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Whole (Breaking Free #5)
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Two broken hearts…one perfect fit. Alpha Morris Danvers likes his quiet life as a paralegal...
M_M Mpreg Omegaverse Romance Dark
Merissa (12325 KP) rated Beauty's Beasts in Books
Oct 6, 2023
BEAUTY'S BEASTS is a why choose romance that, although it's long, just isn't long enough! I'm not ready to leave them. I need more! (I feel like Oliver Twist!)
We start off in the village with Evan. They go to the shop and meet Will, their best friend. It's through this first scene that we understand just what is going on, how they are living, what they are up against, what the village thinks, and how it could be an Eve, Evangeline, or Evan day. Even though I knew what was coming, it still shocked me. It was so well-written, and that's only in the first few pages!!!
One thing I need to say. It would have been so easy for this author to split the book up, but I'm SO glad they didn't! I loved that it was chunky, and I loved even more that nothing stopped me from turning the pages and continuing with the story.
The four Gryxen are perfect. Very different personalities which came through clearly. There was never any doubt about which one they were interacting with. My favourites were Caliborne and Drixus, I guess I go for the quieter ones! Seerraf though? He's one dark horse that I want to know more about. Oh yes! I'm so glad that Caliborne stayed the way he was. It would have been an easy fix to make him different. It was how he was that made me fall in love with him. And Drixus? Well, he definitely deserved to change.
I will tell you, this book hit me right in the feels and absolutely made my eyes leak. It about killed me, before making it all right again. And don't get me started on the epilogue! This is why I need more!!!
So so good. I didn't want this book to finish. Definitely one I'll be buying in paperback or hardcover format, as I want to keep it and re-read whenever I want to. But, you know, if there was something to add to it, that would be good. 😍
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Oct 6, 2023
We start off in the village with Evan. They go to the shop and meet Will, their best friend. It's through this first scene that we understand just what is going on, how they are living, what they are up against, what the village thinks, and how it could be an Eve, Evangeline, or Evan day. Even though I knew what was coming, it still shocked me. It was so well-written, and that's only in the first few pages!!!
One thing I need to say. It would have been so easy for this author to split the book up, but I'm SO glad they didn't! I loved that it was chunky, and I loved even more that nothing stopped me from turning the pages and continuing with the story.
The four Gryxen are perfect. Very different personalities which came through clearly. There was never any doubt about which one they were interacting with. My favourites were Caliborne and Drixus, I guess I go for the quieter ones! Seerraf though? He's one dark horse that I want to know more about. Oh yes! I'm so glad that Caliborne stayed the way he was. It would have been an easy fix to make him different. It was how he was that made me fall in love with him. And Drixus? Well, he definitely deserved to change.
I will tell you, this book hit me right in the feels and absolutely made my eyes leak. It about killed me, before making it all right again. And don't get me started on the epilogue! This is why I need more!!!
So so good. I didn't want this book to finish. Definitely one I'll be buying in paperback or hardcover format, as I want to keep it and re-read whenever I want to. But, you know, if there was something to add to it, that would be good. 😍
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Oct 6, 2023
Fallen (Everwood Falls #2)
8.0
Rate It
Book
EVERWOOD FALLS… a small supernatural community tucked up in the Colorado Rockies where witches,...
Cozy Mystery Paranormal Romance Series
Louise (64 KP) rated Whisper to Me in Books
Jul 2, 2018
***This review may contain spoilers***
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway, which let me tell you I was so pleased, I mean who doesn’t like free books?
First off, I need to mention how beautiful the cover is, the colours are amazing (I am a fan of pinks and purples) and the summer evening with fairground in the background just makes you feel like this is going be an epic summer read with loads of fluffyness…..How wrong was I! This book is DARK!
This book is told as a massive email, 535 pages long! I feel sorry for the guy she is writing to.
