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Merissa (12038 KP) rated Air Witch (Witches of Westwood Academy #2) in Books
May 29, 2023
AIR WITCH is the second book in the Witches of Westwood Academy series and, although it follows on from Water Witch, you could read it as a standalone and still understand the story.
Maia is the poor little rich girl (her words, not mine) with issues at home she won't tell anyone about, plus she is getting grief from one of the Assistants. She wants to get perfect grades so she can stay on at school and not become a magical battery for the male half of her family to leech from. Enoch Zell is the assistant who keeps on giving her B's instead of A's, thus lowering her overall grade.
I loved the magical side of it, although I would have liked to have known more about Maia's talents of her own, not just when she is with Enoch. I liked how she was sent to school to become powerful enough so she could be drained, but not too powerful to break free. I also loved the idea of the perfume and how that worked!
The relationship with Enoch was a bit abrupt. We get told time has passed with nothing but snark between them. Along comes Enid and he is there in the dorm room, which Maia vacates. Then... one meeting on a rooftop and it's all on. It just seemed rather quick to me, with nothing much building up to it.
Saying that, I still thoroughly enjoyed the story and being back in the Academy. Along with the Meriweathers, I really hope those Professors were looked at too! A great addition to the series and I look forward to Fire Witch. Definitely recommended by me.
** 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jan 21, 2023
Maia is the poor little rich girl (her words, not mine) with issues at home she won't tell anyone about, plus she is getting grief from one of the Assistants. She wants to get perfect grades so she can stay on at school and not become a magical battery for the male half of her family to leech from. Enoch Zell is the assistant who keeps on giving her B's instead of A's, thus lowering her overall grade.
I loved the magical side of it, although I would have liked to have known more about Maia's talents of her own, not just when she is with Enoch. I liked how she was sent to school to become powerful enough so she could be drained, but not too powerful to break free. I also loved the idea of the perfume and how that worked!
The relationship with Enoch was a bit abrupt. We get told time has passed with nothing but snark between them. Along comes Enid and he is there in the dorm room, which Maia vacates. Then... one meeting on a rooftop and it's all on. It just seemed rather quick to me, with nothing much building up to it.
Saying that, I still thoroughly enjoyed the story and being back in the Academy. Along with the Meriweathers, I really hope those Professors were looked at too! A great addition to the series and I look forward to Fire Witch. Definitely recommended by me.
** 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jan 21, 2023
Merissa (12038 KP) rated Apollo's Raven (Curse of Clansmen and Kings #1) in Books
Jun 3, 2022 (Updated Jun 13, 2023)
APOLLO'S RAVEN is the first book in the Curse of Clansmen and Kings series and prepare yourself! You are about to enter a book full of twisted tales and layers of intrigue. I mean, come on! Curses, Romans, and Celts - what more could I ask for?
This is a long book, giving you ample time to lose yourself in Ancient Britannia, where Catrin sees Romans come to land through her raven's eyes. This event sets off a chain that will see her fall in love and come into her powers and many other things. Marcellus is there at his father's command, basically seeing if the timing for an invasion is good or not.
There is an instant connection between the two that could just be the infatuation between two young teens. However, as the story goes, it is true love and they are bound together forever. This, I found a little hard to believe as they know nothing about each other past their attraction, and constantly doubt each other, believing them to be betraying them, etc. I hope their relationship develops and matures as the books progress as both of them acted childishly at times.
I enjoyed the story but found some parts a bit difficult to digest. For instance, there was a whole lot more to druids than just being sorcerers or priests but none of that is mentioned. I was confused by the term 'druid powers' as that could encompass a whole manner of things.
Bear in mind it is the first book, so there are lots of things left unanswered. I am hopeful for more information in the following books. This was an enjoyable story and I look forward to reading more in this series.
** 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jun 2, 2022
This is a long book, giving you ample time to lose yourself in Ancient Britannia, where Catrin sees Romans come to land through her raven's eyes. This event sets off a chain that will see her fall in love and come into her powers and many other things. Marcellus is there at his father's command, basically seeing if the timing for an invasion is good or not.
There is an instant connection between the two that could just be the infatuation between two young teens. However, as the story goes, it is true love and they are bound together forever. This, I found a little hard to believe as they know nothing about each other past their attraction, and constantly doubt each other, believing them to be betraying them, etc. I hope their relationship develops and matures as the books progress as both of them acted childishly at times.
I enjoyed the story but found some parts a bit difficult to digest. For instance, there was a whole lot more to druids than just being sorcerers or priests but none of that is mentioned. I was confused by the term 'druid powers' as that could encompass a whole manner of things.
Bear in mind it is the first book, so there are lots of things left unanswered. I am hopeful for more information in the following books. This was an enjoyable story and I look forward to reading more in this series.
