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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Maidens in Books
Jun 24, 2021
A lackluster and dull thriller
Mariana Andros is a group therapist and Cambridge University graduate. She is mourning her late husband, Sebastian, when their niece, Zoe, calls, upset because a friend at Cambridge has been murdered. Mariana and Sebastian raised Zoe as a surrogate daughter, so Mariana heads to Cambridge and St. Christopher's College to be there for her. There, Mariana feels she can help her friend and fellow therapist, Julian Ashcroft, in looking into the murder. Mariana is convinced that Greek tragedy professor Edward Fosca is responsible. He is followed around by a group of female students, deemed The Maidens, who seem obsessed with Fosca and his teachings. When another girl, a Maiden, is found dead, Mariana vows she will do anything to stop him.
"Death was no stranger to Mariana; it had been her traveling companion since she was a child--keeping close behind her, hovering just over her shoulder. She sometimes felt she had been cursed, as if by some malevolent goddess in a Greek myth, to lose everyone she ever loved."
Unpopular opinion time... this book did not work for me. I did not find it engaging nor interesting. I had to force myself to keep reading, as I did not care for any of the characters, including Mariana and Zoe. Mariana is fixated on Edward Fosca from the beginning and seems convinced she should insert herself in a rather serious murder investigation despite not seeming one bit qualified. I'm not sure how her group therapist qualifications lend her any credentials and she lies constantly, much to the annoyance (justified) and detriment of the police. There are basically no sympathetic characters, and there seems to be no reason to care about the murdered women, as we're given no background on them. Some characters (e.g., Julian) seem inserted for no reason whatsoever.
There is a lot of Greek mythology tucked into the story and perhaps I was just over it, as I've read several books revolving around Greek myths lately. It was a lot, though, and sometimes did not seem relevant to our story.
This thriller is certainly atmospheric, with Cambridge playing a strong role in the setting. You definitely feel a part of the academic setting, and I learned a lot about the university while reading. It's dark and somewhat foreboding, but since I was not fully invested in the story, I could only feel so tense. There are some twists, but the big twist came too late and seemed too preposterous to be truly exciting. The author throws in so many red herrings that you find yourself almost rolling your eyes.
Still, this is a very popular thriller for many readers, so chances are it may work for you. For me, it just didn't hold my interest or seem all that, well, thrilling. 2 stars.
"Death was no stranger to Mariana; it had been her traveling companion since she was a child--keeping close behind her, hovering just over her shoulder. She sometimes felt she had been cursed, as if by some malevolent goddess in a Greek myth, to lose everyone she ever loved."
Unpopular opinion time... this book did not work for me. I did not find it engaging nor interesting. I had to force myself to keep reading, as I did not care for any of the characters, including Mariana and Zoe. Mariana is fixated on Edward Fosca from the beginning and seems convinced she should insert herself in a rather serious murder investigation despite not seeming one bit qualified. I'm not sure how her group therapist qualifications lend her any credentials and she lies constantly, much to the annoyance (justified) and detriment of the police. There are basically no sympathetic characters, and there seems to be no reason to care about the murdered women, as we're given no background on them. Some characters (e.g., Julian) seem inserted for no reason whatsoever.
There is a lot of Greek mythology tucked into the story and perhaps I was just over it, as I've read several books revolving around Greek myths lately. It was a lot, though, and sometimes did not seem relevant to our story.
This thriller is certainly atmospheric, with Cambridge playing a strong role in the setting. You definitely feel a part of the academic setting, and I learned a lot about the university while reading. It's dark and somewhat foreboding, but since I was not fully invested in the story, I could only feel so tense. There are some twists, but the big twist came too late and seemed too preposterous to be truly exciting. The author throws in so many red herrings that you find yourself almost rolling your eyes.
Still, this is a very popular thriller for many readers, so chances are it may work for you. For me, it just didn't hold my interest or seem all that, well, thrilling. 2 stars.