The story follows Cassie, she is writing an email to this boy that she met over the summer and tries to explain the reasons behind her actions and to hopefully win him back. The seaside resort that Cassie lives in always brings tourists and Teens looking for summer work, for the past couple of years there have been prostitutes/escorts that go missing but no evidence is left so the killer is at large.In Cassie’s favourite spot at the beach she finds a human foot washed up, after the shock of this discovery she starts hearing a voice inside her head, she is convinced it’s one of the prostitutes and starts investigating and taking matters into her own hands. Along the way she meets this guy and they start hanging out, but she is unable to reveal her secret.
I am going to start off by saying that I didn’t enjoy this book and there are several reasons. I hate having to write negative reviews as this author has taken a lot of time to write this and make a success of it but there were too many flaws for my liking.
First off the book is way to long for a contemporary, it could have easily been 200 pages less,there was a lot of waffle.
I didn’t like the characters!The father suffered from PTSD after being in the Navy SEALS, but to me he felt abusive and really harsh and scary, he was so protective of Cassie and would have these sudden outbursts that I actually feared for her. Cassie was really timid, a bit of a pushover. The guy she has a romance with (you never find out his name) is boring and dull.
HA HA, that brings me on to the romance. It was awful, it was awkward but not in a good way,in a cringe OMG why you doing this way. There was no spark, no angst..nada.
It uses *****for the swear words and that got really tedious in the end and sometimes I didn’t even know what swear word to use,you can fill in the blanks yourself.
Moving on to the things I liked, I enjoyed the focus on the mental health aspect, Cassie is diagnosed with some type of Schizophrenia and she has two different forms of treatment, she has a psychiatrist who just wants to pump drugs in her to solve the problem and then she has cognitive behavioural therapy and you can tell the difference between the good therapist and the bad one. I have read quite a few books about mental health like Depression, Bi-polar and anxiety but none with hearing voices so it was interesting to read something different.
The writing was good it was told in different formats and had some sarcasm and was definitely easy to read.
The ending, I was so damn disappointed with the ending! nothing got resolved, I literally felt I had been robbed. It was like Lake got bored and finished the story early and didn’t tie the ends.
I originally gave this book a 2.5 stars but after reflecting on this I have lowered it to 1.5-2 stars and one of those stars is for the cover.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway, which let me tell you I was so pleased, I mean who doesn’t like free books?
First off, I need to mention how beautiful the cover is, the colours are amazing (I am a fan of pinks and purples) and the summer evening with fairground in the background just makes you feel like this is going be an epic summer read with loads of fluffyness…..How wrong was I! This book is DARK!
This book is told as a massive email, 535 pages long! I feel sorry for the guy she is writing to.
The story follows Cassie, she is writing an email to this boy that she met over the summer and tries to explain the reasons behind her actions and to hopefully win him back. The seaside resort that Cassie lives in always brings tourists and Teens looking for summer work, for the past couple of years there have been prostitutes/escorts that go missing but no evidence is left so the killer is at large.In Cassie’s favourite spot at the beach she finds a human foot washed up, after the shock of this discovery she starts hearing a voice inside her head, she is convinced it’s one of the prostitutes and starts investigating and taking matters into her own hands. Along the way she meets this guy and they start hanging out, but she is unable to reveal her secret.
I am going to start off by saying that I didn’t enjoy this book and there are several reasons. I hate having to write negative reviews as this author has taken a lot of time to write this and make a success of it but there were too many flaws for my liking.
First off the book is way to long for a contemporary, it could have easily been 200 pages less,there was a lot of waffle.
I didn’t like the characters!The father suffered from PTSD after being in the Navy SEALS, but to me he felt abusive and really harsh and scary, he was so protective of Cassie and would have these sudden outbursts that I actually feared for her. Cassie was really timid, a bit of a pushover. The guy she has a romance with (you never find out his name) is boring and dull.
HA HA, that brings me on to the romance. It was awful, it was awkward but not in a good way,in a cringe OMG why you doing this way. There was no spark, no angst..nada.
It uses *****for the swear words and that got really tedious in the end and sometimes I didn’t even know what swear word to use,you can fill in the blanks yourself.
Moving on to the things I liked, I enjoyed the focus on the mental health aspect, Cassie is diagnosed with some type of Schizophrenia and she has two different forms of treatment, she has a psychiatrist who just wants to pump drugs in her to solve the problem and then she has cognitive behavioural therapy and you can tell the difference between the good therapist and the bad one. I have read quite a few books about mental health like Depression, Bi-polar and anxiety but none with hearing voices so it was interesting to read something different.
