Smashbomb

Search

Search results

All (2558)

Content

Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated A Touch of Death in Books

Mar 1, 2020

A Touch of Death

Rebecca Crunden | 2017 | Science Fiction/Fantasy

8.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

New twist to the classic dystopians

Trigger Warning: Graphic gore, death, suicidal thoughts, torture.

When Rebecca approached me about reading A Touch of Death, I have to admit I was a little apprehensive. Dystopian is one of those genres that has been so overly saturated that nothing seems to be fresh. Luckily, my apprehension was unwarranted.

A Touch of Death is one of those books that will grab you the second you start reading it. This dystopian sci-fi novel grabbed me almost instantly. The plot was exciting and gave us a nice twist to the classic dystopian books. I liked all of the elements present, and they seemed to work pretty well together.

The main characters Kitty & Nate, were fascinating. I liked seeing how they interacted, and I loved the bit of bickering too. It did take me some time to warm up to both characters. I never seemed to connect to either of them, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the book. The relationships in the book were interesting to watch evolve, and I liked seeing how both Kitty & Nate changed throughout the book.

All in all, I enjoyed the book. I would have liked to connect more with the characters, but this was a solid 4 star read for me!

Kudos

Awix (3310 KP) rated The Uncanny (1977) in Movies

Mar 7, 2020 (Updated Mar 7, 2020)

The Uncanny (1977)

1977 | Horror

5.8

(4 Ratings)

Movie Rating

So-so horror anthology would almost certainly be totally unwatchable without the presence of fine actors like Peter Cushing, Ray Milland and Donald Pleasence doing their damnedest to lift some rather dubious material. The frame story concerns a conspiracy by cats to secretly run the world, but the different segments are all about vengeance-by-cat: various people get their comeuppances at the paws of our whiskered friends.

First story (maid murders her employer over an amended will) is okay but nothing special; second one (orphan with witchy tendencies finds her cat is not welcome in her new home) is let down by iffy special effects and iffier child acting; third (rum goings-on in 30s Hollywood) is the best, being a rather tongue-in-cheek look at the horror film industry (the suspiciously-named company 'Hemorrhage Films' is involved). None of them are honestly what you'd call great, though, and there is perhaps too much reliance on actors standing around while stage-hands throw stuffed cats at them. A bit more graphic and nasty than you tend to find in films from this genre, but only relatively speaking. Passes the time decently enough if low-budget horror portmanteaus from the 70s are your thing.