** 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jun 2, 2022
BEARLY GOLD is the second in the Fairy Tale Fatale series and is a very imaginative retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
'Goldilocks' is a young, incredibly brave girl who has seen and suffered more than any should do. Our main character, Fayola, is a lightning bird of legend, an impundulu. She is on her fortieth mission, after which she will be free to do what she wants with her life. But that fortieth mission brings untold action and the saving of children from a war-torn area. Initially, she doesn't want to. She wants to finish her mission and go home. But how can she leave them?
Featuring bear and elephant shifters, plus impundulu, as well as humans, this is an intricate and twisting story, telling the dark tale of child trafficking. It is lightened in places by Fay's musings, her friends and family, plus romantic elements with Jelani - her long-term partner. It is also violent in places but, I can honestly say, I really didn't care because it couldn't happen to nicer people!!!
This series is simply amazing, covering dark topics. I can't wait to read the next in this series, whichever story it is. HIGHLY recommended by me.
As an aside, there is a simply amazing line spoken in the book which rings true. I'm using the words as written by the author in her notes at the end:
"Heroes are needed in this fight. Not vampiric lightning birds of lore but informed and caring human beings. Child trafficking is not inconsequential but bringing the crime to its overdue end requires people to, like Fayola, engage in the fine art of giving a shit."
** 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!
Jun 19, 2022
'Goldilocks' is a young, incredibly brave girl who has seen and suffered more than any should do. Our main character, Fayola, is a lightning bird of legend, an impundulu. She is on her fortieth mission, after which she will be free to do what she wants with her life. But that fortieth mission brings untold action and the saving of children from a war-torn area. Initially, she doesn't want to. She wants to finish her mission and go home. But how can she leave them?
Featuring bear and elephant shifters, plus impundulu, as well as humans, this is an intricate and twisting story, telling the dark tale of child trafficking. It is lightened in places by Fay's musings, her friends and family, plus romantic elements with Jelani - her long-term partner. It is also violent in places but, I can honestly say, I really didn't care because it couldn't happen to nicer people!!!
This series is simply amazing, covering dark topics. I can't wait to read the next in this series, whichever story it is. HIGHLY recommended by me.
As an aside, there is a simply amazing line spoken in the book which rings true. I'm using the words as written by the author in her notes at the end:
"Heroes are needed in this fight. Not vampiric lightning birds of lore but informed and caring human beings. Child trafficking is not inconsequential but bringing the crime to its overdue end requires people to, like Fayola, engage in the fine art of giving a shit."
** 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!
Jun 19, 2022
Merissa (12038 KP) rated The Impassioned Choice (Etherya's Earth #5) in Books
Mar 28, 2022 (Updated Jun 30, 2023)
THE IMPASSIONED CHOICE is the fifth book in the Etherya's Earth series and is the one that broke me! I've loved every book in the series so far, but this one may just be my favourite.
Heden is the youngest brother and the one who has hidden any pain behind jokes. He is the one who feels as though he doesn't quite fit in, although you'd never know it. Finding spyware on his servers leads him to Sofia, someone who was out for vengeance but had a change of heart when she realised innocent people, including children, would be hurt by her actions.
Oh, man! Be still my beating heart! And bear with me as I try to explain without giving any spoilers. All of the couples so far have been destined to be together. We knew it from the first page. And so were Heden and Sofia. But the odds really are stacked against them. Everyone looks at the problems from one direction. Now, I know why they did! My brain went the other way, but I just couldn't comprehend it, so I returned to the way they were going. And that's all I'm saying! If you want to figure out just what I'm waffling on about, read it!!!
My eyes were constantly leaking from about 90% onwards. I did get a break when Miranda and Ken saved me by finding some lost scrolls, allowing me to get my breath back. But my eyes were soon leaking again. So be warned.
An absolutely brilliant addition to the series that I have loved. I really can't recommend both this book, and the series, highly enough.
** 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Mar 28, 2022
Heden is the youngest brother and the one who has hidden any pain behind jokes. He is the one who feels as though he doesn't quite fit in, although you'd never know it. Finding spyware on his servers leads him to Sofia, someone who was out for vengeance but had a change of heart when she realised innocent people, including children, would be hurt by her actions.
Oh, man! Be still my beating heart! And bear with me as I try to explain without giving any spoilers. All of the couples so far have been destined to be together. We knew it from the first page. And so were Heden and Sofia. But the odds really are stacked against them. Everyone looks at the problems from one direction. Now, I know why they did! My brain went the other way, but I just couldn't comprehend it, so I returned to the way they were going. And that's all I'm saying! If you want to figure out just what I'm waffling on about, read it!!!
