Search
Search results
Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated Little Heaven: A Novel in Books
May 16, 2018
Before I delve into my thoughts about Little Heaven, I would like to thank the publisher, the author, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Little Heaven will be available for purchase January 10, 2017 and its definitely on my wishlist for a physical copy.
Little Heaven plays host to an interesting cast of characters that range from three extremely different and unlikely heroes, to your typical, run of the mill, religious zealot. Heavily influenced by the Jonestown Massacre in some regards, I found Cutter's book to be a delightful and fresh read, in the most fiendishly way possible.
Our "heroes" are hired by a concerned woman after her nephew is taken into Little Heaven, a religious compound run by Reverend Amos Flesher. The motley crew quickly find themselves caught up in what can only be described as a nightmare; Reverend Flesher's obsession with his religion, coupled with an ancient evil, wrought a terrifying tale that is worth every minute I spent reading it.
I also have to admit that I was awestruck by Nick Cutter's style of writing. If you read my blog often enough, you're likely aware that I am no stranger to the macabre. The more gruesome, terrifying, and gore-filled a story or movie is, the happier I am. In that regard, Cutter exceeded my expectations. He paints such a vivid picture that there are times I actually found myself feeling squeamish - and that is a feat when it comes to the written word. Other times, I found myself on the verge of an anxiety attack, even if it was action driven, rather than by suspense.
The only thing I really didn't care for was the manner in which it went back and forth between two different time periods, especially since the latter period, 1980, could probably have been largely left out of the equation - or at least implemented into a smoother transition. The part of the story taking place in the 80s felt largely pointless to me up until the end, and even then it didn't have as much of a "wow" factor as I had hoped for. Nonetheless, it was still an excellent read.
Little Heaven is, undoubtedly, one of my favorite books so far this year - or rather, next year if you go by the publication date. I can't wait to read more from this author!
Little Heaven plays host to an interesting cast of characters that range from three extremely different and unlikely heroes, to your typical, run of the mill, religious zealot. Heavily influenced by the Jonestown Massacre in some regards, I found Cutter's book to be a delightful and fresh read, in the most fiendishly way possible.
Our "heroes" are hired by a concerned woman after her nephew is taken into Little Heaven, a religious compound run by Reverend Amos Flesher. The motley crew quickly find themselves caught up in what can only be described as a nightmare; Reverend Flesher's obsession with his religion, coupled with an ancient evil, wrought a terrifying tale that is worth every minute I spent reading it.
I also have to admit that I was awestruck by Nick Cutter's style of writing. If you read my blog often enough, you're likely aware that I am no stranger to the macabre. The more gruesome, terrifying, and gore-filled a story or movie is, the happier I am. In that regard, Cutter exceeded my expectations. He paints such a vivid picture that there are times I actually found myself feeling squeamish - and that is a feat when it comes to the written word. Other times, I found myself on the verge of an anxiety attack, even if it was action driven, rather than by suspense.
The only thing I really didn't care for was the manner in which it went back and forth between two different time periods, especially since the latter period, 1980, could probably have been largely left out of the equation - or at least implemented into a smoother transition. The part of the story taking place in the 80s felt largely pointless to me up until the end, and even then it didn't have as much of a "wow" factor as I had hoped for. Nonetheless, it was still an excellent read.
Little Heaven is, undoubtedly, one of my favorite books so far this year - or rather, next year if you go by the publication date. I can't wait to read more from this author!
Rachel King (13 KP) rated Saving Max in Books
Feb 11, 2019
Though I was not familiar with this author when I recieved this book, upon reading it I could easily tell that Heugten was well-educated, especially since I actually came across a few words I did not know the meaning of - and I consider myself fairly well-read. Words like eidolon and glistered (both from the same sentence) made me a little intimidated by the book, but I stuck with it anyways. The prose of the text is written excellently and I thoroughly appreciated the book for this alone.