Lee (2222 KP) rated Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) in Movies
Jul 3, 2019
I think I was one of the few people that was ultimately disappointed by Spider-Man: Homecoming. After Spider-Man's impressive and thrilling introduction to the Marvel universe during Captain America: Civil War, I felt Homecoming to be somewhat lacking - set pieces that had already been shown in the trailer, bigger set pieces that were difficult to follow on screen and, to quote my review, "too much awkward teen, not enough action hero". I even used the phrase "superhero fatigue", which funnily enough is a phrase currently being bandied around by some for this next Spider-Man venture, Far From Home, particularly in the wake of the intense Avengers: Endgame earlier this year. So, let's just say I was cautiously optimistic heading in to see this movie.
We kick off with a brief introduction to what will dominate the rest of the movie - Nick Fury and Maria Hill arrive in Mexico, where "a cyclone with a face" has completely destroyed a small town. As this new threat returns to wreak even more havoc, a mysterious new hero arrives to face it square on in battle, dramatically declaring to the startled S.H.I.E.L.D agents, "you don't want any part of this". From there, we switch to a lighthearted wrap up of the devastating events surrounding Infinity War/Endgame, in the form of an amateur high school news report. Mourning the loss of fallen heroes (accompanied by Whitney Houston singing 'I Will Always Love You'!), the report goes on to explain how "The Blip" - the term many are using to describe the effects of the 5 year period where half of the population were wiped from existence. Having the population age 5 years while the returning half haven't aged at all naturally has humorous consequences when it comes to students and their school life, but essentially humanity has managed to move on and has learnt to deal with it. Someone who is struggling to move on though, particularly from the loss of mentor/surrogate father, Tony Stark, is young Peter Parker. Desperately in need of a summer vacation, and a break from being Spider-Man, Parker cannot wait to join the rest of his friends, and crucially MJ (Zendaya), on an upcoming school trip which will take them to various European destinations.
But there's no chance of any kind of break for Spider-Man just yet, as Nick Fury has other plans for him. Peter does the unthinkable though and ignores the many phone calls from Fury, until he eventually tracks him down for a face to face meeting in his Venice hotel room. Since the incident in Mexico, S.H.I.E.L.D have been working with the mysterious new hero, Quentin Beck, or 'Mysterio' as he has now been dubbed, and Peter (along with us) are now brought up to speed on the origins of Quentin and these new global threats. Quentin actually comes from an alternate Earth where these creatures, known as The Elementals (monstrous versions of wind, fire, water and air), were responsible for the destruction of not only his world but his entire family too. The most powerful Elemental, fire, is yet to appear on our Earth and Mysterio, along with the help of S.H.I.E.L.D and Spider-Man, need to locate and stop it before it becomes too powerful for them to defeat.
Peter isn't initially interested though, being more concerned about jeopardising his school trip and exposing his identity, not to mention ruining his chances of finally hooking up with MJ. So, the rest of the movie nicely splits itself between teen high school banter/comedy drama and international superhero action. Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) features prominently throughout the movie, helping to guide and mentor Peter in the absence of his old boss Tony Stark, and providing plenty of comic relief along the way too. He also passes onto Peter, a gift from Tony Stark - a pair of Jarvis-like talking shades called EDITH (Even Dead I'm The Hero!) - which initially act as a funny and poignant accessory for Peter, but proves to be a hugely important part of how the rest of the movie plays out.
Beyond that, I'm struggling to avoid spoilers. And there are a lot of them. If you're familiar with the comics though (and despite having some vague familiarity with them, I'd completely forgotten everything!), you'll be able to predict a lot of what comes next anyway. But, once again, I have to say how amazed I am that Marvel managed to produce trailers for this movie which not only mislead you into believing that you know exactly which direction this movie is heading in, but also feature scenes which aren't in the final movie! As a result, I found Far From Home to be a truly wonderful surprise, and even if you know how it's all going to play out, you should still manage to get a huge amount of enjoyment from seeing the masters of storytelling at work yet again. This movie gave me Endgame-level thrills and goose-bump moments, over and over again throughout. Visually, it's outstanding - with impressive action scenes and trippy sequences the likes of which we haven't seen since Doctor Strange. Jake Gyllenhaal is perfect as Mysterio too, really bringing the character to life, and by the end of it all I was just completely blown away. So when the mid credit sequence hit, opening up some shocking possibilities for future movies, I was almost hyperventilating with excitement!