My eyes were constantly leaking from about 90% onwards. I did get a break when Miranda and Ken saved me by finding some lost scrolls, allowing me to get my breath back. But my eyes were soon leaking again. So be warned.
An absolutely brilliant addition to the series that I have loved. I really can't recommend both this book, and the series, highly enough.
** 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Mar 28, 2022
Phoenix Rising
8.0
Rate It
Book
Phoenix Aalto had everything he wanted in life. His own bakery, close friends, and his plants.There...
Contemporary MMM Romance Best Friends to Lovers Bisexual Awakening
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated The Sinner - Season 1 in TV
Nov 30, 2017 (Updated Nov 30, 2017)
Barely any of the characters were sympathetic or relatable (3 more)
The ending was dissatisfying
So many wasted episodes
It was only 9 episodes long, but it felt far longer
A Sin That This Wasn't Better
This show came highly recommended to me by sources that I usually trust, but it turned out to be a total let down. The show opens with a young family going to the beach. The mother who is played by Jessica Biel, suddenly walks over to another young man on the beach and stabs him to death in front of over a hundred witnesses in broad daylight. She is then arrested and the show spends the next 8 episodes clumsily trying to explain why she committed this heinous act.
I like Jessica Biel, I like Bill Pullman and I like Christopher Abbott, who plays the husband to Biel's Cora Tannetti. I like mysterious shows about crime and murder. I should have loved this, but I thought it was a train wreck from start to finish. During the first episode we see the murder occur in graphic detail, then the next couple of episodes ask why she did what she did and then you start to wonder, "how are they going to manage to drag this out for another six episodes without it getting stale?" The answer is, they aren't and it gets old fast. In this sense, the writing is a mess.
Sometimes though, a show can have messy writing, but be saved by it's cast of characters. However, that is absolutely not the case here. Cora is the main character of the show, so I think we are supposed to feel some sort of connection to her, yet she is so grossly off-putting in every way, I was actually was hoping to see her get the death sentence. At first you see her committing this atrocity, which obviously causes you to take an instant dislike to her, but you expect as the show goes on and we learn more about her, that we will eventually feel sympathetic towards her. In fact, the exact opposite is true, every new facet of information that I learned about her backstory just made me hate her more and at no point did I feel like I was on her side.
There is also a flashback subplot going on, which shows Cora as a suspiciously old looking teenager, as for some reason Jessica Biel is still playing the role of the teenage Cora. Through this we see her family life growing up, but her family are some of the most dislikeable characters I have seen in a TV show in years. Her mother is a religious nut to the point of insanity, her father is sleeping with the next door neighbour and her terminally ill sister is such a little shit that you don't feel any sympathy towards her for her illness and you end up hoping she will die sooner rather than later.
I'll try to discuss the ending without giving away any major spoilers, but for those who haven't yet seen the show, you may want to skip to the final paragraph. At around the episode 5 mark, I was very close to giving up on this show, but I had heard that the ending was amazing, so I stuck with it. What a waste of time that turned out to be. The reveal itself was a huge let down and after everything was revealed, I still felt that the murder victim didn't deserve to die and I thought that Cora pretty much getting away with murder was so dissatisfying and undeserved.
Overall, this show is pretty awful. There are so many plot threads that go nowhere, the writing thinks it is far more clever than it actually is, actors that I normally like are playing entirely dislikeable characters and the whole thing seems far longer than just nine episodes. The ending isn't worth sticking around for and really the show is just tons of wasted potential. Do yourself a favour and give this a skip, there are far better shows available to watch on Netflix.
I like Jessica Biel, I like Bill Pullman and I like Christopher Abbott, who plays the husband to Biel's Cora Tannetti. I like mysterious shows about crime and murder. I should have loved this, but I thought it was a train wreck from start to finish. During the first episode we see the murder occur in graphic detail, then the next couple of episodes ask why she did what she did and then you start to wonder, "how are they going to manage to drag this out for another six episodes without it getting stale?" The answer is, they aren't and it gets old fast. In this sense, the writing is a mess.
Sometimes though, a show can have messy writing, but be saved by it's cast of characters. However, that is absolutely not the case here. Cora is the main character of the show, so I think we are supposed to feel some sort of connection to her, yet she is so grossly off-putting in every way, I was actually was hoping to see her get the death sentence. At first you see her committing this atrocity, which obviously causes you to take an instant dislike to her, but you expect as the show goes on and we learn more about her, that we will eventually feel sympathetic towards her. In fact, the exact opposite is true, every new facet of information that I learned about her backstory just made me hate her more and at no point did I feel like I was on her side.
There is also a flashback subplot going on, which shows Cora as a suspiciously old looking teenager, as for some reason Jessica Biel is still playing the role of the teenage Cora. Through this we see her family life growing up, but her family are some of the most dislikeable characters I have seen in a TV show in years. Her mother is a religious nut to the point of insanity, her father is sleeping with the next door neighbour and her terminally ill sister is such a little shit that you don't feel any sympathy towards her for her illness and you end up hoping she will die sooner rather than later.
