I really didn’t like his best friends. One was just portrayed as a stereotypical Australian with bad jokes and Lola just didn’t seem realistic. Henry was frustrating and a bit stalkerish. Grace was actually the only character that I thought felt genuine, she had flaws, she was grieving and very secretive about her past and she was a really fleshed out, three-dimensional character.
This is a short review as I don’t really know what to say. This book deals with grief, self harm and first loves. This has been compared as a hybrid between John Green and Rainbow Rowell. I can tell you now that the characters in this book are not as pretentious as the ones in TFIOS(sorry fans of John Green), but the book doesn’t have the same emotion and connection as Rainbow Rowell’s books.
I rated this book 2 out of 5 stars
Little Ray Of Sunshine (41 KP) rated Fishing the Net in Books
Jan 11, 2019 (Updated Feb 10, 2019)
Book Review | Fishing the Net by Rod Wood & Jane Reeves
Wow I loved reading this book. It showed the realistic side to online dating and how the main character Gill Flynn who divorced twice. Shes fifty something and she wants to find love and settle down. She heard about that you can join up with these dating websites through her friends at work and she thought why not. She lives in a small village and its hard to find a decent man. Gill Flynn is a funny women and she made me laugh through the book. I love how you go along the stories of each date she been on. She gone through some good, bad and even the scammers. It shocking what people will do online.
I felt for Gill as she just wanted someone to love and be loved back. You get through some of her dates thinking yes she found the one and there is always a flaw in their looks, habits or their personality.
It continues on with the stories of Ocra and Starfish and how they met online fell in love and married and Gill was jealous that they both found each other. But she starts to help her work friend Dory set up a online dating profile and help her find the real guys out there. But Dory is so picky and its a struggle to help her find the one. So Gill shows her that there is more then one site to find some men who would love to meet up in person.
I love how the authors put in the fishing names like Gill, Starfish and Dory. Gill is a fan of fishing so her intentions are to fish the net and find a decent catch. You are rooting for her to find the guy and while you reading through you expect her to find the guy she want but there are always let down. But this book shows the honest account of what it's like to find love in the 21st century. I am so happy that I found my man and never used the dating website as this book shows how men can be down right cheaters (I know not all of you men out there).
I wont say anymore as I would want you to go and buy this book and see what you think to it.
Thanks for reading.
Have you got any stories to tell about your experience with any of the dating websites?
I was given this by the authors of Fishing the Net I am grateful they sent it out for me to review on my blog. I want to thank Rod Wood and Jane Reeves for sending me this book.
I felt for Gill as she just wanted someone to love and be loved back. You get through some of her dates thinking yes she found the one and there is always a flaw in their looks, habits or their personality.
It continues on with the stories of Ocra and Starfish and how they met online fell in love and married and Gill was jealous that they both found each other. But she starts to help her work friend Dory set up a online dating profile and help her find the real guys out there. But Dory is so picky and its a struggle to help her find the one. So Gill shows her that there is more then one site to find some men who would love to meet up in person.
I love how the authors put in the fishing names like Gill, Starfish and Dory. Gill is a fan of fishing so her intentions are to fish the net and find a decent catch. You are rooting for her to find the guy and while you reading through you expect her to find the guy she want but there are always let down. But this book shows the honest account of what it's like to find love in the 21st century. I am so happy that I found my man and never used the dating website as this book shows how men can be down right cheaters (I know not all of you men out there).
I wont say anymore as I would want you to go and buy this book and see what you think to it.
Thanks for reading.
Have you got any stories to tell about your experience with any of the dating websites?
I was given this by the authors of Fishing the Net I am grateful they sent it out for me to review on my blog. I want to thank Rod Wood and Jane Reeves for sending me this book.
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated The Heart Forger (The Bone Witch, #2) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<b><i>Review copy provided by the Publisher via Netgalley</i></b>
The Heart Forger is the second novel in The Bone Witch series, where Rin Chupeco brings us directly back to the world of asha right after the first novel leaves off. Tea, a dark asha and bone witch, has mastered bringing the dead backs to life and hopes for revenge after being exiled from her kingdom.