The writing was good it was told in different formats and had some sarcasm and was definitely easy to read.
The ending, I was so damn disappointed with the ending! nothing got resolved, I literally felt I had been robbed. It was like Lake got bored and finished the story early and didn’t tie the ends.
I originally gave this book a 2.5 stars but after reflecting on this I have lowered it to 1.5-2 stars and one of those stars is for the cover.
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Awake in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<b><i>I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>
Well, <i>Awake</i> is <b>completely different from <i>The Cellar</i>.</b>
(Once upon a time, I was bored at Walmart and <i>The Cellar</i> seemed interesting compared to all the "millions" of <i>Fifty Shades of Grey</i> and <i>Divergent</i> and the like. Oh, and there has to be something about Natasha Preston if a publisher swooped up her book from Wattpad, right?)
It's no brainer that Natasha Preston writes about the <b>dark parts of human nature that make you shiver and shudder in fear</b> – it's shown in the third I read in <i>The Cellar</i> (I did buy a copy on Amazon later) and the sick beliefs of Eternal Light in her newest novel. From reading <i>Awake</i>,<b> there's obviously something in Preston's writing that I liked, but <i>Awake</i> seems to be a bit of a downfall compared to <i>The Cellar</i>.</b>
In the process of trying to decide if <i>Awake</i> should get a good rating or not, I literally had to check my notes multiple times, reread a few passages to make sure I'm not making a whopping mistake by letting <i>Awake</i> fall in this ever-growing land called "The Grey Area" that books fall into more often than not.
But in the long run, <b><i>Awake</i>, unfortunately, falls in that ever-growing land that will probably be forgotten within the next year.</b> Let's get into whole detail shenanigans.
The romance. I have a <b>few choice words about Scarlett's relationship with Noah.
</b>
<ol>
<li>Noah makes his entrance in the book by staring unnervingly at Scarlett. <b>How in the world is Scarlett not disturbed?</b> She MAY be a little uncomfortable, but cheeks turning pinky pink is NOT exactly uncomfortable.</li>
<li><b>Noah's first day with Scarlett: yip, yip, yip – all about learning Scarlett. I'm a little perplexed as to how she's not a little creeped out</b> by the whole interrogation-like questions that I imagine Noah to be asking. Doesn't it raise a red flag?</li>
<li>How long were they together? I mean, it may seem a little longer than actuality, but in rereading some parts.... <b>they've probably been together for probably a month or two before they got close together. And I mean <i>really, really</i> close together.</b> I won't be surprised if it's just a few weeks.</li>
<li>Scarlett's kind of <b>obsessed with Noah from the get-go.</b> Over a hundred texts exchanged in the week they met, nonstop thinking about Noah, yada yada.</li>
</ol>
<blockquote>I slapped it, earning a glare from the guy I couldn't seem to get out of my head.</blockquote>
The romance doesn't overshadow the plot – I probably wouldn't have noticed how fast their relationship was going if I didn't make a really random note at a really random place that later raised a flag.
<i>Awake</i> is a little slow – <b>definitely slower than <i>The Cellar</i></b> – in the whole development. Preston <b>takes time to build up and uses Scarlett's and Noah's relationship as a filler,</b> among Scarlett questioning a four-year gap of memories missing and Noah beginning to question Eternal Light's values. <b>It's not a book that'll make me rage, but it's not a book I'll praise either.</b>
Hence, Gray Area Book.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/arc-review-awake-by-natasha-preston/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Well, <i>Awake</i> is <b>completely different from <i>The Cellar</i>.</b>
(Once upon a time, I was bored at Walmart and <i>The Cellar</i> seemed interesting compared to all the "millions" of <i>Fifty Shades of Grey</i> and <i>Divergent</i> and the like. Oh, and there has to be something about Natasha Preston if a publisher swooped up her book from Wattpad, right?)