I was originally drawn to the book because it focuses on a mother's fight for the life and freedom of her son - which I can relate to in some ways. The sub-plots quickly intersect when the mother, Danielle, has to rely on her career as a lawyer to fight for her son while working with another lawyer, who happens to be the man she has a one-night stand with after turning to what she terms as "liquid courage." Some scenes in the plot were quite horrific, especially at the end of the book, but they were necessary to the plot. The psychiatric facility of Maitland where the plot centers at is intended to be the foremost facility of its kind in the country, but I found many of its practices either abysmal or downright terrifying. I found it very satisfying when Max began to take a more active role in his own court case, showing to me that he is indeed in charge of his own faculties (mostly) and not responsible for what he is being accused of. The big revelation that Danielle discovers is incredibly shocking and grotesque and reveals a psychosis I never knew even existed, much less the depths of depravity that it takes a person to. I have no doubt that such individuals exist in real life, though I believe that such people are beyond what psychologists or psychiatrists can fix. These kinds of people either need God or corporal punishment, but that is another soap box for another day.
I found the progression of the plot unpredictable, which is a good thing, but the ending not completely fulfilling, since the author obviously opted to leave one loose thread for a possible sequel. While I normally like book series, in this case I would have much preferred a more rewarding ending.
I was originally drawn to the book because it focuses on a mother's fight for the life and freedom of her son - which I can relate to in some ways. The sub-plots quickly intersect when the mother, Danielle, has to rely on her career as a lawyer to fight for her son while working with another lawyer, who happens to be the man she has a one-night stand with after turning to what she terms as "liquid courage." Some scenes in the plot were quite horrific, especially at the end of the book, but they were necessary to the plot. The psychiatric facility of Maitland where the plot centers at is intended to be the foremost facility of its kind in the country, but I found many of its practices either abysmal or downright terrifying. I found it very satisfying when Max began to take a more active role in his own court case, showing to me that he is indeed in charge of his own faculties (mostly) and not responsible for what he is being accused of. The big revelation that Danielle discovers is incredibly shocking and grotesque and reveals a psychosis I never knew even existed, much less the depths of depravity that it takes a person to. I have no doubt that such individuals exist in real life, though I believe that such people are beyond what psychologists or psychiatrists can fix. These kinds of people either need God or corporal punishment, but that is another soap box for another day.
I found the progression of the plot unpredictable, which is a good thing, but the ending not completely fulfilling, since the author obviously opted to leave one loose thread for a possible sequel. While I normally like book series, in this case I would have much preferred a more rewarding ending.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Craftsman in Books
Mar 12, 2019
Complex, compelling, and complicated tale
The year is 1999 and Assistant Commissioner Florence Lovelady returns to Lancashire for the funeral of Larry Glassbrook, a murderer she arrested 30 years ago. Larry killed three children, burying them alive in caskets he made himself. He also kidnapped and tortured Florence while she was investigating his case. Thirty years ago, Florence made a name for herself with the Glassbrook case, which changed her life forever. Clay effigies were found with each of the children's bodies, suggesting an element of witchcraft. Now, when Florence returns for the funeral, she finds a fourth: of herself. Does this means Florence is in danger? And what does the message Larry sent her from prison mean? Is there still a killer out there?
"I wonder what words his headstone might carry: Loving husband, devoted father, merciless killer."
I'm a huge Sharon Bolton fan, so I was excited to read this one. I hadn't really read the description in a while, so I didn't realize so much of the narrative took place in the late 1960s. I'm usually more of a modern fiction fan, but I found the 1960s portion--narrated by Florence--to be surprisingly engaging and enjoyable. It offered a really detailed look at how women were treated, especially on the police force, and was a true testament to Florence's strength. She was a fascinating, nuanced character who drew me in from the beginning. The book really revolves around her, but she makes it worth it.
The novel is certainly creepy--definitely a good spooky read for the month of October. It can be dark and gruesome. There's a witchcraft portion that sometimes seems a little unbelievable, but I thought it worked well within the confines of the story. There's even some funny moments--made even better by what a great heroine Florence is.
There's an excellent mystery here, which will keep you guessing from the start. The story skips between 1969 and 1999, and the two portions work together seamlessly. I found the tale to be complex, complicated, and just really compelling. There's something about this book that simply keeps you reading. Florence is an awesome character, the story is fascinating and different, and it's just a really enjoyable (if somewhat dark) read. Definitely recommend.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netalley in return for an unbiased review (thank you!).
"I wonder what words his headstone might carry: Loving husband, devoted father, merciless killer."
I'm a huge Sharon Bolton fan, so I was excited to read this one. I hadn't really read the description in a while, so I didn't realize so much of the narrative took place in the late 1960s. I'm usually more of a modern fiction fan, but I found the 1960s portion--narrated by Florence--to be surprisingly engaging and enjoyable. It offered a really detailed look at how women were treated, especially on the police force, and was a true testament to Florence's strength. She was a fascinating, nuanced character who drew me in from the beginning. The book really revolves around her, but she makes it worth it.
