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Hunter of Demons (Spectr #1)
Hunter of Demons (Spectr #1)
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is my second book by the author, the other being [b:Widdershins|16128152|Widdershins (Whyborne & Griffin, #1)|Jordan L. Hawk|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1352121658s/16128152.jpg|21952704] which I really enjoyed.

With this, I was a little confused at the beginning. It all seemed a little haywire with the added viewpoint of Gray in the first couple of pages, without actually knowing who he was. I found it confusing anyway, up until they merged into Caleb's body. After that I was interested to see what would happen throughout the rest of the story.

I liked John. He seemed like a really great guy.

The hunt for Caleb's brothers murderer was quite fun reading with Gray being able to scent the demon behind it.

One thing that bothered me was the lack of romance until the last chapter and a half. Okay, they both kept getting turned on when they looked at the other but it was all secretive, not wanting the other to know.

Don't think I will be continuing the series.
  
I loved it
Contains spoilers, click to show
All Joy Randall wants is a little old-fashioned romance, but when she participates in a "Goddess evoking" ceremony with her friend, Roxy, Joy finds out her future true love is a man with the potential to put her immortal soul in danger. At first the ever-practical Joy is ready to dismiss her vision as a product of too much gin and too many vampire romances, but while traveling through the Czech Republic with Roxy, Joy begins to have some second thoughts about her mystery lover because she is suddenly plagued by visions of a lethally handsome stranger. Then, when she and Roxy attend a local GothFaire, Joy meets Raphael Griffin St. John, head of security, and she becomes even more bewildered because the dark and dangerous Raphael seems too close to her dreams for comfort.

Oh I absolutely loved this book!! It was funny and witty full of well written steamy scenes! Kept you guessing whether Joy was going crazy or vampires truly existed! Also very refreshing to find the vamp wasn't actually the love of her life she took another route! Who by the way was totally hot!! Joy's friendship with Roxy is just perfect and a lot like most friendships. I really want to take a trip to find me a Dark one!
I love Katie Macalister's writing style it's always on the edge!


⭐⭐⭐⭐
  
The Invisible Man Returns (1940)
The Invisible Man Returns (1940)
1940 | Classics, Drama, Horror
8
6.4 (5 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Vincent Price (0 more)
See No Evil
The Invisible Man Returns- is a great sequel to "The Invisible Man". I love "The Invisible Man", he is in my opinion the best universal monster. He's funny, dramatic, crazy, and invisible.

The plot: Wrongly accused of murdering his brother, Geoffrey Radcliffe (Vincent Price) is found guilty and sentenced to die. But when sympathetic Dr. Griffin (John Sutton) injects him with a serum that renders him invisible, Radcliffe is able to escape and search for the real culprit. With Inspector Sampson (Cecil Kellaway) of Scotland Yard hot on his trail, Radcliffe begins to suspect that a recent hire in his family's mining company might have the answers he seeks.

Following the commercial success of Son of Frankenstein, Universal Studios announced the development of The Invisible Man Returns in March 1939.

In May, Joe May was announced as the director of the film with either Boris Karloff or Bela Lugosi hinted at playing the lead.

Vincent Price when he was not covered by bandages or special effects only appears as himself for one minute in the film. Price spoke on the film saying that the special effects were done with Price being draped in black velvet and working against a set draped in black velvet. Price also spoke about working with Hardwicke, who he recalled "didn't like doing this film; he was facing home problems at the time. We became very close."

Its a great movie.
  
E(
Elemental (Elemental, #1)
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The first book in the <i>Elemental</i> trilogy is set in a futuristic United States colony where people called Guardians have powers over the elements: water, wind, earth, and fire. For years, sixteen-year-old Thomas believed that he doesn't have powers like everyone else in the colony, until pirates kidnap the Guardians and the remaining colonists fight for a survival on an abandoned town.

<b><i>Elemental</i> has its good elements that worked out well in favor, but it had some elements that just didn't work out too well</b> – it just had more elements that didn't work out really well.

The book is <b>primarily a survival book, but there's a mysterious aura surrounding the book that kept it somewhat interesting. However, the mysterious aspect? Antony John overdid it.</b> You're immediately thrown into action when the book starts and it doesn't actually stop. A huge chunk of the beginning is dedicated to surviving from the pirates who kidnapped the guardians and Thomas and his friends trying to survive on this mysterious Skeleton Town.

<b>There's not much about this Plague the Guardians keep talking about or how their elements work – what, precisely, is an echo?</b> It's obviously a side effect, and it seems to leave a negative remnant on the person, but what is it <i>exactly?</i>. <b>I'm confused on how this Plague works or how it started, even with that newspaper-esque clip</b> – it sounds like an experiment gone absolutely awry and blew up not only in the experimenters' faces, but the entire world. No one appreciates an experiment gone awry inside and outside the lab, but the dead can't complain.