I can easily say The Heart Forger is one of my favorite reads of 2018, which is funny considering how I wasn’t a fan of The Bone Witch when I read it last year. The Bone Witch is slower (to me, at least) and focuses on descriptions and worldbuilding, which is an entire 180 from its sequel. We’re continuing the story of Tea, who is a bone witch that can raise the dead, in the past (Tea as a young asha) and the present (Tea telling the story to the Bard).
It’s not exactly confirmed, but it looks like Tea is hovering between a villain and a hero, much like Adelina Amouteru from The Young Elites. We’ll know for sure what Tea’s actions will lead to in the third and final book of the trilogy coming out next year, which is currently titled The Shadowglass.
The Heart Forger is fast paced—Chupeco focuses on action, characters, and plot rather than descriptions and worldbuilding, though those who aren’t familiar will have to read The Bone Witch first to get a sense of the characters and world before continuing. There is never a dull moment, something I haven’t found in my reading for a longgg while, and I found myself turning the pages of my iPad so quickly I might have left a mark on there.
One of the things I enjoyed back in The Bone Witch (and partially why I decided to give the sequel a try rather than skipping over it) were the characters. The first book only gave a small taste, but the second book is full of sass from Tea, Fox, Kalen, Khalad—the entire of cast of characters—and it made The Heart Forger much more entertaining. Chupeco is going to be pulling different emotions the entire time—from excitement to terror to laughter—and it’ll probably be simultaneously as well.
The wordiness and slow pace of The Bone Witch is well worth it when looking forward to the rest of the series—I’m so glad I gave The Heart Forger a chance, and I can’t wait to see how Chupeco will end the series next year with The Shadowglass.
This review was originally posted on <a href="http://theartsstl.com/rin-chupeco-the-heart-forger-sourcebooks-fire/">The Arts STL</a>.
The Heart Forger is the second novel in The Bone Witch series, where Rin Chupeco brings us directly back to the world of asha right after the first novel leaves off. Tea, a dark asha and bone witch, has mastered bringing the dead backs to life and hopes for revenge after being exiled from her kingdom.
I can easily say The Heart Forger is one of my favorite reads of 2018, which is funny considering how I wasn’t a fan of The Bone Witch when I read it last year. The Bone Witch is slower (to me, at least) and focuses on descriptions and worldbuilding, which is an entire 180 from its sequel. We’re continuing the story of Tea, who is a bone witch that can raise the dead, in the past (Tea as a young asha) and the present (Tea telling the story to the Bard).
It’s not exactly confirmed, but it looks like Tea is hovering between a villain and a hero, much like Adelina Amouteru from The Young Elites. We’ll know for sure what Tea’s actions will lead to in the third and final book of the trilogy coming out next year, which is currently titled The Shadowglass.
The Heart Forger is fast paced—Chupeco focuses on action, characters, and plot rather than descriptions and worldbuilding, though those who aren’t familiar will have to read The Bone Witch first to get a sense of the characters and world before continuing. There is never a dull moment, something I haven’t found in my reading for a longgg while, and I found myself turning the pages of my iPad so quickly I might have left a mark on there.
One of the things I enjoyed back in The Bone Witch (and partially why I decided to give the sequel a try rather than skipping over it) were the characters. The first book only gave a small taste, but the second book is full of sass from Tea, Fox, Kalen, Khalad—the entire of cast of characters—and it made The Heart Forger much more entertaining. Chupeco is going to be pulling different emotions the entire time—from excitement to terror to laughter—and it’ll probably be simultaneously as well.
The wordiness and slow pace of The Bone Witch is well worth it when looking forward to the rest of the series—I’m so glad I gave The Heart Forger a chance, and I can’t wait to see how Chupeco will end the series next year with The Shadowglass.
This review was originally posted on <a href="http://theartsstl.com/rin-chupeco-the-heart-forger-sourcebooks-fire/">The Arts STL</a>.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Better Watch Out (2016) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
A Christmas film... a horror film... also described as a comedy and a thriller on IMDb, although I find both of those a little inaccurate. If you asked me to sum up the genre I'd say "it's a Christmas horror..?" and then scrunch up my face in uncertain disgust.