It's no brainer that Natasha Preston writes about the <b>dark parts of human nature that make you shiver and shudder in fear</b> – it's shown in the third I read in <i>The Cellar</i> (I did buy a copy on Amazon later) and the sick beliefs of Eternal Light in her newest novel. From reading <i>Awake</i>,<b> there's obviously something in Preston's writing that I liked, but <i>Awake</i> seems to be a bit of a downfall compared to <i>The Cellar</i>.</b>
In the process of trying to decide if <i>Awake</i> should get a good rating or not, I literally had to check my notes multiple times, reread a few passages to make sure I'm not making a whopping mistake by letting <i>Awake</i> fall in this ever-growing land called "The Grey Area" that books fall into more often than not.
But in the long run, <b><i>Awake</i>, unfortunately, falls in that ever-growing land that will probably be forgotten within the next year.</b> Let's get into whole detail shenanigans.
The romance. I have a <b>few choice words about Scarlett's relationship with Noah.
</b>
<ol>
<li>Noah makes his entrance in the book by staring unnervingly at Scarlett. <b>How in the world is Scarlett not disturbed?</b> She MAY be a little uncomfortable, but cheeks turning pinky pink is NOT exactly uncomfortable.</li>
<li><b>Noah's first day with Scarlett: yip, yip, yip – all about learning Scarlett. I'm a little perplexed as to how she's not a little creeped out</b> by the whole interrogation-like questions that I imagine Noah to be asking. Doesn't it raise a red flag?</li>
<li>How long were they together? I mean, it may seem a little longer than actuality, but in rereading some parts.... <b>they've probably been together for probably a month or two before they got close together. And I mean <i>really, really</i> close together.</b> I won't be surprised if it's just a few weeks.</li>
<li>Scarlett's kind of <b>obsessed with Noah from the get-go.</b> Over a hundred texts exchanged in the week they met, nonstop thinking about Noah, yada yada.</li>
</ol>
<blockquote>I slapped it, earning a glare from the guy I couldn't seem to get out of my head.</blockquote>
The romance doesn't overshadow the plot – I probably wouldn't have noticed how fast their relationship was going if I didn't make a really random note at a really random place that later raised a flag.
<i>Awake</i> is a little slow – <b>definitely slower than <i>The Cellar</i></b> – in the whole development. Preston <b>takes time to build up and uses Scarlett's and Noah's relationship as a filler,</b> among Scarlett questioning a four-year gap of memories missing and Noah beginning to question Eternal Light's values. <b>It's not a book that'll make me rage, but it's not a book I'll praise either.</b>
Hence, Gray Area Book.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/arc-review-awake-by-natasha-preston/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
How many times have you seen this premise played out in film or other forms of entertainment: The world is going to end and there’s one last ditch plan or effort to save it (It inevitably succeeds, of course!); alternatively, the world has ended already and we’re left with post-apocalyptic society picking up the pieces. The premise is everywhere; the fascination with the end of days has been evident throughout our popular culture for decades. Yet, the thing about these two premises is that it avoids a (quite large) important question about the nature of the situation. What if our last ditch effort doesn’t succeed? What if there is no post-apocalyptic setting giving us hope for a re-built future. “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World”, a brand new film directed and written by Lorene Scafaria (“Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist”) attempts to focus on that gap often glossed over by apocalyptic fiction. It assumes there is no hope, there is a conclusion, and how do we deal with that?
It’s a comedy drama that pokes fun of the absurdity of a monotonous society coping with the conclusion of all civilization, while interweaving a touching romance between two people with broken pasts and deep regrets. Yet, it is a movie with some notable flaws, mainly in how it focuses its attention.
The premise is fairly simple, and rightly so. There is a large asteroid named “Matilda” barreling towards Earth and its impact will wipe out all life on our beloved planet. The film starts with the announcement that the last chance for Earth’s survival, a space mission to destroy the asteroid, has failed due to a fire on board the vessel. With only three weeks left to live, insurance salesman Dodge Peterson (Steve Carell) must decide how to spend the rest of his life. He decides to chase down an old highschool sweetheart and is accompanied by his neighbor, Penny (Keira Knightley) who wishes to return home to see her family one last time. They meet several characters in their roadtrip journey through pre-apocalyptica, including characters played by Rob Corddry and Martin Sheen.