The novel is certainly creepy--definitely a good spooky read for the month of October. It can be dark and gruesome. There's a witchcraft portion that sometimes seems a little unbelievable, but I thought it worked well within the confines of the story. There's even some funny moments--made even better by what a great heroine Florence is.
There's an excellent mystery here, which will keep you guessing from the start. The story skips between 1969 and 1999, and the two portions work together seamlessly. I found the tale to be complex, complicated, and just really compelling. There's something about this book that simply keeps you reading. Florence is an awesome character, the story is fascinating and different, and it's just a really enjoyable (if somewhat dark) read. Definitely recommend.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netalley in return for an unbiased review (thank you!).
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) in Movies
May 29, 2019
Oh my God...
#godzillakingofthemonsters is overlong, overstuffed, bland & lacks the one thing that at bare minimum I expected from a movie about big #monsters #fighting, EXCITEMENT. Now I quite liked the first #godzilla movie & yes it was to focused on the human element but visually it was really sticking & I found its slow build up to the reveal of Godzilla intense & exciting so that when he's finally introduced fully his presence became that more intimidating & thrilling. Sadly although in this sequel the monsters are given way more screen time at around 2hours the human element is still far to overpowering. That would be fine but its all so #boring & only serves as exposition to move the plot along. Dialog is sloppy/bellow basic & repetitive, acting is average at best & no one is likeable. Story wise its incredibly weak/bare bones which makes me wonder why it takes so long to play out considering we are only all here really to see monsters #fight. Cgi is really dodgy in places & I'm not sure if this is a throwback to past films but it feels odd & disjointed because at times its also impressive like it suddenly found its budget again. For an hour & a half I found this movie terrible with nothing setting it apart from stuff like #sanandreas or #geostorm. There are big set pieces upping the pace but like those movies they are a hollow mess of washed out cgi/badly framed fights that just weren't exciting at all. Why a 3? something changes in the last half hour & things do get a little cool for a bit, the score becomes epic, cgi looks great, theres some nice visual touches, #animation has weight & #action invokes some thrill but by then its all a just a bit to late. Theres also some #beautiful artsy establishing shots at times too throughout the movie & the subtle metaphors about the effects of #nuclear #weapons/war & looking after our #planet are well implemented too but thats about it. Im still #excited for #GodzillavsKong but just hoping this is a case of middle film itis but for now there are way better monster movies out there as i cant recomend seeing this one at all to be honest which is such a shame. #shingodzilla #godzillamovie #kong #japan #anime #gojira #kaiju
Bookapotamus (289 KP) rated Playing with Matches in Books
Jun 27, 2018 (Updated Jun 27, 2018)
Fun, but predictable
Ummm can I please be a matchmaker for my job so I can just date cute boys all day and my husband has to let me cause um hello - it's my JOB! OK that sounds weird, and I think I'm a bit old saying "cute boys" but hey, I'm just dreaming right?!
Sasha Goldberg is young, pretty, fresh out of NYU, has a gorgeous boyfriend working in finance, and an amazing roommate who is basically a sister to her. When her dream job working for People.com falls though, she applies to work at Bliss. An elite matchmaking service for those who can afford such a thing. With ZERO experience in the match making business (and almost equally the same amount in dating in general) - she gets hired because of a family secret she reveals, that makes her stand out.
She soon realizes matchmaking is hard work! It's definitely a full time job pairing up the desperate, the picky, the insane! But she is all in - swiping on Tinder for matches for her clients, setting up unique dates, wrangling and fielding calls and texts, giving "advice" to women twice her age!
Her boyfriend Jonathan is perfect and perfect FOR her. She initially thinks, 'hey I've found my forever guy - how hard could it be to help find someone else their one and only?' Until something happens that makes her question if Jonathan really is THAT guy. And question basically every life choice she makes.
I really wish there was a bit more matchmaking stories in this - they were so fun and interesting. But we mostly delve into Sasha and what's going on in her life - and some really horrible choices she makes. I found a lot of her choices a bit unbelievable and her struggle to make them a bit annoying. It's mostly probably because I found her a bit unlikeable and snooty - same with most of the other characters. The storyline was fairly predictable but I zipped through it one day. It was well-structured and easy flowing and fun to follow. The concept and the way the story unfolded was fun as well, and I enjoyed reading it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Touchstone for the opportunity to read and review!