It's difficult to sum this one up without exposing the end of the movie. I would like everyone to have the same confused experience watching this as I did.
I sat down at home to this DVD. I'd excitedly purchased this when I found out about it. With the tagline of "you might be home but you're not alone" you know exactly what you're getting. Or at least that's what you think. Everything promises to make this Home Alone for adults... Home Alone is for adults too of course. No one should deprive themselves of that Christmas wonder.
Not going to lie, when I saw Patrick Warburton pop up on screen it was like a Christmas miracle. I love him. He can do no wrong, and thankfully he didn't disappoint.
Olivia DeJonge made a great job of the role of Ashley. It felt like the serious sort of acting that the film needed to make it a horror film and not more of a comedy. Alongside Levi Miller as Luke we were given an interesting, if awkward on screen leading pair. Miller didn't quite hit the same notes for me as DeJonge did. I think that is more to do with the way the character is written than the acting, as he certainly puts everything into his scenes.
So... I sat down (I know, that was a way back now!) with my pad and pen waiting to jot some notes as I watched. I made a few scribblngs every now and then... until it happened... and you'll know it when it does. At that point I threw my pen across the room and told the film to f*** off.
The first part of the film had so much potential and I was really enjoying it but after "the moment" I just lost all interest in the way they'd taken it. I really wanted a more serious horror film than the unbelieveable thing that was given to us. What we were left with was cringeworthy and uncomfortable to watch, but I will give it credit for its Home Alone moments.
I really would like to know what you guys thought of the end of this film if you saw it.
Being that I was at home watching this on DVD that meant that I got some extras, well, extra. Singular. The fairly subtantial "making of" featurette was quite interesting and reveals just how hardcore DeJonge is when it came to this film.
What you should do
It's potentially drinking game material, but it definitely won't be making it into my Christmas movie rotation.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
Without a doubt I would like Patrick Warburton please. If he could be delivered to me in a Christmas tie, even better.
It's difficult to sum this one up without exposing the end of the movie. I would like everyone to have the same confused experience watching this as I did.
I sat down at home to this DVD. I'd excitedly purchased this when I found out about it. With the tagline of "you might be home but you're not alone" you know exactly what you're getting. Or at least that's what you think. Everything promises to make this Home Alone for adults... Home Alone is for adults too of course. No one should deprive themselves of that Christmas wonder.
Not going to lie, when I saw Patrick Warburton pop up on screen it was like a Christmas miracle. I love him. He can do no wrong, and thankfully he didn't disappoint.
Olivia DeJonge made a great job of the role of Ashley. It felt like the serious sort of acting that the film needed to make it a horror film and not more of a comedy. Alongside Levi Miller as Luke we were given an interesting, if awkward on screen leading pair. Miller didn't quite hit the same notes for me as DeJonge did. I think that is more to do with the way the character is written than the acting, as he certainly puts everything into his scenes.
So... I sat down (I know, that was a way back now!) with my pad and pen waiting to jot some notes as I watched. I made a few scribblngs every now and then... until it happened... and you'll know it when it does. At that point I threw my pen across the room and told the film to f*** off.
The first part of the film had so much potential and I was really enjoying it but after "the moment" I just lost all interest in the way they'd taken it. I really wanted a more serious horror film than the unbelieveable thing that was given to us. What we were left with was cringeworthy and uncomfortable to watch, but I will give it credit for its Home Alone moments.
I really would like to know what you guys thought of the end of this film if you saw it.
Being that I was at home watching this on DVD that meant that I got some extras, well, extra. Singular. The fairly subtantial "making of" featurette was quite interesting and reveals just how hardcore DeJonge is when it came to this film.
What you should do
It's potentially drinking game material, but it definitely won't be making it into my Christmas movie rotation.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
Without a doubt I would like Patrick Warburton please. If he could be delivered to me in a Christmas tie, even better.