I'll try to discuss the ending without giving away any major spoilers, but for those who haven't yet seen the show, you may want to skip to the final paragraph. At around the episode 5 mark, I was very close to giving up on this show, but I had heard that the ending was amazing, so I stuck with it. What a waste of time that turned out to be. The reveal itself was a huge let down and after everything was revealed, I still felt that the murder victim didn't deserve to die and I thought that Cora pretty much getting away with murder was so dissatisfying and undeserved.
Overall, this show is pretty awful. There are so many plot threads that go nowhere, the writing thinks it is far more clever than it actually is, actors that I normally like are playing entirely dislikeable characters and the whole thing seems far longer than just nine episodes. The ending isn't worth sticking around for and really the show is just tons of wasted potential. Do yourself a favour and give this a skip, there are far better shows available to watch on Netflix.
Fred (860 KP) rated Terraforming Mars in Tabletop Games
Mar 6, 2018
Good game, with one major flaw. The victory points on the cards. See, I've played 4 games of this so far (and one solo) & each time, the victory came due to whoever had the most victory points with their cards. Nothing else mattered. No matter the strategy, no matter the milestones or awards. It was the cards. And here's the problem with that. Getting cards with victory points is luck. You either get them or you don't. First game I played, I didn't even pay attention. I was well ahead of one player, and a few behind the leader. Then, the player in last counted his victory points on the cards & zoomed ahead, winning by at least 10 points. Must have had near to 30 points in cards alone.
Second game, I played against my wife & went for the cards & easily won.
Third game, I played against 4 players & again went for the cards. I got a lot of them & won the game easily. My friend, who had won the first game, said, "I was trying to get the cards with victory points, but I hardly got any. I played every one I got & only got a few points."
Fourth game. Played with my brother, his wife & my wife. Everyone played well, & we were pretty much even along the TR line. I got 3 of the milestones, giving me 15 victory points at the end of the game, which made my brother exclaim that it wasn't fair because he was going to get them, but each time, I went before him in the generation & that those 15 points would win me the game. He grabbed 3 of the awards, but only scored 12 points, while I scored 2 more points & my wife scored 7 points. Scoring for greenery, I got another 7 points. I was well ahead & thought victory was mine. We then started to count the points on our cards. As I was counting, I glanced up to see my brother moving his score cube past mine...way past mine. I thought that he must be cheating & he assured me that he had all these points. I looked at his cards & he had indeed all the points he said. I counted my points. 4. 4 points. What happened to my friend last game, had happened to me. I played every card I got that gave victory points & got 4 points. Actually, I had one more card that would have given me 3 more points, but I needed to already have a card that had a bacteria tag on it. But again, with the luck of the draw, I never got one to play, the entire game.
Now, there's nothing wrong with luck in games. I mean, every dice game is all luck. Every card game, is mostly luck. There is some strategy to the game, but it's basically play what you can to improve. And most people can figure this out & keep the game even. But with this game, every winner has won by at least 10 points & each has won with the points on cards alone.
While this may break a game for some people, I still find the game fun to play. I like the theme & I like the components. Even though the cards are thin & the ME(money) cubes are already flaking, I still like them. The luck factor is good in a way, as it means that one person can't be ridiculously good at the game & win every time. But this is not for everyone. My friend is very competitive & only wants to win. He's the kind of guy that goes online to find strategies on how to win, uses them, wins every game & thus ruins the game for everyone but him.
My bottom line is I like the game. It is one of my current favorites. The solo game is very good too. It's fairly quick, compared to the multi-player game. Less than half the time of the full game. I do recommend it to players who don't care too much about winning every game. You're not going to. Get used to it. Even though this is a major flaw for some, I'm still giving it 7 out of 10 for fun.
Second game, I played against my wife & went for the cards & easily won.
Third game, I played against 4 players & again went for the cards. I got a lot of them & won the game easily. My friend, who had won the first game, said, "I was trying to get the cards with victory points, but I hardly got any. I played every one I got & only got a few points."
Fourth game. Played with my brother, his wife & my wife. Everyone played well, & we were pretty much even along the TR line. I got 3 of the milestones, giving me 15 victory points at the end of the game, which made my brother exclaim that it wasn't fair because he was going to get them, but each time, I went before him in the generation & that those 15 points would win me the game. He grabbed 3 of the awards, but only scored 12 points, while I scored 2 more points & my wife scored 7 points. Scoring for greenery, I got another 7 points. I was well ahead & thought victory was mine. We then started to count the points on our cards. As I was counting, I glanced up to see my brother moving his score cube past mine...way past mine. I thought that he must be cheating & he assured me that he had all these points. I looked at his cards & he had indeed all the points he said. I counted my points. 4. 4 points. What happened to my friend last game, had happened to me. I played every card I got that gave victory points & got 4 points. Actually, I had one more card that would have given me 3 more points, but I needed to already have a card that had a bacteria tag on it. But again, with the luck of the draw, I never got one to play, the entire game.