Sasha Goldberg is young, pretty, fresh out of NYU, has a gorgeous boyfriend working in finance, and an amazing roommate who is basically a sister to her. When her dream job working for People.com falls though, she applies to work at Bliss. An elite matchmaking service for those who can afford such a thing. With ZERO experience in the match making business (and almost equally the same amount in dating in general) - she gets hired because of a family secret she reveals, that makes her stand out.
She soon realizes matchmaking is hard work! It's definitely a full time job pairing up the desperate, the picky, the insane! But she is all in - swiping on Tinder for matches for her clients, setting up unique dates, wrangling and fielding calls and texts, giving "advice" to women twice her age!
Her boyfriend Jonathan is perfect and perfect FOR her. She initially thinks, 'hey I've found my forever guy - how hard could it be to help find someone else their one and only?' Until something happens that makes her question if Jonathan really is THAT guy. And question basically every life choice she makes.
I really wish there was a bit more matchmaking stories in this - they were so fun and interesting. But we mostly delve into Sasha and what's going on in her life - and some really horrible choices she makes. I found a lot of her choices a bit unbelievable and her struggle to make them a bit annoying. It's mostly probably because I found her a bit unlikeable and snooty - same with most of the other characters. The storyline was fairly predictable but I zipped through it one day. It was well-structured and easy flowing and fun to follow. The concept and the way the story unfolded was fun as well, and I enjoyed reading it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Touchstone for the opportunity to read and review!
Rachel Howser Roberts (96 KP) rated Crazy Rich Asians in Books
Jun 21, 2018 (Updated Jun 21, 2018)
Modern Cinderella
Imagine if Cinderella lived today, she was a college professor, and she was already dating the Prince Charming of Singapore. That’s what Kwan’s debut novel reminded me of. Rachel Chu agrees to visit her boyfriend’s family in Singapore over the summer, only to slowly realize that they are crazy rich and live a lifestyle very different from how Rachel and Nick live in New York. I found the novel to be a fresh take on the Cinderella-type story. I also enjoyed learning how the crazy rich Asians of the title live.
I found the main character, Rachel, to be quite relatable. Despite the fact, that her mother immigrated from mainland China, Rachel is thoroughly American. She was thrown into this world of the crazy rich with no warning from her boyfriend. I liked that she behaved with dignity, even if she was often unaware of what was happening around her or how to act in a particular social situation.
The character of Nick, Rachel’s boyfriend, is not quite as fleshed out as Rachel’s. The reader sees him being generally a good guy (not participating in drugs and prostitutes brought in for a bachelor party), but I would have liked to see him realize and react to the way his family and family friends behave towards the woman he loves. It does not occur to him that they are treating her abhorrently until near the end of the novel.
The pacing of the novel was quick. Each chapter is from a different point of view, quickly switching from one experience to another. Although the book focused on relationships, and I’m more of a Sci-Fi or suspense girl, I found myself unable to put the book down. I read it in a day.
I honestly picked up this book, because many of my friends are excited about the upcoming movie. After reading the book, I’m excited to see it, too. But as with any movie, I would recommend reading the book first.
Most of all, the book made me want to visit Asia again! I’ve been to Mainland China and Taiwan, but never Singapore. The crazy rich people did not sound pleasant to be around, but I would love to experience the culture. I would love to visit the food stalls Rachel visits as soon as she lands in Singapore.
I found the main character, Rachel, to be quite relatable. Despite the fact, that her mother immigrated from mainland China, Rachel is thoroughly American. She was thrown into this world of the crazy rich with no warning from her boyfriend. I liked that she behaved with dignity, even if she was often unaware of what was happening around her or how to act in a particular social situation.
The character of Nick, Rachel’s boyfriend, is not quite as fleshed out as Rachel’s. The reader sees him being generally a good guy (not participating in drugs and prostitutes brought in for a bachelor party), but I would have liked to see him realize and react to the way his family and family friends behave towards the woman he loves. It does not occur to him that they are treating her abhorrently until near the end of the novel.
The pacing of the novel was quick. Each chapter is from a different point of view, quickly switching from one experience to another. Although the book focused on relationships, and I’m more of a Sci-Fi or suspense girl, I found myself unable to put the book down. I read it in a day.