The simple premise seems familiar due to its subject matter (C’mon, it’s 2012. I’m surprised there hasn’t been even more apocalypse movies flooding the theaters). Yet, strangely it feels fresh simply in how it handles itself. As said, most movies focus on the last daring mission to save mankind from certain destruction, or assumes that certain destruction really isn’t the end. People like to see hope, they don’t want to be confined by fate. This movie takes a different approach. Right off the bat it basically tells you there is zero hope, zero chance of getting out of this mess. Now what do you do? This particular premise lets comedy shine for the first two acts of the movie. There are subtle jokes, like the absurdity of naming a rock about to destroy all of mankind “Matilda”.
There are more traditional joke set-ups, favoring quick joke-punchline material that is mostly laugh-out-loud funny. And there is a fair amount of dark humor, simple funniness in the absurdity of how people treat the end of days. People mowing their lawns, still cleaning houses, even cops who continue to pull people over all poke fun of how people cannot let go of even the most monotonous of tasks that define their lift – regardless of how pointless they are due to the situation. Or the people who just let go and want to spend their last days without care, throwing themselves into orgies, drugs or riots. However, the tone of the drama limits the humor of the movie, favoring those kinds of moderate laughs over hysterical or hilarious moments. That’s the underlying issue of the film: that it feels like the humor is constrained due to fear of it undermining its drama.
Those who expect a comedy movie will only get two-thirds of one. And those who expect a drama movie will get mostly one. By no means does it fail at comedy or drama, but it just does not strike that delicate balance to be both in the same setting. The last act of the movie almost completely drops the comedy in favor of a dramatic and romantic conclusion. It’s not a huge fault, because the writing, and well-paced relationship development between the two main protagonists (Dodge and Penny), means that their inevitable romance seems natural, honest, and believable. The comedy is really only around in the first two thirds of the movie to try and keep your attention away from the obvious conclusion to their story – the fact that they end up together (and, perhaps, another conclusion entirely). So, when it does eventually happen, even though it was obvious from the start that it would, it does feel very endearing. The natural chemistry between Steve Carell and Keira Knightley is quite good, so buying their romance is not difficult in the slightest.
Yet, even still, that underlying issue keeps coming back. The fact that the comedy feels like a tool to facilitate a good dramatic ending ,instead of natural focus of the movie, undermines the experience for those who want to get some laughs. If there was a more natural balance between the romantic elements and comedy elements throughout the whole movie and not just the first two thirds, it could bring forth much more powerful comedy and/or drama. That way those who desire comedy or romance would be delighted to get a good deal of both intertwined.
I commend the film for how it handles the subject matter of inevitability. Even though it pokes fun at absurdity and really garners good laughs, it always has this underlying sense of regret, sadness and dread. You’re always reminded in the back of your mind that the world is going to end, but it does a good enough job pulling you into the characters’ last struggle to piece together their lives after decades of failure and regret that you end up really wanting to see them pull through somehow. Its last act is especially poignant, and definitely emotionally strong. Even though the themes of throwing away your past in favor of a happier future (despite it being such a short future) are not well concealed, they still end up being particularly strong. A film that can really make you appreciate what you have outside the film and the limited time you have left to enjoy it has to be commended for making you think.
“Seeking a Friend for the End of the World” is a fairly powerful romance drama that focuses on how people deal with loss, regret and the prospect of inevitable fate. More importantly, though, is that it focuses on how people can build something profoundly beautiful even in the last moments of their lives – regardless of their pasts or (lack) of future prospects. It has comedy in the movie, but it never really shines nor intertwines with the drama. They almost feel like two separate elements that struggle to mix together. Yet, the comedy is mostly laugh-out-loud funny and the drama is quite poignant and endearing. It definitely had the potential to make us laugh to tears or even bring us to tears through drama, but instead it settles for simply making us laugh and reflect.