Now, there's nothing wrong with luck in games. I mean, every dice game is all luck. Every card game, is mostly luck. There is some strategy to the game, but it's basically play what you can to improve. And most people can figure this out & keep the game even. But with this game, every winner has won by at least 10 points & each has won with the points on cards alone.
While this may break a game for some people, I still find the game fun to play. I like the theme & I like the components. Even though the cards are thin & the ME(money) cubes are already flaking, I still like them. The luck factor is good in a way, as it means that one person can't be ridiculously good at the game & win every time. But this is not for everyone. My friend is very competitive & only wants to win. He's the kind of guy that goes online to find strategies on how to win, uses them, wins every game & thus ruins the game for everyone but him.
My bottom line is I like the game. It is one of my current favorites. The solo game is very good too. It's fairly quick, compared to the multi-player game. Less than half the time of the full game. I do recommend it to players who don't care too much about winning every game. You're not going to. Get used to it. Even though this is a major flaw for some, I'm still giving it 7 out of 10 for fun.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated The Uninvited in Books
Jun 7, 2018
(This review can also be found on my blog <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.co.uk">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a>).
When I saw that Liz Jensen had written a new book, I knew I wanted to read it. I loved her book The Rapture and was hoping The Uninvited would be just as good. However, I was disappointed with this book.
Hesketh is a man who has Asperger's Syndrome. He is sent by his company to investigate cases of whistle blowers and sabotage within companies. When Hesketh goes to investigate his first case in Taiwan, he gets more than he bargained for. The supposed whistle blower seems to be talking non-sense. The next day, the whistle blower commits suicide. Soon, this is happening all over the world. Not only that, but it children all over the world are attacking adults. What's going on? Will Hesketh be able to find the answer before it's too late?
The title of The Uninvited suits the book. Like most of my reviews, I don't want to go into too much detail as to why the title fits because I don't want to give away any spoilers.
I found this particular cover to be a bit plain for my liking. The cover didn't catch my attention. (It was the synopsis that did). This cover doesn't really give too much away about what the story is going to be about. To me, the cover just looks like some spoilt child hiding in her room trying to spy on what's going on which has nothing to do with the actual story of the book!!
The world building is very believable. I could actually imagine everything written in the book happening as the author was writing about it. I had no qualms about the world building. The author brings this dystopian world to life beautifully and scarily so!
Unfortunately, the pacing was horrible in this book. I had to force myself to read it and finish it which is a shame because I really wanted to love The Uninvited. The story just went on too slowly for my liking. A lot of the time, I was contemplating giving up on this book, but I've read a lot of books that get better towards the end. However, this wasn't the case with this book. It never got any better. It was a slow read throughout.
The dialogue, to me, confused me. It featured a lot of science jargon that I didn't understand. I found myself completely lost through most of this book. The ending, especially, left me the most confused. I didn't understand why or how. I just felt it was never fully explained which left me feeling rather annoyed.
The characters just felt too one dimensional. I couldn't relate to any of them, and I didn't care what happened to them. The character of Hesketh just came across really annoying. Yes, I understand he has Asperger's but so does my son, and he's no where as annoying as Hesketh. (And I'm not just saying that because he's my son). Throughout the book, Hesketh repeats things to himself three times, and he's constantly talking about his origami. I realise that he has his little quirks, but I felt as if Hesketh's origami was being shoved down my throat. If I had to pick a favourite character, it was be Professor Whybray. He just had that lovely old man quality and came across feeling grandfatherly.
All in all, I think the idea of this story is a great one, but it was just poorly executed. The pacing was too slow, the characters were too dull, and the dialogue was just too confusing. Like I said, I really wanted to enjoy this book as Liz Jenson has written some wonderful books before this one.
I really wouldn't recommend this book, but if you'd like to give it a try, I'd say ages 16+ would be the best ages to try to enjoy it.
I'd give The Uninvited by Liz Jensen a 1.5 out of 5.
(A special thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review).
When I saw that Liz Jensen had written a new book, I knew I wanted to read it. I loved her book The Rapture and was hoping The Uninvited would be just as good. However, I was disappointed with this book.