I honestly picked up this book, because many of my friends are excited about the upcoming movie. After reading the book, I’m excited to see it, too. But as with any movie, I would recommend reading the book first.
Most of all, the book made me want to visit Asia again! I’ve been to Mainland China and Taiwan, but never Singapore. The crazy rich people did not sound pleasant to be around, but I would love to experience the culture. I would love to visit the food stalls Rachel visits as soon as she lands in Singapore.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Broken City (2013) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
In Broken City, Russell Crowe and Mark Wahlberg wade into the streets of a
fictional New York, portraying its mayor and a tormented cop, respectively. This film is very political, and it drives to the heart of an issue found all around our country: corruption at every level, especially the highest.
The story starts with a shooting. As one might imagine, officers are easily found innocent in shootings because of the nature of their job, and thus Billy Taggart(Wahlberg) is found innocent after facing accusations of murder. Unfortunately, Mayor Nicholas Hostetler (Crowe) has damning evidence that would cause considerable harm to the officer — who’s earned a reputation as a hero — as well
as the city leaders, if it were brought to light. He decides to let Taggart go, and allow everyone to save face, with a handshake and a promise of future remembrance.
Seven years later the tides turn, as Private Eye Taggart is asked by Mayor
Hostetler to investigate his wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) for a hefty sum of money.
The cash-strapped Taggart takes the job, but finds himself diving headfirst into a political feeding frenzy two weeks prior to the election. Naturally, drama ensues.
Broken City is not a bad film. The problem is: it’s also not a great film. It has many of the elements of a good movie, but something is missing. It’s hard to blame the writing, as there was well-balanced humor and drama. It’s hard to blame
the cinematography, because the key shots are there. (But some awkward shots are there, too. For example, there’s an odd, segmented spinning shot of Crowe and Wahlberg in the mayor’s office.) It’s hard to blame the acting; everyone does a great job in that regard. But there was just something missing. I wasn’t drawn in.
The movie felt rushed in certain areas, and too long in others. It had major plot holes, like when (spoiler alert) Taggart’s girlfriend disappears, but never resurfaces. The main character never gets a true, deep, passionate call-to-action, which all heroes are supposed to have.
I enjoyed the role of Taggart’s assistant. Even the ending was a fresh take (though somewhat expected, because the main character wasn’t conflicted and chaotic enough to merit an unknown response).
All in all, Broken City is a good movie, but not a great one. You would be well-served to rent or stream it, and save your theater dollars.
fictional New York, portraying its mayor and a tormented cop, respectively. This film is very political, and it drives to the heart of an issue found all around our country: corruption at every level, especially the highest.
The story starts with a shooting. As one might imagine, officers are easily found innocent in shootings because of the nature of their job, and thus Billy Taggart(Wahlberg) is found innocent after facing accusations of murder. Unfortunately, Mayor Nicholas Hostetler (Crowe) has damning evidence that would cause considerable harm to the officer — who’s earned a reputation as a hero — as well
as the city leaders, if it were brought to light. He decides to let Taggart go, and allow everyone to save face, with a handshake and a promise of future remembrance.
Seven years later the tides turn, as Private Eye Taggart is asked by Mayor
Hostetler to investigate his wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) for a hefty sum of money.
The cash-strapped Taggart takes the job, but finds himself diving headfirst into a political feeding frenzy two weeks prior to the election. Naturally, drama ensues.
Broken City is not a bad film. The problem is: it’s also not a great film. It has many of the elements of a good movie, but something is missing. It’s hard to blame the writing, as there was well-balanced humor and drama. It’s hard to blame
the cinematography, because the key shots are there. (But some awkward shots are there, too. For example, there’s an odd, segmented spinning shot of Crowe and Wahlberg in the mayor’s office.) It’s hard to blame the acting; everyone does a great job in that regard. But there was just something missing. I wasn’t drawn in.
The movie felt rushed in certain areas, and too long in others. It had major plot holes, like when (spoiler alert) Taggart’s girlfriend disappears, but never resurfaces. The main character never gets a true, deep, passionate call-to-action, which all heroes are supposed to have.
I enjoyed the role of Taggart’s assistant. Even the ending was a fresh take (though somewhat expected, because the main character wasn’t conflicted and chaotic enough to merit an unknown response).
All in all, Broken City is a good movie, but not a great one. You would be well-served to rent or stream it, and save your theater dollars.