We kick off with a brief introduction to what will dominate the rest of the movie - Nick Fury and Maria Hill arrive in Mexico, where "a cyclone with a face" has completely destroyed a small town. As this new threat returns to wreak even more havoc, a mysterious new hero arrives to face it square on in battle, dramatically declaring to the startled S.H.I.E.L.D agents, "you don't want any part of this". From there, we switch to a lighthearted wrap up of the devastating events surrounding Infinity War/Endgame, in the form of an amateur high school news report. Mourning the loss of fallen heroes (accompanied by Whitney Houston singing 'I Will Always Love You'!), the report goes on to explain how "The Blip" - the term many are using to describe the effects of the 5 year period where half of the population were wiped from existence. Having the population age 5 years while the returning half haven't aged at all naturally has humorous consequences when it comes to students and their school life, but essentially humanity has managed to move on and has learnt to deal with it. Someone who is struggling to move on though, particularly from the loss of mentor/surrogate father, Tony Stark, is young Peter Parker. Desperately in need of a summer vacation, and a break from being Spider-Man, Parker cannot wait to join the rest of his friends, and crucially MJ (Zendaya), on an upcoming school trip which will take them to various European destinations.
But there's no chance of any kind of break for Spider-Man just yet, as Nick Fury has other plans for him. Peter does the unthinkable though and ignores the many phone calls from Fury, until he eventually tracks him down for a face to face meeting in his Venice hotel room. Since the incident in Mexico, S.H.I.E.L.D have been working with the mysterious new hero, Quentin Beck, or 'Mysterio' as he has now been dubbed, and Peter (along with us) are now brought up to speed on the origins of Quentin and these new global threats. Quentin actually comes from an alternate Earth where these creatures, known as The Elementals (monstrous versions of wind, fire, water and air), were responsible for the destruction of not only his world but his entire family too. The most powerful Elemental, fire, is yet to appear on our Earth and Mysterio, along with the help of S.H.I.E.L.D and Spider-Man, need to locate and stop it before it becomes too powerful for them to defeat.
Peter isn't initially interested though, being more concerned about jeopardising his school trip and exposing his identity, not to mention ruining his chances of finally hooking up with MJ. So, the rest of the movie nicely splits itself between teen high school banter/comedy drama and international superhero action. Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) features prominently throughout the movie, helping to guide and mentor Peter in the absence of his old boss Tony Stark, and providing plenty of comic relief along the way too. He also passes onto Peter, a gift from Tony Stark - a pair of Jarvis-like talking shades called EDITH (Even Dead I'm The Hero!) - which initially act as a funny and poignant accessory for Peter, but proves to be a hugely important part of how the rest of the movie plays out.
Beyond that, I'm struggling to avoid spoilers. And there are a lot of them. If you're familiar with the comics though (and despite having some vague familiarity with them, I'd completely forgotten everything!), you'll be able to predict a lot of what comes next anyway. But, once again, I have to say how amazed I am that Marvel managed to produce trailers for this movie which not only mislead you into believing that you know exactly which direction this movie is heading in, but also feature scenes which aren't in the final movie! As a result, I found Far From Home to be a truly wonderful surprise, and even if you know how it's all going to play out, you should still manage to get a huge amount of enjoyment from seeing the masters of storytelling at work yet again. This movie gave me Endgame-level thrills and goose-bump moments, over and over again throughout. Visually, it's outstanding - with impressive action scenes and trippy sequences the likes of which we haven't seen since Doctor Strange. Jake Gyllenhaal is perfect as Mysterio too, really bringing the character to life, and by the end of it all I was just completely blown away. So when the mid credit sequence hit, opening up some shocking possibilities for future movies, I was almost hyperventilating with excitement!
TW
The White Cross
Book
Praise for the TPB edition: 'Brilliant. Really brilliant! The characterisation was excellent and...
