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I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
I have read Missy Johnson before, and while I enjoyed her previous work, it did not prepare me for this novel. It was dark, intense, sexy, and complicated. I wasnt expecting it to be such an emotional ride, but it sure was.
However, I am way past over the whole torment hero/heroine trope, so I couldnt help but roll my eyes at some parts. Its not the authors fault. My reading list has just been saturated with this trope lately. I would just like some main characters who dont need therapy. I am also confused by the storyline. Even now, I am still not 100% sure I know what happened. Maybe I missed something or skipped over pivotal parts?
I didnt enjoy this book for one main reason: as someone who has been sexually abused, this book felt more like abuse than BDSM. I feel there are many authors who try to write BDSM but they follow the vein of 50 Shades. What I mean by this is that it seems more like a game of power with a woman not strong enough to know who to play. Thus it just comes off as abuse rather than a sexual exploration.
I have read Missy Johnson before, and while I enjoyed her previous work, it did not prepare me for this novel. It was dark, intense, sexy, and complicated. I wasnt expecting it to be such an emotional ride, but it sure was.
However, I am way past over the whole torment hero/heroine trope, so I couldnt help but roll my eyes at some parts. Its not the authors fault. My reading list has just been saturated with this trope lately. I would just like some main characters who dont need therapy. I am also confused by the storyline. Even now, I am still not 100% sure I know what happened. Maybe I missed something or skipped over pivotal parts?
I didnt enjoy this book for one main reason: as someone who has been sexually abused, this book felt more like abuse than BDSM. I feel there are many authors who try to write BDSM but they follow the vein of 50 Shades. What I mean by this is that it seems more like a game of power with a woman not strong enough to know who to play. Thus it just comes off as abuse rather than a sexual exploration.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated The Dead Don't Die (2019) in Movies
Jun 15, 2020
The dead should die...
I wanted to like this film so badly, but when I wanted to turn it off less than an hour in, i had to admit it wasn't for me. Although I did at least persevere until the end, even if it wasn't worth it.
I'm all for off beat and dark humour and wit, but I'm afraid for me this film was just too far in the left field. I liked the deadpan aspects and humour and also how it surpassed the fourth wall, the problem was the laughs were still few and far between. I like how this poked fun at today's society and there was a lot of social commentary, it was just so deadpan that a lot of the witty remarks were lost. The plot development too was so slow. The film was virtually over by the time it felt like it was going anywhere, and even when the zombies emerged in full they couldn't breathe any life (ha) into this. Strangely such a stellar cast were wasted too. Tilde Swinton's wacky funeral director was by far the most fun but even she got on my nerves by the end.
I'm all for your non-typical comedy, but sadly this film just wasn't for me. There are some good ideas in this but they feel wasted
I'm all for off beat and dark humour and wit, but I'm afraid for me this film was just too far in the left field. I liked the deadpan aspects and humour and also how it surpassed the fourth wall, the problem was the laughs were still few and far between. I like how this poked fun at today's society and there was a lot of social commentary, it was just so deadpan that a lot of the witty remarks were lost. The plot development too was so slow. The film was virtually over by the time it felt like it was going anywhere, and even when the zombies emerged in full they couldn't breathe any life (ha) into this. Strangely such a stellar cast were wasted too. Tilde Swinton's wacky funeral director was by far the most fun but even she got on my nerves by the end.
I'm all for your non-typical comedy, but sadly this film just wasn't for me. There are some good ideas in this but they feel wasted
Brian Fallon recommended Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. by Bruce Springsteen in Music (curated)
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Pulse (2006) in Movies
Sep 20, 2020
Offensively awful, legitimately reprehensible filmmaking. I challenge anyone to find a worse American remake of Japanese horror than this. Not at all shocking how mercilessly they unceremoniously gutted the original of any sense of breadth, nuance, emotion, horror, intelligence, memorability, you know - all of that stuff that actually makes a half-decent horror film because apparently us dumb Yanks just couldn't handle any ounce of it... but by God did it have to look like moldy garbage too? This may be the worst looking film I've ever seen, whoever color-coded this to look like a chemical reaction between bleach and rotting flesh better have been blacklisted from working in the film industry since. I had to stop somewhere around the halfway point (which still felt like a goddamn century even though this barely touches 90 minutes with credits) because I felt physically ill from stomaching these shit visuals for that long. Of course it's ineptly acted, too. Is this what they thought the original meant? Some doltish technophobic lecture about how cell phones are as evil as murderous demons which also doesn't have a single milliliter of character to its name? The kind of stuff that could feasibly be used in torture chambers to get information out of people. So ironic that it kept the name, because it honestly doesn't have any pulse to speak of. Needed a trigger warning for pure stupidity.