I would rate this 3.5/5 stars.
I’ve never been able to find myself wanting to read Stephen King, and after a few attempts when I was younger to start one of his novels, I still couldn’t and so until this book I have never finished a Stephen King. I persevered through this one because it had been lent to me by a friend with a good review and I had watched the tv series based on it a few years ago.
The start of this novel was very slow and confused me in a few points (but I think that was intentional as our main character – Jake Epping – was also pretty confused at the same time). But because not much was happening, I kept putting the book down, distracted to do something else and really having to force myself to pick it back up. Once I managed to get to part 2, I found that I was much more interested in the story and the plot line and it wasn’t such a chore to make the time to read it. I then had a difficult time to put the book down, and most nights I was only putting it down because I was falling asleep in the middle of a sentence! I read the last quarter of the book in a day, because I just wanted to know what was going to happen and whether he was going to be able to stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
Overall, I found the concept very interesting and not just the time travel. I found the concept of the past not wanting to be changed and actively trying to stop someone from changing it interesting, and sometimes it was quite comical the amount of things that went wrong when Jake was trying to change the past. I did, however, find the ending very disappointing. It felt like it was starting to be set up for a different ending and then at the last minute the author decided to change it completely. It just didn’t seem to fit with the set up of the last chapter or so, but I can see why it was done and that the ending that was being set up wouldn’t work in terms of not changing the past.
A very interesting read, but with a disappointing ending, but I would still recommend it!
I’ve never been able to find myself wanting to read Stephen King, and after a few attempts when I was younger to start one of his novels, I still couldn’t and so until this book I have never finished a Stephen King. I persevered through this one because it had been lent to me by a friend with a good review and I had watched the tv series based on it a few years ago.
The start of this novel was very slow and confused me in a few points (but I think that was intentional as our main character – Jake Epping – was also pretty confused at the same time). But because not much was happening, I kept putting the book down, distracted to do something else and really having to force myself to pick it back up. Once I managed to get to part 2, I found that I was much more interested in the story and the plot line and it wasn’t such a chore to make the time to read it. I then had a difficult time to put the book down, and most nights I was only putting it down because I was falling asleep in the middle of a sentence! I read the last quarter of the book in a day, because I just wanted to know what was going to happen and whether he was going to be able to stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
Overall, I found the concept very interesting and not just the time travel. I found the concept of the past not wanting to be changed and actively trying to stop someone from changing it interesting, and sometimes it was quite comical the amount of things that went wrong when Jake was trying to change the past. I did, however, find the ending very disappointing. It felt like it was starting to be set up for a different ending and then at the last minute the author decided to change it completely. It just didn’t seem to fit with the set up of the last chapter or so, but I can see why it was done and that the ending that was being set up wouldn’t work in terms of not changing the past.
A very interesting read, but with a disappointing ending, but I would still recommend it!
Laura Doe (1350 KP) rated The Favour in Books
Mar 12, 2021
When I first started reading The Favour, I couldn’t bring myself to like the main character Ada at all. I found her to be quite whiny and wanting to be someone she wasn’t, and as the book continued I started to find myself pitying her as she tried to fit in with the group of (mostly awful) art history students while they were travelling Italy. I then grew to dislike her again as she tagged along with the group well into their adult life and being somewhat oblivious to Lorcan and Annabelle’s “generosity” being because they felt indebted to her. My mind changed again in part three, to genuinely beginning to like Ada as she finally seemed to have figured things out for herself.
The scenes that Laura Vaughn paints of Italy are beautiful, and made me want to visit the various different places that the students did to take in the sights of Italy for myself. The art that was described were so descriptive that I could almost envision them and upon looking them up I found that the pieces that were described more in depth weren’t that far off what I had imagined.
While the first two parts of the book were very descriptive (although I wished that the tour of Italy they went on was described more!) I found them to be quite slow. But when it got to the third part of the book, and the group going back to Italy, that’s when things really started to pick up in pace and get exciting. I couldn’t put the book down at all for part three! In the last 100 pages or so, so much was revealed of that fateful night that I had to go back and reread paragraphs as I was so shocked! It wasn’t until 15 pages before the end I realised what Mallory had actually seen, and the revelation of what had been happening all those years before was something I hadn’t seen coming at all! The last two pages were even more of a shock and completely turned some of the events on their head. Some amazing twists at the end of the book, which made the slow but descriptive start completely worth it. I will definitely be recommending this to anyone who asks and anyone who enjoys a good book with some unpredictable twists!