Awix (3310 KP) rated Mars Attacks! (1996) in Movies
Jun 14, 2020
Lavishly camp black-comedy sci-fi extravaganza. Motivated largely by their innate gittishness, Martians attack the Earth (the clue is in the title), and various people naturally respond in their own personal ways. Much property damage and rather dated mid-90s CGI result.
One of those bizarre mutants that should never really have got past the script stage, let alone received a $70m budget: the release schedule inevitably resulted in it being hailed as a spoof of Independence Day (hard to spoof something that wasn't meant to be taken seriously in the first place), but this is much more a send-up of classic 50s sci-fi B-movies (various spot-on parodies), as well as being a startlingly subversive black comedy. You can also sense Burton trying to do his version of Dr Strangelove, with Nicholson in a multiple role, but it doesn't have anything like the same sharpness or impact. A bit patchy overall - some laugh-out-loud moments and game performances, but also a lot of dead wood and characters and jokes that just don't work. On the whole, though, the fact that films like this still get made suggests hope is not yet lost for the world.
One of those bizarre mutants that should never really have got past the script stage, let alone received a $70m budget: the release schedule inevitably resulted in it being hailed as a spoof of Independence Day (hard to spoof something that wasn't meant to be taken seriously in the first place), but this is much more a send-up of classic 50s sci-fi B-movies (various spot-on parodies), as well as being a startlingly subversive black comedy. You can also sense Burton trying to do his version of Dr Strangelove, with Nicholson in a multiple role, but it doesn't have anything like the same sharpness or impact. A bit patchy overall - some laugh-out-loud moments and game performances, but also a lot of dead wood and characters and jokes that just don't work. On the whole, though, the fact that films like this still get made suggests hope is not yet lost for the world.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1974) in Movies
Nov 23, 2020
Last Film With Christopher Lee as Dracula (1 more)
A huge Disappointment
Out With Boredom
The Satanic Rites of Dracula- was a huge disappointment. It was boring, and only was intresting when Dracula was on screen. The first 30 minutes doesnt seem like a dracula film, i was confused on what i was watching. It sad because this was the last time you get to see Christopher Lee as Dracula. And it was a disappointment.
The plot: British-made chiller about a blood-thirsty count who takes up residence in modern London to develop a new strain of bubonic plague, with the evil intention of annihilating all life on Earth.
Work began on what was tentatively titled Dracula is Dead...and Well and Living in London in November 1972.
The film itself is a mixture of horror, science fiction and a spy thriller, with a screenplay by Don Houghton, a veteran of BBC's Doctor Who. This is the problem its trying to be more sci-fi and a spy thriller than horror.
This was the final Hammer film that Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing would make together. The two stars would eventually reunite one more time in House of the Long Shadows, ten years later.
A huge let down.
The plot: British-made chiller about a blood-thirsty count who takes up residence in modern London to develop a new strain of bubonic plague, with the evil intention of annihilating all life on Earth.
Work began on what was tentatively titled Dracula is Dead...and Well and Living in London in November 1972.
The film itself is a mixture of horror, science fiction and a spy thriller, with a screenplay by Don Houghton, a veteran of BBC's Doctor Who. This is the problem its trying to be more sci-fi and a spy thriller than horror.
This was the final Hammer film that Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing would make together. The two stars would eventually reunite one more time in House of the Long Shadows, ten years later.
A huge let down.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Hunting the Broken (The Caitlin Chronicles #3) in Books
May 9, 2021
61 of 250
Hunting the Broken ( Caitlin Chronicles book 3)
By Daniel Wilcocks and Michael Anderle
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
The world around the Revolutionaries is crumbling. And Caitlin's biggest test is yet to come...
The Governor is defeated, the tides appearing to turn.
But as Caitlin continues her search for the Unknown, guided only by the crudely drawn map the Governor left behind, she finds herself led vastly off-track.
A haunting encounter in the woods. A broken city of rebels. A terrible secret hidden in the sewers beneath the earth.
The gates to Caitlin's world are opened, and the Mad want in.
