Search

Search only in certain items:

40x40

Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated Shatter Me in Books

Apr 27, 2018  
Shatter Me
Shatter Me
Tahereh Mafi | 2011 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.4 (23 Ratings)
Book Rating
Shatter Me is one of those books that will stick with me forever. I may even re-read it just because I enjoyed it so much! I mean, I never re-read books! But I may very well re-read this one! It's one that I can pick up the next one after not having read it for a year, and I can jump right back in because I remember it all. I can't wait until the next book comes out! Oh my gosh! Why on earth did I wait so long to read it? Oh yeah. College.

The writing was magnificent (man has it been a long time since I've been able to say that). It was interesting, and different, and felt like a free flowing train of thought instead of conscious sentences or pages from a diary. It was beautiful and poetic, and full of metaphors about nature and beauty and pain that were so honest and true that I couldn't figure out why I hadn't thought them up myself first. Sometimes there would be a phrase that Juliette thought to herself that was true but she refused to admit to thinking, and it would be crossed out. (like that ^). I really liked this, because it showed what she was really thinking, but it also showed what kind of person she wanted to be.

The plot was fantastic. It never stopped moving forward. There were brief times of rest in the thriller aspect of the story, but the tension itself never went away, and there were no dead plot fillers thrown in.

I really liked Juliette. She wants to be strong, but after a long life of being emotionally abused, she's a weak broken pitiful creature who just wants to be loved and nurtured back to health. She will do anything to be on good terms with someone she loves. She's dying to be touched, but she knows she can't be because she'll kill whoever touches her. And she doesn't want to hurt anyone. She wants to help people and comfort them, but she knows she'll kill them. What a horrible place to be in!

I won't say too much about her love interest, Adam, but I will say he is so going on my list of favorite literary crushes. He is hott stuff. And because of that, I'm going to put my recommendation as ages 16+. If you can't read Hush Hush or Hourglass, I'd hold off on this one for a while…

Content/recommendation: Some hot kissing scenes, and I'm seeing a potential for more in the later books. Ages 16+
  
40x40

Chris Sawin (602 KP) rated Hush (2009) in Movies

Jun 20, 2019 (Updated Jun 22, 2019)  
Hush (2009)
Hush (2009)
2009 |
6
7.0 (3 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Zakes Abbot has a unique job. He's the guy that travels to gas stations and changes out the posters that advertise cars. His girlfriend, Beth, has tagged along for this particular trip. Their relationship is strained, to say the least, and it winds up erupting into several arguments. Just then, a white truck pulls in front of them and the door slides open for a moment to reveal a naked women chained inside before slamming down again. After doing everything within their power, they make the last stop on Zakes' trip. Zakes and Beth have their most heated argument and Beth decides to travel back to Manchester alone. As Zakes is sitting in the car, the white truck pulls up and Zakes runs inside to find Beth but can't find her. Zakes finds Beth's necklace outside as he realizes that whoever is driving that truck has just abducted his girlfriend and he'll do whatever it takes to get her back.

Hush is a thriller that is practically overflowing with suspense, which is good because that's pretty much exactly what the trailer would lead you to believe it would be. While I was watching it, I couldn't help getting this slight High Tension and Wolf Creek vibe from the film. The action doesn't take long to get rolling like in Wolf Creek, but once it starts it just snowballs into the worst situation (almost) anyone could possibly imagine. Everything that can go wrong for Zakes as he's tracking down Beth pretty much winds up happening. The guy can't seem to catch a break. The film doesn't necessarily bring anything new to the table, but it delivers in what it advertised which is all that really matters. While some situations in the film seem a bit unbelievable and the ending is a bit anticlimactic, it doesn't really take away from the overall entertainment value of the film.

Hush is not a horror film. I'll throw that out there, right now. It's a suspenseful thriller that is sure to get your heart racing at times. It's not necessarily something I'd highly recommend. It's not a bad film, but you're not going to miss anything spectacular if you skip it. It's the type of film to not expect a lot out of and then wind up finding it on demand, watching it, and being a bit surprised by it. No matter how bad someone's day is, he or she could pop this in and remind themself that it could've been a hell of a lot worse.
  
Bury Them Deep (Inspector McLean #10)
Bury Them Deep (Inspector McLean #10)
James Oswald | 2020 | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Engrossing
I have said this before and I will say it again ... once more, this is a treat for crime fiction, with a hint of "other", lovers the world over ... Mr Oswald has provided yet another gripping story.