Hesketh is a man who has Asperger's Syndrome. He is sent by his company to investigate cases of whistle blowers and sabotage within companies. When Hesketh goes to investigate his first case in Taiwan, he gets more than he bargained for. The supposed whistle blower seems to be talking non-sense. The next day, the whistle blower commits suicide. Soon, this is happening all over the world. Not only that, but it children all over the world are attacking adults. What's going on? Will Hesketh be able to find the answer before it's too late?
The title of The Uninvited suits the book. Like most of my reviews, I don't want to go into too much detail as to why the title fits because I don't want to give away any spoilers.
I found this particular cover to be a bit plain for my liking. The cover didn't catch my attention. (It was the synopsis that did). This cover doesn't really give too much away about what the story is going to be about. To me, the cover just looks like some spoilt child hiding in her room trying to spy on what's going on which has nothing to do with the actual story of the book!!
The world building is very believable. I could actually imagine everything written in the book happening as the author was writing about it. I had no qualms about the world building. The author brings this dystopian world to life beautifully and scarily so!
Unfortunately, the pacing was horrible in this book. I had to force myself to read it and finish it which is a shame because I really wanted to love The Uninvited. The story just went on too slowly for my liking. A lot of the time, I was contemplating giving up on this book, but I've read a lot of books that get better towards the end. However, this wasn't the case with this book. It never got any better. It was a slow read throughout.
The dialogue, to me, confused me. It featured a lot of science jargon that I didn't understand. I found myself completely lost through most of this book. The ending, especially, left me the most confused. I didn't understand why or how. I just felt it was never fully explained which left me feeling rather annoyed.
The characters just felt too one dimensional. I couldn't relate to any of them, and I didn't care what happened to them. The character of Hesketh just came across really annoying. Yes, I understand he has Asperger's but so does my son, and he's no where as annoying as Hesketh. (And I'm not just saying that because he's my son). Throughout the book, Hesketh repeats things to himself three times, and he's constantly talking about his origami. I realise that he has his little quirks, but I felt as if Hesketh's origami was being shoved down my throat. If I had to pick a favourite character, it was be Professor Whybray. He just had that lovely old man quality and came across feeling grandfatherly.
All in all, I think the idea of this story is a great one, but it was just poorly executed. The pacing was too slow, the characters were too dull, and the dialogue was just too confusing. Like I said, I really wanted to enjoy this book as Liz Jenson has written some wonderful books before this one.
I really wouldn't recommend this book, but if you'd like to give it a try, I'd say ages 16+ would be the best ages to try to enjoy it.
I'd give The Uninvited by Liz Jensen a 1.5 out of 5.
(A special thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review).
Lucy Buglass (45 KP) rated Vice (2018) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
A patronising mess of a film
If you want to learn how to completely and utterly fail at satire, look no further than Adam McKay’s Vice. It honestly does pain me to say this was one of the worst experiences I’ve ever had in the cinema. As a matter of fact, I was seconds away from walking out at one point. But, like any good critic, I stayed in my seat. I hoped and prayed it would get better… but it didn’t. If anything, it snowballed.
Vice is a ‘comedy’ (I’ve put this in quotation marks because there’s nothing funny about it) biopic about former American Vice President, Dick Cheney. The film attempts to give us further insight into his life, and how he got away with all the horrible things he did whilst in office. On paper, it actually sounds pretty appealing, especially for someone like me who knows very little about the man. On screen, it is an entirely different experience. 24 hours later, I’m still shocked by how appalling it was.
So, what has Vice done to receive such a scathing review from me? First and foremost, the dialogue is horrendously condescending and talks to the audience like they’re complete idiots. I have never seen such a patronising and immature biopic in my entire life. I’m not sure what’s more obnoxious: Cheney himself or the tone of the film. Maybe they’re on par with each other. I was barely half an hour into this when I was already starting to feel angry about the way they addressed things. You can give your audience context without talking down to them. The film did everything it could to seem edgy and like it was giving the audience the finger, but I just sat there cringing the whole time. It failed.
Secondly, the narrative is all over the place. I’m perfectly fine with non-linear stories, provided they actually make sense. Vice doesn’t know whether it’s coming or going, and changes between the past and future constantly. The pacing is an absolute shambles and makes the film feel longer than it actually is. It runs at just over 2 hours, but feels so much longer than that. I have never wanted a film to end so badly. In fact, I was ready to get up and leave when they decided to throw in a fake ending in an attempt to be funny. Yes, that actually happens. No, I didn’t laugh.
Don’t even get me started on the way it sloppily splices random pictures and video clips throughout the film, making me wonder who on earth nominated this for Best Editing. Are they okay? Without spoiling this too much, Vice’s editing is incredibly jarring and decides to patronise the audience even further by giving visual aids to the idioms that are described by the narrator. At one point it even tries to condescendingly explain Guantanamo Bay, which just caused me to facepalm. What were you thinking guys?