Overall, I would give this 4/5 stars!
The scenes that Laura Vaughn paints of Italy are beautiful, and made me want to visit the various different places that the students did to take in the sights of Italy for myself. The art that was described were so descriptive that I could almost envision them and upon looking them up I found that the pieces that were described more in depth weren’t that far off what I had imagined.
While the first two parts of the book were very descriptive (although I wished that the tour of Italy they went on was described more!) I found them to be quite slow. But when it got to the third part of the book, and the group going back to Italy, that’s when things really started to pick up in pace and get exciting. I couldn’t put the book down at all for part three! In the last 100 pages or so, so much was revealed of that fateful night that I had to go back and reread paragraphs as I was so shocked! It wasn’t until 15 pages before the end I realised what Mallory had actually seen, and the revelation of what had been happening all those years before was something I hadn’t seen coming at all! The last two pages were even more of a shock and completely turned some of the events on their head. Some amazing twists at the end of the book, which made the slow but descriptive start completely worth it. I will definitely be recommending this to anyone who asks and anyone who enjoys a good book with some unpredictable twists!
Overall, I would give this 4/5 stars!
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated The Funhouse in Books
Nov 11, 2020
Contains spoilers, click to show
I'll start off by saying that this is a re release of the Funhouse which was originally written under the pseudonym of Owen West.
I found the Funhouse to be a little disappointing, the majority of the book spends it's time building up to a big confrontation between Conrad, the main antagonist and Amy. Over 200 something pages we switch between finding out how Conrad is searching for Amy and what he will do to her to get revenge on her mother and how the past has already affected Amy's mother only for the final confrontation to take around 10 pages, most of which Conrad is not involved in the action and, when he does show up he's dealt with in a couple of sentences.
In the edition I read there is an afterword by Dean Koontz where he explains the history of the book, it was to be a book based on a film and, he had hoped that it would be the fist of many which is why it was written under the pseudonym Owen West. One thing the author says is that, because he had to work form a film script there wasn't much in the way of character building and so he had to spend time working on the back story. And I think that's part of the problem, the book shows us how events in Amy's mother's past have affected her mothers out look on life and her children and we see how the same events led Conrad down his path of revenge but the book ends with Amy and her brother leaving the fun house after escaping Conrad, which is probably the films end, the protagonist deals with the bad guy, walks away and cut to credits. However, with all the time spent on the character building I felt like we, the reader could have done with a bit more, probably only one more chapter but I would have liked to know how Amy's mother would have reacted when she found out what Conrad had done (As the book ended she didn't even know Conrad was around) and how it would have changed her outlook on her family. Would she have found the peace and forgiveness she was looking for? and would she stop treating her own children as monsters?
Over all 'The Funhouse' had it's moments but the felt like a let down with its quick ending.
I found the Funhouse to be a little disappointing, the majority of the book spends it's time building up to a big confrontation between Conrad, the main antagonist and Amy. Over 200 something pages we switch between finding out how Conrad is searching for Amy and what he will do to her to get revenge on her mother and how the past has already affected Amy's mother only for the final confrontation to take around 10 pages, most of which Conrad is not involved in the action and, when he does show up he's dealt with in a couple of sentences.
In the edition I read there is an afterword by Dean Koontz where he explains the history of the book, it was to be a book based on a film and, he had hoped that it would be the fist of many which is why it was written under the pseudonym Owen West. One thing the author says is that, because he had to work form a film script there wasn't much in the way of character building and so he had to spend time working on the back story. And I think that's part of the problem, the book shows us how events in Amy's mother's past have affected her mothers out look on life and her children and we see how the same events led Conrad down his path of revenge but the book ends with Amy and her brother leaving the fun house after escaping Conrad, which is probably the films end, the protagonist deals with the bad guy, walks away and cut to credits. However, with all the time spent on the character building I felt like we, the reader could have done with a bit more, probably only one more chapter but I would have liked to know how Amy's mother would have reacted when she found out what Conrad had done (As the book ended she didn't even know Conrad was around) and how it would have changed her outlook on her family. Would she have found the peace and forgiveness she was looking for? and would she stop treating her own children as monsters?
Over all 'The Funhouse' had it's moments but the felt like a let down with its quick ending.