Set within the wonder of the Kurtherian Gambit Universe, discover the chaos and insanity of the Age of Madness - a time when the world turned on its head, and nothing is as it appears...
NOTE: This book contains cursing. Perhaps humorous cursing, but cursing nevertheless. If this offends you, we don't suggest reading this book.
I’m so enjoying this series I love finding the new people and the journey Caitlin , Ma and Kain are taking, also the little side stories of back home and Dylan’s journeys!
I love the settings and how it’s written! It’s a supernatural walking dead!
Hunting the Broken ( Caitlin Chronicles book 3)
By Daniel Wilcocks and Michael Anderle
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
The world around the Revolutionaries is crumbling. And Caitlin's biggest test is yet to come...
The Governor is defeated, the tides appearing to turn.
But as Caitlin continues her search for the Unknown, guided only by the crudely drawn map the Governor left behind, she finds herself led vastly off-track.
A haunting encounter in the woods. A broken city of rebels. A terrible secret hidden in the sewers beneath the earth.
The gates to Caitlin's world are opened, and the Mad want in.
Set within the wonder of the Kurtherian Gambit Universe, discover the chaos and insanity of the Age of Madness - a time when the world turned on its head, and nothing is as it appears...
NOTE: This book contains cursing. Perhaps humorous cursing, but cursing nevertheless. If this offends you, we don't suggest reading this book.
I’m so enjoying this series I love finding the new people and the journey Caitlin , Ma and Kain are taking, also the little side stories of back home and Dylan’s journeys!
I love the settings and how it’s written! It’s a supernatural walking dead!
The Last Hour
9.0
Rate It
Book
For readers of Bernard Cornwell, Ben Kane, Simon Scarrow and Conn Iggulden, this is a thriller that...
Thriller
Mythic Battles: Ragnarök
Tabletop Game
In Mythic Battles: Ragnarök, take control of Norse divinities and command their forces in the...
Not Her Gargoyle (Not This Series Book 5)
Book
Ruby is done with jerks, dead-end jobs, and eviction notices. Everyone else she knows is finding...
paranormal romance shifter adult romantic comedy humor
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Werewolves Within (2021) in Movies
Sep 3, 2021
It took a good minute for Werewolves Within to click with me, but once it did, it was a whole bag of fun.
My initial issues with it is how frantically overwhelming the first act is. This movie is effectively Clue but with a horror twist, and as such, the introduction of a hefty cast of characters, or suspects if you will, feels a little rushed. It didn't help that every one of them felt like comic relief and that the editing style is clearly inspired by Shaun of the Dead, meaning it's choppy, and brisk. Thankfully, this doesn't last too long. Once everyone is introduced and things starts to happen, Werewolves Within slips into a genuinely funny whodunit, that's effective in keeping its secrets close to its chest, and at one point had this viewer questioning if werewolves were even part of it, or whether the unfolding events were just a big misunderstanding.
By the final act, everything has just descended into chaos, and it's hugely entertaining. This is all bolstered by it's two great and likable leads, played by Sam Richardson and Milana Vayntrub.
It's well paced and effective, funny, q little bloody, and ultimately, Werewolves Within is a blast, and well worth checking out.
My initial issues with it is how frantically overwhelming the first act is. This movie is effectively Clue but with a horror twist, and as such, the introduction of a hefty cast of characters, or suspects if you will, feels a little rushed. It didn't help that every one of them felt like comic relief and that the editing style is clearly inspired by Shaun of the Dead, meaning it's choppy, and brisk. Thankfully, this doesn't last too long. Once everyone is introduced and things starts to happen, Werewolves Within slips into a genuinely funny whodunit, that's effective in keeping its secrets close to its chest, and at one point had this viewer questioning if werewolves were even part of it, or whether the unfolding events were just a big misunderstanding.
By the final act, everything has just descended into chaos, and it's hugely entertaining. This is all bolstered by it's two great and likable leads, played by Sam Richardson and Milana Vayntrub.
It's well paced and effective, funny, q little bloody, and ultimately, Werewolves Within is a blast, and well worth checking out.