It’s a comedy drama that pokes fun of the absurdity of a monotonous society coping with the conclusion of all civilization, while interweaving a touching romance between two people with broken pasts and deep regrets. Yet, it is a movie with some notable flaws, mainly in how it focuses its attention.
The premise is fairly simple, and rightly so. There is a large asteroid named “Matilda” barreling towards Earth and its impact will wipe out all life on our beloved planet. The film starts with the announcement that the last chance for Earth’s survival, a space mission to destroy the asteroid, has failed due to a fire on board the vessel. With only three weeks left to live, insurance salesman Dodge Peterson (Steve Carell) must decide how to spend the rest of his life. He decides to chase down an old highschool sweetheart and is accompanied by his neighbor, Penny (Keira Knightley) who wishes to return home to see her family one last time. They meet several characters in their roadtrip journey through pre-apocalyptica, including characters played by Rob Corddry and Martin Sheen.
The simple premise seems familiar due to its subject matter (C’mon, it’s 2012. I’m surprised there hasn’t been even more apocalypse movies flooding the theaters). Yet, strangely it feels fresh simply in how it handles itself. As said, most movies focus on the last daring mission to save mankind from certain destruction, or assumes that certain destruction really isn’t the end. People like to see hope, they don’t want to be confined by fate. This movie takes a different approach. Right off the bat it basically tells you there is zero hope, zero chance of getting out of this mess. Now what do you do? This particular premise lets comedy shine for the first two acts of the movie. There are subtle jokes, like the absurdity of naming a rock about to destroy all of mankind “Matilda”.
There are more traditional joke set-ups, favoring quick joke-punchline material that is mostly laugh-out-loud funny. And there is a fair amount of dark humor, simple funniness in the absurdity of how people treat the end of days. People mowing their lawns, still cleaning houses, even cops who continue to pull people over all poke fun of how people cannot let go of even the most monotonous of tasks that define their lift – regardless of how pointless they are due to the situation. Or the people who just let go and want to spend their last days without care, throwing themselves into orgies, drugs or riots. However, the tone of the drama limits the humor of the movie, favoring those kinds of moderate laughs over hysterical or hilarious moments. That’s the underlying issue of the film: that it feels like the humor is constrained due to fear of it undermining its drama.
Those who expect a comedy movie will only get two-thirds of one. And those who expect a drama movie will get mostly one. By no means does it fail at comedy or drama, but it just does not strike that delicate balance to be both in the same setting. The last act of the movie almost completely drops the comedy in favor of a dramatic and romantic conclusion. It’s not a huge fault, because the writing, and well-paced relationship development between the two main protagonists (Dodge and Penny), means that their inevitable romance seems natural, honest, and believable. The comedy is really only around in the first two thirds of the movie to try and keep your attention away from the obvious conclusion to their story – the fact that they end up together (and, perhaps, another conclusion entirely). So, when it does eventually happen, even though it was obvious from the start that it would, it does feel very endearing. The natural chemistry between Steve Carell and Keira Knightley is quite good, so buying their romance is not difficult in the slightest.
Yet, even still, that underlying issue keeps coming back. The fact that the comedy feels like a tool to facilitate a good dramatic ending ,instead of natural focus of the movie, undermines the experience for those who want to get some laughs. If there was a more natural balance between the romantic elements and comedy elements throughout the whole movie and not just the first two thirds, it could bring forth much more powerful comedy and/or drama. That way those who desire comedy or romance would be delighted to get a good deal of both intertwined.
I commend the film for how it handles the subject matter of inevitability. Even though it pokes fun at absurdity and really garners good laughs, it always has this underlying sense of regret, sadness and dread. You’re always reminded in the back of your mind that the world is going to end, but it does a good enough job pulling you into the characters’ last struggle to piece together their lives after decades of failure and regret that you end up really wanting to see them pull through somehow. Its last act is especially poignant, and definitely emotionally strong. Even though the themes of throwing away your past in favor of a happier future (despite it being such a short future) are not well concealed, they still end up being particularly strong. A film that can really make you appreciate what you have outside the film and the limited time you have left to enjoy it has to be commended for making you think.
