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Witch Hunter (The Witch Hunter, #1)
Witch Hunter (The Witch Hunter, #1)
Virginia Boecker | 2015 | Paranormal, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
8
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
<i>This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review </i>

The sixteenth century is a dangerous time for wizards and witches to live – a place where magic is illegal. Sixteen-year-old Elizabeth Grey spends her time disguised as a kitchen maid as she goes around hunting down witches. However when she is accused of witchcraft after being found in possession of herbs, her life is over. Suddenly the most wanted wizard in Anglia, who claims she can help him as much as he can help her, rescues her. Finding herself surrounded by the enemy, Elizabeth must decide whether she should escape and turn them in, or begin to trust people she has been raised to believe are evil.

<i>Witch Hunter</i> is a young adult fantasy novel targeted at those with a love of both historical and magical stories. Initially Elizabeth wants to capture and send all wizards and witches to their deaths, but after her rescue begins to realize that not all she has been led to believe is true. Magic is neither inherently good nor bad; it is what someone does with the power that matters. This story is full of action from beginning to end as Elizabeth learns who to trust and who needs to be destroyed.

At the beginning of the book there was a particular reference to something that felt inappropriate for young readers, however the remainder is exactly what the reader expects to find within this genre. Underneath the magical storyline is a message that urges readers not to jump to conclusions and be judgmental, particularly about things that they do not fully understand. Substitute magic for mental illness, disabilities or different cultures, and you have something that readers of all ages can relate to today.

<i>Witch Hunter</i> is the first in what promises to be an incredible series by the author Virginia Boecker. Although the key issue was resolved within this first book there is an even larger issue that still needs settling. Readers who enjoy this novel will be eagerly waiting to find out what Elizabeth and her new friends do next.
  
Aftermath (2014)
Aftermath (2014)
2014 | Action, Mystery
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Story: Aftermath starts by showing us a man struggling to walk through an abandoned landscape. We then flash back to one month earlier where we learn about an ongoing war between America and Israel. We meet or protagonist Hunter (Thomason) as he listens to the ongoing war before nuclear explosion hit leading him to rescue a young family. The group also meet another survivor in the road but find a place to stay underground in a farmhouse with another small group of survivors. Hunter explains they will need to spend at least a month underground while the fall out of the nuclear attack settles. We follow the group through the month as tension rise over time.

When I saw this and the title I was actually looking to settle down and watch a horror like film, but what we got was so much more. First off there is no horror involved, it is all tension building character development. We see the group over 30 days and how their situation gets worse as each day goes by, with only the radio to update them. We get to see how the radiation slowly changes and infects them while others try to get in. it plays on a range of emotions and comes off very bleak. This is a great story of the struggle to survive after a nuclear attack from the point of view of the innocent victims. (7/10)

 

Actor Review

 

C.J. Thomason: Hunter doctor and survivalist who leads the group of survivors as they try to make it through the attack in a farm basement. He tries to treat everyone who has issues but even with his skills he can’t save everyone from the situation. C.J. gives a good performance as a reluctant leader. (7/10)

 hunter

Monica Keena: Elizabeth stranger picked up on the side of the road, she stays with the group and sometimes looks out for younger members by her calm nature. Monica gives a solid performance but sometimes struggles in the action scenes. (6/10)

monica

Edward Furlong: Brad over protective redneck who doesn’t want to let the group in and is always against the decision to let them in. he is a hot head but as the time goes by he wants to look after the group as much as the rest. Edward gives a good performance and does a good job with the only character that shows full emotion. (7/10)

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Support Cast: Aftermath’s supporting cast is mainly extra people in the basement who go through the struggles but also includes the people outside who are too far gone to let in.

 

Director Review: Peter Engert – Peter does a good job directing Aftermath creating genuine tension throughout. (8/10)

 

Action: Aftermath only has a few action scenes and they are quick, but each comes off desperate like the situation the people are in. (7/10)

Thriller: Aftermath really pulls you in as you want to know what happens to the group and feel for them when things start to get worse. (8/10)

Settings: Aftermath uses its isolation setting that the group creates for themselves to survive really well, as it keeps us unaware of what is going on outside. (9/10)

Suggestion: Aftermath is worth watching, but I do feel like the casual fan might not enjoy this, it really will appeal to those who enjoy a solid drama about survival. (Try It)

 

Best Part: The bleakness that surrounds the story.

Worst Part: Aftermath can come off feeling a little bit slow.

 

Believability: Aftermath tackles a potential real problem the world could face. (7/10)

Chances of Tears: No (0/10)

Chances of Sequel: No

Post Credits Scene: No

 

Oscar Chances: No

Runtime: 1 Hour 32 Minutes

 

Overall: A Great Unwatched Thriller

https://moviesreview101.com/2015/03/24/aftermath-2012/
  
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Laura Doe (1350 KP) rated Pivotal in Books

Aug 14, 2021  
Pivotal
Pivotal
Nikki Vallance | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Interesting concept (0 more)
Unnecessarily confusing (1 more)
Still unsure what actually happened
Confusing
Quite a confusing read, and one that I’m still not sure about what happened after finishing it!
We follow four women Dulcie, Elizabeth, Annie and Liza after they get a summons from a solicitor about a potential inheritance they have to decide whether they are going to accept or not. It is stipulated that whilst deciding they can’t speak to their family otherwise they forfeit the inheritance. We follow the women as they try to make their decisions as well as following them through their day to day lives, which are all extremely different. One is a potter, one a dancer, one a head hunter and one a teacher. Their way of making the decisions although different and more in keeping with their personalities, were also similar in some ways.
Although I enjoy the idea behind the whole book, I spent the majority of it confused. Even at the end, I was still confused and it was only because I was reading along on Pigeonhole and had the pleasure of Nikki Vallance answering questions that fellow readers had that I understood what had happened, but without that I’m not sure that I would have completely understood the ending.
The writing was beautiful, but maybe in order to be less confusing the chapters for each character could have been slightly longer and with more obvious time frames.
I want to thank pigeonhole and Nikki Vallance for allowing me to read this book for free, and I want to thank Nikki for trying to answer all of the questions that everyone had without giving away any of the plot, and for explaining it to those of us who were still confused at the end!