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).
Debbiereadsbook (1630 KP) rated Devil's Gold (Black Rose Mystery #1) in Books
Feb 15, 2018
great little short!
Independent Reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is only short, just over an hour reading time for me, some 120 pages, but it packs quite a punch!
Dixie is the middle sister of three, running their father's investigation agency. She's good at it, even if she is the least put together of her sisters. Liam is in town visiting relatives, and when their paths cross, it's a proper "eyes across a crowded room" moment. When Dixie puts herself in danger, Liam knows he can't let her go, and he will do anything to see her safe.
Like I said, quite a punch!! Very pleasantly surprised, I have to say!
I have to admit, I did not see the whodunnit coming at me, so that was well played!
There is just enough hints and clues to make you think, well just who DID kill these four women.? Just enough heat and passion to make you fan a little. Just enough of just about everyone to make you want to know MORE about these people!
Because that's my overwhelming feeling I'm left with, I want MORE! Whether it's Liam and Dix, or Dixie's sisters, or co-workers (cos Ace is quite a character!) or even just more from this writer, I don't know, but that is what I want. MORE!
Filed firmly on the hangover shelf, because that's what I used it as and it certainly did the trick.
So, Ms McKinney, *holding up open hands with puppy dog eyes* more please!
4 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
This is only short, just over an hour reading time for me, some 120 pages, but it packs quite a punch!
Dixie is the middle sister of three, running their father's investigation agency. She's good at it, even if she is the least put together of her sisters. Liam is in town visiting relatives, and when their paths cross, it's a proper "eyes across a crowded room" moment. When Dixie puts herself in danger, Liam knows he can't let her go, and he will do anything to see her safe.
Like I said, quite a punch!! Very pleasantly surprised, I have to say!
I have to admit, I did not see the whodunnit coming at me, so that was well played!
There is just enough hints and clues to make you think, well just who DID kill these four women.? Just enough heat and passion to make you fan a little. Just enough of just about everyone to make you want to know MORE about these people!
Because that's my overwhelming feeling I'm left with, I want MORE! Whether it's Liam and Dix, or Dixie's sisters, or co-workers (cos Ace is quite a character!) or even just more from this writer, I don't know, but that is what I want. MORE!
Filed firmly on the hangover shelf, because that's what I used it as and it certainly did the trick.
So, Ms McKinney, *holding up open hands with puppy dog eyes* more please!
4 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated Joker (2019) in Movies
Jul 7, 2020
A Near Perfect Film/Comic Book Movie With A Piece Missing
Contains spoilers, click to show
This film did a great job in making the Joker or rather Arthur a sympathetic character. Joaquin Phoenix did a phenomenal job in this movie. His laugh made me really feel for this character, it sounded sad but also painful, like it physically hurt him. I really felt for Arthur and it actually made me feel bad for him equally when he was getting beat up and assaulted but also just berated and treated bad by others. People were talking about the violence in the movie and how it was graphic and disturbing but what bothered me more were the parts where Arthur was having violence done on him, it made me sad for him. I thought a lot of the movie was well done. The double twist in him finding his mother's letter to Thomas Wayne saying he (Arthur) is his son only to find out that he was adopted was a great reveal. Still makes me wonder what the truth really is, because later he does find a photograph with Thomas Wayne's initials on the back. Either he really is his son and Wayne had it covered up, which he totally has the means to do, or maybe she was delusional about it. I also thought it was cool how they showed Arthur also had delusions of grandeur in the begging when he is watching the Murray show and he imagines himself as a guest there. Like I said this movie was really well done in a lot of ways but there were somethings that bothered me. One right off the back is that Bruce Wayne is just a kid in this movie and if Arthur is supposed to be the Joker he would be way older than he should be when Wayne becomes Batman. To mere there wasn't a lot that Arthur really did as Joker. Nothing grandiose or epic like what I've become accustomed to with the Joker in other incarnations. There was no plans or power moves like in The Dark Knight or parade and taking over the city like in 1989's Batman. They really could have called the movie something else since he really only becomes the Joker at the end of the movie for not really that long even. I know it's supposed to be an origin story of how he becomes the Joker but it wasn't even going off of any of the comics and just loosely based on the version of Joker from The Killing Joke and then given the "Hollywood" treatment. I think I just expected more Joker from a movie called Joker. I thought the ending was perfect if it would have ended with him on top of the car when they helped him escape. I honestly don't know why they should that little part with him in Arkham, I don't think it added anything and kind of took away from it. The only thing I can think of is they didn't want to end it that dark. I have to say that if your judging this film from not being a big fan of Joker, the comics or the films and only on as a stand alone film it's probably like a 9/10. But for me since at it's core it is a comic book movie I give it an 8/10.