“Seeking a Friend for the End of the World” is a fairly powerful romance drama that focuses on how people deal with loss, regret and the prospect of inevitable fate. More importantly, though, is that it focuses on how people can build something profoundly beautiful even in the last moments of their lives – regardless of their pasts or (lack) of future prospects. It has comedy in the movie, but it never really shines nor intertwines with the drama. They almost feel like two separate elements that struggle to mix together. Yet, the comedy is mostly laugh-out-loud funny and the drama is quite poignant and endearing. It definitely had the potential to make us laugh to tears or even bring us to tears through drama, but instead it settles for simply making us laugh and reflect.
Rachel King (13 KP) rated Vampire Academy in Books
Feb 11, 2019
I found this book a bit unusual in that the background information that is usually relayed within the first chapter or so is not in this book. Instead, I am plunged into the action as if I were tagging along with Rose and not given relevant background information until it is actually useful to the plot. I prefer this rarely-used method because then I don't need to go back and find the definitions and explanations of things that I have forgotten when the specific topic is not addressed for half the book.
I really like the way that Mead separates the "good" vampires from the "bad" vampires with the Moroi and Strigoi (although I would love a pronunciation guide) as almost two different species. There is actually a major consequence to being evil - loss of magic - with no exceptions. Mead builds an excellent world of clear-cut rules that I can appreciate.
The interplay between Rose and Lissa is fascinating both for Rose's unwavering dedication to Lissa, as well as Lissa's almost surreal innocence. If it weren't for Lissa's "madness" she would seem almost faultless. Normally, I find characters like this to not be believable, but since she is bonded to Rose, it almost seems as if they are two halves of the same person, one dark and one light. The dhampir lifestyle that Rose is a representative of seems like a cross between brainwashing, slavery, and the use of a caste system, but Rose seems to be a very willing participant. I can't decide if I like this or not, but Rose seems to be quite happy with it, especially given her abilities.
What I like most is Rose's relationship with Dimitri. In a word - hot! There is nothing like a forbidden romance to make me want to keep reading way past my bedtime as I root for every training session to go beyond the norm. Of all the ways for Victor Dashkov to distract Rose and Dimitri, there are worse ways than the much-needed lust spell. That was a fantastic way to make them aware of their feelings for each other, which may never have happened otherwise due to each other's strong sense of duty and responsibility.
The one minor thing that bothers me about this world that Mead has constructed as the lack of addressing the topic of money. For instance, Rose has been attending the Academy almost since she was born, but who pays for that?
I really like the way that Mead separates the "good" vampires from the "bad" vampires with the Moroi and Strigoi (although I would love a pronunciation guide) as almost two different species. There is actually a major consequence to being evil - loss of magic - with no exceptions. Mead builds an excellent world of clear-cut rules that I can appreciate.
The interplay between Rose and Lissa is fascinating both for Rose's unwavering dedication to Lissa, as well as Lissa's almost surreal innocence. If it weren't for Lissa's "madness" she would seem almost faultless. Normally, I find characters like this to not be believable, but since she is bonded to Rose, it almost seems as if they are two halves of the same person, one dark and one light. The dhampir lifestyle that Rose is a representative of seems like a cross between brainwashing, slavery, and the use of a caste system, but Rose seems to be a very willing participant. I can't decide if I like this or not, but Rose seems to be quite happy with it, especially given her abilities.
What I like most is Rose's relationship with Dimitri. In a word - hot! There is nothing like a forbidden romance to make me want to keep reading way past my bedtime as I root for every training session to go beyond the norm. Of all the ways for Victor Dashkov to distract Rose and Dimitri, there are worse ways than the much-needed lust spell. That was a fantastic way to make them aware of their feelings for each other, which may never have happened otherwise due to each other's strong sense of duty and responsibility.
The one minor thing that bothers me about this world that Mead has constructed as the lack of addressing the topic of money. For instance, Rose has been attending the Academy almost since she was born, but who pays for that?
Bong Mines Entertainment (15 KP) rated Suicidal Since 1995 by Ängie in Music
Jun 7, 2019
Ängie is an electric-pop singer from Stockholm, Sweden. Not too long ago, she released an explosive debut EP, entitled, “Suicidal Since 1995”.