Having said all of this, does the film have some redeeming features? Sure. The quality of the acting is good, I enjoyed Christian Bale as Cheney and Amy Adams as his equally awful wife, Lynne. I also enjoyed Steve Carell as Donald Rumsfeld and Sam Rockwell as George W Bush. It is a shame to waste such great talent on a script as weak as this one. If someone had written this better, maybe I would’ve enjoyed it a lot more. Sadly, I’m stuck with this one. I’m baffled by how anyone can consider this to be a well written script. If anyone wants to enlighten me, by all means, try.
If I never have to watch Vice again, I’ll be fine with that. I feel completely let down by McKay, and this hurts more considering I like some of his other films such as Anchorman and Step Brothers. He’s better than this, and I hope he can redeem himself with whatever he creates next.
https://lucygoestohollywood.com/2019/02/03/a-patronising-mess-of-a-film-my-review-of-vice/
Vice is a ‘comedy’ (I’ve put this in quotation marks because there’s nothing funny about it) biopic about former American Vice President, Dick Cheney. The film attempts to give us further insight into his life, and how he got away with all the horrible things he did whilst in office. On paper, it actually sounds pretty appealing, especially for someone like me who knows very little about the man. On screen, it is an entirely different experience. 24 hours later, I’m still shocked by how appalling it was.
So, what has Vice done to receive such a scathing review from me? First and foremost, the dialogue is horrendously condescending and talks to the audience like they’re complete idiots. I have never seen such a patronising and immature biopic in my entire life. I’m not sure what’s more obnoxious: Cheney himself or the tone of the film. Maybe they’re on par with each other. I was barely half an hour into this when I was already starting to feel angry about the way they addressed things. You can give your audience context without talking down to them. The film did everything it could to seem edgy and like it was giving the audience the finger, but I just sat there cringing the whole time. It failed.
Secondly, the narrative is all over the place. I’m perfectly fine with non-linear stories, provided they actually make sense. Vice doesn’t know whether it’s coming or going, and changes between the past and future constantly. The pacing is an absolute shambles and makes the film feel longer than it actually is. It runs at just over 2 hours, but feels so much longer than that. I have never wanted a film to end so badly. In fact, I was ready to get up and leave when they decided to throw in a fake ending in an attempt to be funny. Yes, that actually happens. No, I didn’t laugh.
Don’t even get me started on the way it sloppily splices random pictures and video clips throughout the film, making me wonder who on earth nominated this for Best Editing. Are they okay? Without spoiling this too much, Vice’s editing is incredibly jarring and decides to patronise the audience even further by giving visual aids to the idioms that are described by the narrator. At one point it even tries to condescendingly explain Guantanamo Bay, which just caused me to facepalm. What were you thinking guys?
Having said all of this, does the film have some redeeming features? Sure. The quality of the acting is good, I enjoyed Christian Bale as Cheney and Amy Adams as his equally awful wife, Lynne. I also enjoyed Steve Carell as Donald Rumsfeld and Sam Rockwell as George W Bush. It is a shame to waste such great talent on a script as weak as this one. If someone had written this better, maybe I would’ve enjoyed it a lot more. Sadly, I’m stuck with this one. I’m baffled by how anyone can consider this to be a well written script. If anyone wants to enlighten me, by all means, try.
If I never have to watch Vice again, I’ll be fine with that. I feel completely let down by McKay, and this hurts more considering I like some of his other films such as Anchorman and Step Brothers. He’s better than this, and I hope he can redeem himself with whatever he creates next.
https://lucygoestohollywood.com/2019/02/03/a-patronising-mess-of-a-film-my-review-of-vice/
Darren (1599 KP) rated Shallow Hal (2001) in Movies
Nov 28, 2019
Verdict: Sweet Little Comedy
Story: Shallow Hal starts as we meet Hal (Black) who was given advice from his father to never settle always shot for the stars when trying to meet women. Now in adult life he is a nice guy but he only targets models, always striking out, even if his friends try to convince him to learn about the women first.
After getting trapped in an elevator with Anthony Robbins a television hypnotist, he pulls a trick on him to see women for their inner beauty, which sees him meeting Rosemary (Paltrow) seeing her as a beautiful women, when she is really a bigger women, somebody Hal would never give a second glance to, Hal’s best friend Mauricio (Alexander) is getting worried his friend has changed.
Thoughts on Shallow Hal
Characters – Hal saw his father die young giving him one piece of advice, never settle when it comes to the ladies. Keeping that in his mind he has only ever tried to date models, without much success. He gets hypnotised into seeing the inner beauty only which to meet Rosemary a bigger woman he only sees as a beautiful woman, which sees him learn the lesson in life that people are not just what the outside shows. Rosemary is the woman Hal sees as a beautiful model, but she is a bigger girl with a heart of gold, which under the spell that Hal is under he doesn’t see, she is reluctant to let Hal into her life, but eventually believes him to be good. Mauricio is the shallow best friend of Hal’s, they have both only tried to date the beautiful women, he sees something wrong with his friend and tries to fix it. Steve Shanahan is Rosemary’s father and Hal’s boss who sees the positives in Hal, but will protect his daughter at any cost.