<b>There's this "solution" the pirates are looking for, but Antony jumps between Griffin and Thomas intermittently</b> – I'm still not too sure who the "solution" is. <b>I'm not sure about this whole Guardians thing</b> – sounds like an experiment similar to the one done to Captain America in a different style – even with Thomas and his companions coming across things in Skeleton Town that make them question the origins of the Guardians.

<i>Elemental</i> is also <b>heading into highly awkward love triangle – it's in absolute danger zone</b> and I'm not sure I want to stick around for two girls pining for Thomas' attention. It's not noticeable yet – <b>it's very subtle and certainly doesn't disturb anything going on in the story or the overall plot.</b>

By the end, <b>Antony John leaves you with curiosity and perhaps a need to continue the series, but he leaves more questions and confusion with loose ends than a solid answer or two.</b>

<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-elemental-by-antony-john/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
  
Black Christmas (1974)
Black Christmas (1974)
1974 | Horror
7
8.4 (12 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Answer The Phone
With anethor remake coming out this friday, and that i already reviewed the 2006 remake. In going back to the oringal, were it alll started from. So lets take a little trip back to 1974.

Inspired by the urban legend "The babysitter and the man upstairs" and a series of murders that took place in the Westmount section of Montreal, Quebec, Moore wrote the screenplay under the title Stop Me.

The Plot: As winter break begins, a group of sorority sisters, including Jess (Olivia Hussey) and the often inebriated Barb (Margot Kidder), begin to receive anonymous, lascivious phone calls. Initially, Barb eggs the caller on, but stops when he responds threateningly. Soon, Barb's friend Claire (Lynne Griffin) goes missing from the sorority house, and a local adolescent girl is murdered, leading the girls to suspect a serial killer is on the loose. But no one realizes just how near the culprit is.

Margot Kidder remembered shooting the film as being "fun. I really bonded with Andrea Martin, filming in Toronto and Ontario. Olivia Hussey was a bit of an odd one. She was obsessed with the idea of falling in love with Paul McCartney through her psychic. We were a little hard on her for things like that.

Black Christmas eventually gained a cult following and is notable for being one of the earliest slasher films. It went on to inspire other slasher films, the biggest one of all being John Carpenter's Halloween (which was apparently inspired by Clark suggesting what a Black Christmas sequel would be like).

Black Christmas has been included multiple lists in various media outlets as one of the greatest horror films ever made. The film ranked No. 87 on Bravo's The 100 Scariest Movie Moments.

A overall classic slasher horror movie based around a hoilday.
  
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
1981 | Comedy, Horror
Steps away from most of the stereotypes (2 more)
Comedic Horror
Great practical effects for the time, even better than some modern day films
One of the classic Werewolf Films that any horror fan should watch
An American Werewolf in London should always be apart of any Werewolf film or horror film Fan's collection. It's comedic, yes, but it's still a great horror as well especially for it's time.

The cast isn't full of big Hollywood names, but that's what makes this film so good. You don't expect anything from the cast so the film shows you something like you've never seen. Though there are a few cast members that have big names such as Rik Mayall (R.I.P), but he isn't a main cast member, and serves only as a background character in a pub.

The story of two Americans, on a tour of England, with some comedic humour towards the atmosphere of England as we begin the film in the countryside. David's friend complains about the weather, whilst David himself is enjoying his time being out in the open.

The films practical effects are incredible, from the large wolf itself to the actual transformation, which sees limbs being extended into unnatural form, and David's mouth extending into a about, using only practical effects and no CGI. This is what makes this film so damn good!


The soundtrack is one of the cheeriest IV heard for a horror film as it contains multiple versions of the classic song Blue Moon, as well as Creedance Clearwater Revival's classic song Bad Moon Rising. Which eases some of the horror but not by much.


The film also differs from other werewolf films as it mocks the supernatural myth elements such as silver bullets, but includes some of the lesser known myths about the pre-transformation period such as the bizarre nightmares which often involve the cursed being to see themselves naked in a woods stalking and sometimes eating an animal raw, often deer or rabbit, and this film includes that as well as another very bizarre nightmare involving Nazi Demons.


The other great aspect to this film is the appearance of Dave's dead friend throughout the film, as we discover he is trapped in purgatory unable to pass on until the curse is lifted (a.k.a David needs to die). It's not the fact that Jack appears though that makes this element of the film incredible, it's the way he looks when he appears. Everytime Jack shows up, his body is more and more decayed and he becomes very zombiefied during our last encounter with him in the film, and the practical effects and makeup truly add to the grim reality of this aspect. The makeup was so grim in fact, that Griffin Dunne, who portrays Jack, wasn't overly pleased that this gruesome makeup would mean that his mother wouldn't be able to watch the film because it was that horrifying. There were even pieces of dangling rotten flesh, which was accidental but left in because it looked more realistic.