DCI Tony McLean is a Detective Chief Inspector and, as such, should not be on the front line of policing however, he just can't help himself particularly when a trusted colleague, Anya Renfrew, goes missing under suspicious circumstances. Is this connected to a massive multi-agency enquiry that is just about to get underway and which is so hush-hush, that most people involved don't know the full story? Was she just unfortunate to be in the wrong place at the wrong time? Or is this connected to numerous missing persons cases that have remained unsolved for many years? When it transpires why Anya was where she was when she disappeared and her address is not where she actually lives, the mystery deepens.

It's clear that Tony is at his happiest when in the thick of things rather than sitting at his desk reading reports and directing operations and this theme is strong throughout the book. Mr Oswald is able to effortlessly portray the enthusiasm and passion Tony has for investigating and solving the apparently unsolvable crimes whilst trying to appease the top brass and having a life outside of the Police. This ability brings Tony to life and makes him believable and "human".

It's not just Tony who is brought to life, this book is littered with excellent characters ... Grumpy Bob, Norman Bates, Gav, Bobby, Professor Harriet Turner, etc., etc., etc. Ex Detective Superintendent Grace Ramsey was a particular favourite of mine who is described as "a slim, middleaged woman in a severe dark suit with a face like licking piss off a nettle" ... that one line caused a laugh-out-loud moment and conjured up an image that has stuck with me and one that captures a few people I know!! I will definitely be using that one in the future 😎

The opening chapter had me hooked and wondering what the heck it would have to do with a crime in the 21st century however, the subtly of how this was woven and developed into the story was excellent and had me thinking that it isn't something that's beyond what is possible in these times unfortunately.

This is an engrossing read and one in which I was completely drawn into and enjoyed immensely from start to finish and, once again, I am thankful to Headline and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.
  
Honeymoon (2014)
Honeymoon (2014)
2014 | Drama
2
2.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
Okay, so I watched Honeymoon a while back (before my hospitalization), but it’s still been lingering at the edges of my mind – more with a what the fuck sort of connotation than anything else. You’ll have to pardon my lack of screenshots, as my Shudder account has lapsed and because of current going-ons (including surgery within the next two weeks), I haven’t had the chance to resubscribe – though I desperately want to.

I don’t really have a huge gripe with the characters in this one. The acting isn’t what bothered me; rather it was the plot. I don’t do so well with WTF moments when they seem to be way out of the ballpark and that appears to be the case here.

Honeymoon is a romantic horror – if such a genre even exists. I mean, you’ve got this newlywed couple set up in a beautiful, rustic cabin in the middle of the woods. (It even has a VCR!) Anyways, wife goes off in middle of the night, claims to be sleepwalking, but oddly enough earlier in the film we meet a childhood friend. From there, things spiral out of control. Paul tries to confront Bea, but she’s all hush-hush about what is going on with her. Turns out, alien things are involved and that, my friends, is where the movie lost me. Well, between that and the marks that show up on Bea’s inner thigh, which makes it all too obvious what really happened to her.

Of course, Paul continues to play dumb for a while. At least, until he finds Bea in the bathroom stabbing herself in the privates over and over. Because apparently this is something a person would do. I mean, I totally would(n’t). This… I honestly don’t know why I was still watching at this point. Normally I’d have turned to something more intriguing, but you know when you simply can’t pull your eyes away? Yeah, that happened here and let me tell you, the next scene in the movie… just no. Nope.

Unrealistic to a fault and messed up beyond measure, Paul shoves his arm up in there, and yanks out what Bea is so desperately trying to pull out. Because… ANATOMY boys and girls. This movie, seriously, crosses into animated porn territory, complete with fisting and pulling worm-like beings out of a woman. I just… no. It’s not even hot.

The conclusion of the film? Stereotypical false happy-ending bullshit that you see in a lot of horror movies. Someone survives, or so it seems, and then of course at the last minute the bad guy goes for the kill. I honestly have not been able to simply let this one out of my mind. It’s just hovered there, like an itch you can’t quite reach, and I’m hoping this little tirade will finally give me the freedom from it I need. Yet somehow, we’ve got semi-decent ratings on Rotten Tomatoes for this film.