Performances – Jack Black in the lead of a comedy like this works wonders, he can play both sides with ease being the charmer that isn’t afraid whether he strikes out or not. Gwyneth Paltrow is great too showing she can handle comedy without needing to be the one running with the jokes. Jason Alexander provides fun supporting role that shows his skills in comedy.
Story – The story here follows a man Hal that believes he can only date models after being raised to never settle for less, when he gets hypnotised he learns to admire the inner beauty in women never seeing any of their outside flaws like the rest of the world, we are left to see if he can learn to just ignore everything once the spell wears off. This is an interesting look at romance, it shows us just how important trying to find love can be and getting to know a person is more important than anything else. This aside we do seem to have one flaw in the story and that is only some of the people change, while others remain completely the same, which does seem strange and it also only seems to show people that volunteer being less attractive, while the career driven women more than men are seen to be ugly inside. That aside we are focusing more on the struggles that Hal’s friend is facing with his change, more than Hal needing to learn about his changes.
Comedy/Romance – The comedy largely comes from Jack Black, while some of the lines seem awkward when we know the difference between the two Rosemary’s he delivers his comedy in such a confident way it shines through, with the romance being about how falling in love can happen with the person you least expect at times.
Settings – The film is set in the big city and shows how people can be ignored at times, while other times they could be right there in your life.
Scene of the Movie – Leaving Party.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – We do seem to imply that women who volunteer are beautiful on the inside, not career women.
Final Thoughts – This is a comedy that hits most of its marks, it plays into Jack Black’s strengths proving that giving him the right material he can improve any movie.
Overall: Funny for the Most Part.
After getting trapped in an elevator with Anthony Robbins a television hypnotist, he pulls a trick on him to see women for their inner beauty, which sees him meeting Rosemary (Paltrow) seeing her as a beautiful women, when she is really a bigger women, somebody Hal would never give a second glance to, Hal’s best friend Mauricio (Alexander) is getting worried his friend has changed.
Thoughts on Shallow Hal
Characters – Hal saw his father die young giving him one piece of advice, never settle when it comes to the ladies. Keeping that in his mind he has only ever tried to date models, without much success. He gets hypnotised into seeing the inner beauty only which to meet Rosemary a bigger woman he only sees as a beautiful woman, which sees him learn the lesson in life that people are not just what the outside shows. Rosemary is the woman Hal sees as a beautiful model, but she is a bigger girl with a heart of gold, which under the spell that Hal is under he doesn’t see, she is reluctant to let Hal into her life, but eventually believes him to be good. Mauricio is the shallow best friend of Hal’s, they have both only tried to date the beautiful women, he sees something wrong with his friend and tries to fix it. Steve Shanahan is Rosemary’s father and Hal’s boss who sees the positives in Hal, but will protect his daughter at any cost.
Performances – Jack Black in the lead of a comedy like this works wonders, he can play both sides with ease being the charmer that isn’t afraid whether he strikes out or not. Gwyneth Paltrow is great too showing she can handle comedy without needing to be the one running with the jokes. Jason Alexander provides fun supporting role that shows his skills in comedy.
Story – The story here follows a man Hal that believes he can only date models after being raised to never settle for less, when he gets hypnotised he learns to admire the inner beauty in women never seeing any of their outside flaws like the rest of the world, we are left to see if he can learn to just ignore everything once the spell wears off. This is an interesting look at romance, it shows us just how important trying to find love can be and getting to know a person is more important than anything else. This aside we do seem to have one flaw in the story and that is only some of the people change, while others remain completely the same, which does seem strange and it also only seems to show people that volunteer being less attractive, while the career driven women more than men are seen to be ugly inside. That aside we are focusing more on the struggles that Hal’s friend is facing with his change, more than Hal needing to learn about his changes.
Comedy/Romance – The comedy largely comes from Jack Black, while some of the lines seem awkward when we know the difference between the two Rosemary’s he delivers his comedy in such a confident way it shines through, with the romance being about how falling in love can happen with the person you least expect at times.
Settings – The film is set in the big city and shows how people can be ignored at times, while other times they could be right there in your life.
Scene of the Movie – Leaving Party.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – We do seem to imply that women who volunteer are beautiful on the inside, not career women.
Final Thoughts – This is a comedy that hits most of its marks, it plays into Jack Black’s strengths proving that giving him the right material he can improve any movie.
Overall: Funny for the Most Part.