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Hazel (1853 KP) rated The Prisoner of Heaven in Books

Dec 14, 2018

The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafón is part of a cycle of novels known collectively as The Cemetery of Forgotten Books. At the moment there are three books (the other two being The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel’s Game) and they are all independent stories whose characters and themes overlap, meaning that they can be read in any order. Despite this I think it that you would get more out of each story if you read them in order of publication.

My experience of The Prisoner of Heaven would be different from those who have not read the previous two books. I read The Shadow of the Wind when I was quite young and, although I probably did not understand it that well, I was able to recognize and understand certain references to that particular storyline. I have also read The Angel’s Game – also a number of years ago, which I found quite terrifying – which meant I had the background knowledge of a particular character. Having said that, Zafón provides enough information for new readers to understand what is going on.

The story is written in several parts beginning in Barcelona at Christmas in 1957. The sections set during this time period are narrated by Daniel Sempere (the main character from The Shadow of the Wind) who works alongside his father in the bookshop Sempere & Sons. One day a mysterious customer buys and leaves a copy of an expensive novel for Daniel’s friend and work colleague Fermín Romero de Torres. This leads us to the middle sections, the key part of the plot in which, told in third person narrative in order to differentiate from the “current day” (1957), we discover the character Fermín’s past and who the mysterious customer was. David Martín, the main character in The Angel’s Game, makes a significant appearance in this part.

During the remaining parts, told once again from Daniel’s point of view, I kept expecting something major to happen as I did not feel that the novel had reached it’s climax. But nothing happened which was slightly disappointing (although I was also relieved as I feared I would find this book scary as I did with The Angel’s Game – I didn’t). However I do believe that the final book in this cycle will continue with and tie up the loose ends in The Prisoner of Heaven – another reason to have read the books in order in my view.

Overall I enjoyed the book. I definitely prefer it to The Angel’s Game, which I found confusing and slightly unnerving. I cannot compare it easily with The Shadow of the Wind for, as already mentioned, it has been such a long time since I read it. I would certainly recommend this book (and series) particularly to those who enjoy historical fiction and mysteries.

Kudos

Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated What in God's Name in Books

Apr 27, 2018

What in God's Name

Simon Rich | 2012 | Fiction & Poetry, Horror

8.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

What in God's Name is a hilarious novel about the would-be-destruction of the earth. God is tired of running Heaven Inc, and wants to open a restaurant, figure out his Rubrics Cube, and play golf instead. The rest of the angels are just as tired as he is. All except two: Craig and Eliza, who actually enjoy working in the Miracles Department. When they find out God is going to destroy the earth, they make a bet: They'll answer one of the "impossible" prayers that God has ignored over the past few months, and if they can do it, God will not destroy the world.

Eliza and Craig have no idea what they've gotten themselves into: Their job is to get two of the most socially awkward humans to kiss... since apparently they already like each other, neither of them is willing to make a move. On top of it all, Craig is pretty sure he's crushing on Eliza

I tore through this whole book in a matter of hours--though it felt like minutes. It's hilarious. I got it back in August and I don't remember why I put off reading it for so long... because it's awesome! The characters are adorable (or in the case of the cantankerous archangel Vince, annoying). The writing is witty and easy to read. I loved every second of it.

With that in mind, I'm a hard person to offend. People who are easily offended by their faith/religion being mocked should not read this book... God is portrayed like a Frat boy, and he lets people into heaven only if they can skip a rock twelve times. Suffice to say it's not exactly orthodox.

But if you're in the mood for a fast, funny, slightly intense read (it gets tense there near the end!) this is for you!

Content: Some language. Ages 17+

Kudos

Scott Tostik (389 KP) rated Graduation Day (1981) in Movies

Jun 21, 2017

Graduation Day (1981)

1981 | Horror, Mystery

5.5

(6 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Original idea (0 more)

Horrible acting (2 more)

Terrible ending

Shitty special effects

Stay in School kids, so you don't end up in a shitty movie like this

Midvale High, 1981.
Point form version. Track star wins the race. Track star drops dead
Sister comes for funeral
Students drop dead
The coach is a suspect
More students drop dead
Coach gets killed by real killer
Real killer digs up and poses dead girl in grad gown
Real killer gets bumped out a window with girl corpse on top of him
THIS MOVIE STINKS TO HIGH HEAVEN!!!! Only reason it got two bombs is Vanna White was in it. And the always reliable Linnea Quigley makes an appearance...
Horrible script, even more horrible acting and a shitty ending made this movie the worst thing I've ever seen... Next to the Brittany Spears movie, Crossroads... And the Spice Girls flick... Which both stunk up the place... But this movie, from a genre I love, ranks down there amongst the shittiest of the shitty.

Kudos

graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Meridian (Fenestra, #1) in Books

Feb 15, 2019

Well-written, evenly paced, with a likable and realistic protagonist in the title character, Meridian came alive in my mind quite easily. The writing is engaging, the dialogue well-done, and overall, the author did a great job creating the concept of angels who usher the dead into heaven, nirvana, enlightenment, or whatever you want to call it. Meridian does falter with the character of a typical cookie-cutter villain and at the end where there's a bit of confusion in what's happening, but it's understandable, yet slightly vague.

Amber Kizer has some interesting ideas about death and how it works. However, I do believe that the book is more suited to those who are open-minded, no matter their religion or beliefs. Meridian does well as a stand-alone, but if this does turn into a series, it will be interesting to see where Ms. Kizer takes us next. I'd recommend this for an easy, interesting and fairly fast read.