Ängie – “Dope”
The 7-track project begins with the boomin’ lead single, “Dope”, produced by Canto. Everything about this song is dope, down to the title. Also, it’s hypnotizing frequency is so addictive that it has clocked well over a quarter of a million views on YouTube, and that’s within a month of its release.
The artist described “Dope” as a love song where she confuses love with the rush for music and drugs. In the music video, she performs among various vices including drugs, vehicles, and animals.
The second song, “Boss”, is a flirtatious ditty about foreplay in the back of a vehicle. It’s straight to the point, hot, and steamy. Also, it’s a remake of Lana Del Rey’s “You Can Be the Boss”, from the singer’s “Unreleased” album.
Not too long ago, we covered the third track, “Here For My Habits”, which is also the second single from Suicidal Since 1995.
“Here For My Habits”
On the song, Ängie talks about her sexual-invitation experiences with dealers from her past. She explains how some of them tried to hit on her, some even falling in love with her.
The fourth track, “We Run”, is a song about a drug-induced nighttime romance, perpetrated in the dark or secrecy. But when the sun comes up, the hypnotic-tranced lovers run for cover.
The fifth track, “2013”, speaks about living young, wild, and free. Also, lyrics of hiding from cops and papa indicates a certain level of paranoia due to probably smoking too much bomb weed and drinking alcoholic beverages. Then a deep thought sinks in, “18, I can’t believe where the time’s gone?”
The sixth track, “Coke Ain’t Brain”, takes the volume up another notch. The song speaks of someone being addicted to Mary Jane (marijuana) and now they’re trapped to a ball and chain with Charlie (cocaine) stuffed in their nose.
The seventh song, “Venus in Fur”, is laidback, trancey, with a backdrop made of fluffy pillows. When the singer sings, “I am tired, I am weary. I could sleep for a thousand years,” listeners might find themselves under her spell.
Overall, “Suicidal Since 1995” is a solid debut project worth listening to. It has replay value and we highly recommend adding it to your music library.
https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/angie-suicidal-since-1995/
Ängie – “Dope”
The 7-track project begins with the boomin’ lead single, “Dope”, produced by Canto. Everything about this song is dope, down to the title. Also, it’s hypnotizing frequency is so addictive that it has clocked well over a quarter of a million views on YouTube, and that’s within a month of its release.
The artist described “Dope” as a love song where she confuses love with the rush for music and drugs. In the music video, she performs among various vices including drugs, vehicles, and animals.
The second song, “Boss”, is a flirtatious ditty about foreplay in the back of a vehicle. It’s straight to the point, hot, and steamy. Also, it’s a remake of Lana Del Rey’s “You Can Be the Boss”, from the singer’s “Unreleased” album.
Not too long ago, we covered the third track, “Here For My Habits”, which is also the second single from Suicidal Since 1995.
“Here For My Habits”
On the song, Ängie talks about her sexual-invitation experiences with dealers from her past. She explains how some of them tried to hit on her, some even falling in love with her.
The fourth track, “We Run”, is a song about a drug-induced nighttime romance, perpetrated in the dark or secrecy. But when the sun comes up, the hypnotic-tranced lovers run for cover.
The fifth track, “2013”, speaks about living young, wild, and free. Also, lyrics of hiding from cops and papa indicates a certain level of paranoia due to probably smoking too much bomb weed and drinking alcoholic beverages. Then a deep thought sinks in, “18, I can’t believe where the time’s gone?”
The sixth track, “Coke Ain’t Brain”, takes the volume up another notch. The song speaks of someone being addicted to Mary Jane (marijuana) and now they’re trapped to a ball and chain with Charlie (cocaine) stuffed in their nose.
The seventh song, “Venus in Fur”, is laidback, trancey, with a backdrop made of fluffy pillows. When the singer sings, “I am tired, I am weary. I could sleep for a thousand years,” listeners might find themselves under her spell.
Overall, “Suicidal Since 1995” is a solid debut project worth listening to. It has replay value and we highly recommend adding it to your music library.
https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/angie-suicidal-since-1995/