The film is funny, it's gripping and it's horrifying as we watch the beast stalk the people of London and then the next morning, we see a normal man and as we begin to watch him lose his mind, we sympathise for him.


Highly recommend this to any horror fan of you haven't seen it already, and if you haven't...why not? It's brilliantly written and brilliantly directed by the amazing John Landis.
  
R
Revived
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I must be the sad opposite corner of book club. NEARLY EVERYONE ELSE LOVED REVIVED AND I DIDN'T.

Oh wait. You guys totally feel my pain... right? At least, when it comes to bestselling novels and what not?

Here's my impression of this year's Gateway Readers Award nominees:

<b>2014-15 GATEWAY READERS AWARD NOMINEES</b>
Of Poseidon by Anna Banks – Eh... sounds very romancy.
Croak by Gina Damico – I have this book and wasn't able to read it last month. :(
Something Like Normal by Trish Doller – Nope.
Don't Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon – Consider me very interested.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green – Completed. Me thinks this is overrated. I'm sure Ella agrees.
Burning Blue by Paul Griffin – Meh.
The Night She Disappeared by April Henry – Meh.
Every Day by David Levithan – Probably as overrated as TFIOS.
Revived by Cat Patrick – I'm discussing this in the next few minutes. Go figure.
Starters by Lissa Price – NOPE.
Trafficked by Kim Purcell – My comment about this made favorite book club moment for one of my friends.
Boy21 by Matthew Quick – ha. Ha. HA. Yeah... NO.
Dark Eyes by William Richter – Meh.
Article 5 by Kristen Simmons – Consider me a tad interested.
Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf – Hello? Sophia + Contemporary = No, no, nooo, don't mess with my heart. Yes, that's a song.

I envy the middle schoolers. They have better nominees (Truman Readers Award). :p

I was overly hesitant with reading Revived. I mean, a girl dies at a really young age and became a guinea pig in this program that brings dead people back to life. Great! But honestly, do I care? No... not really. It's like Zach's Lie and Jack's Run with the name changes and "witness protection program" (not necessarily the latter, but it feels like it). It's like Falls the Shadow with the "experiment," and since the idea seems a little similar to that particular book (minus clones. That concept is used in Patrick's The Originals.), I pretty much knew I would be treading on thin ice if I read the book. Very thin ice, because this could go a few ways:

1. It would be absolutely magnifique! As a result, I'll be fangirling with Kahlan and Co.
2. I would find it predictable. But the thing is, most books ARE predictable to me. Lupe and Small Co. warned me of this.
3. WHYYYYY. *wails*

Here's the truth in paragraph format (oh, and technically, the review):

Revived wasn't a waste of my time, but I just don't like the book. I mainly don't like this entire analogy of "God" and "Jesus" and "Converts" and "Disciples" being used. I just don't. I get the analogy – I mean, only someone as divine as God can actually bring back the "dead." Really, it's as bad as learning about the Puritans – an absolute nightmare (even though Honors American Literature tests are the only reasons WHY my grade is climbing quickly). Plus, I try to tread very carefully with these topics.

I also found Revived pretty predictable. By page 88, there were two sentences that pretty much gave the entire plot away:
<blockquote>If God says we move, there's nothing Mason can do about it. If God says we move, we move.</blockquote>
Tell me that doesn't make you ask questions. The first comment I had? So basically if God says you die, you die? In treading very carefully on delicate topics, yes, this is true. In relation to the book, this so called God is what? A person! Tell me if you would actually be willing to die for a random stranger who you a) have no clue WHO it actually is, b) WHAT he looks like, and c) doesn't he sound like a person with an over-inflated ego?

I honestly didn't like the way the story would actually go from then on out. My second point bull's eye was the newspaper article Daisy shows Matt about what really happened to her and 20 others:
<blockquote>…after a Brown Academy bus drove over Highway 13 bridge and plummeted into icy...</blockquote>
Heh. Sounds fishy. One does not simply drive over a highway bridge and "plummet" into a lake. True, true, there may have been a patch of ice, but here's the thing: snow plowers usually plow and salt highways first. So the chances of a bus just "driving" over a highway bridge sounds quite fishy unless it was done on purpose... by "God." Or, the bus driver was suicidal. But why kill a bunch of little kids?

Add to the fact that "police have not determined the cause of the collision..." Had there really been a patch of ice, it wouldn't just simply disappear right away. Or would it?

Finally, I don't get the end. Not really. I see some loopholes to the end here. What if Matt accidentally calls Daisy by her real name and not what everyone else knows her to be? (There was also one more question, but I can't post it without giving away HUGE spoilers.) I would actually love to see a second epilogue in regards to this to be honest.

But really. Had I been screeching about WHY I wasted my time, this wouldn't be called, "Review: Revived by Cat Patrick."
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Original Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Original Review posted at <a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/2014/10/review-revived-by-cat-patrick.html">Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
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