Frank Carter recommended Murder Ballads by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds in Music (curated)
Becs (244 KP) rated Siege and Storm in Books
Aug 25, 2019
Nikolai (2 more)
the Darkling
THAT ENDING
has major middle book syndrome (3 more)
main character is still annoying
mal is still a horrible character
there wasn't a lot of the Darkling when the books are supposed to be about him as a villain
Has middle book syndrome B A D but the last half of the book is great!
You can also find this review on my blog: bookingwayreads.wordpress.com
TRIGGER WARNINGS: torture, murder, war themes, hallucinations, death, blood, manipulation, violence
Review:
I originally rated this 4 out of 5 stars but I am dropping it down to 3.5 out of 5 stars as I’ve had a lot of time to think about my review and have realized that Siege and Storm has middle book syndrome.
My one problem with Siege and Storm, is that it needed more of the Darkling in it. The Shadow and Bone Trilogy is about the Darkling being the villain and Siege and Storm did not deliver. You’d think there would have been more of a prescense, but there was just not enough of him! Please take Mal away and replace him with the Darkling!! Also, what in the good lordy fucks was that ending Leigh?! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL US!? I. AM. DEAD.
I still have an ever growing dislike for Mal. He doesn’t have one bit of empathy in his body and it’s so frustrating! Like he’s supposed to be that rock that Alina can fall back onto for support and he’s just being a douche about her having powers. Can we just replace all of Mal’s scenes with more of my BB’s Nikolai and the Darkling plz?! Nikolai had the best character development and was the most relatable in the entire series thus far.
I’ve not really grown to like Alina as much like others do, as she’s still the same annoying girl that I wish wasn’t as special as she is. One thing I do like about her though, is the whole anti hero darkness she has brewing along with the inner turmoil she’s dealing with. With her new found power enhancements, but I just wish her powers weren’t vaguely talked about.
Another thing I wasn’t entirely a fan of was the love triangle *cough cough* love SQUARE *cough cough* trope that took place throughout the novel. Don’t get me wrong, it was extremely well-written and really filled in some (read: a lot of the) boring parts. BUT, this trope is extremely overrated and can really ruin a novel. It was rather annoying that Alina had all of these men to choose from and she couldn’t make up her mind about any of them. Plus, I don’t think she deserves any of them. So… yea.
Okay, onto the story itself. The first half was… such… a… bore… It was so freaking slow and I wanted to give up on it so much. It also kind of put me into a slump on picking up Ruin and Rising. I just didn’t want to be disappointed like I was with Siege and Storm. The second half of the story on the other hand, was packed to the max with intense scenes and action. I honestly thought my wittle heart would crack into a million pieces.
Leigh’s writing style is extremely unique and well-done. She’s able to write scenes that not only grip your attention, but will also pluck each heart string until that breaking point. Then it will rip your heart out of your chest with one swift moment.
Other than a few bumps, Siege and Storm was captivating to a point, but not as much as Shadow and Bone. It’s a soul sucker of a book and I’m enamored with it. The world-building is some of the best I’ve ever seen, especially for a series. The tensions in scenes is extremely palpable – making this a great sequel to an amazing series.
“You know the problem with heroes and saints Nikolai? They always end up dead.
TRIGGER WARNINGS: torture, murder, war themes, hallucinations, death, blood, manipulation, violence
Review:
I originally rated this 4 out of 5 stars but I am dropping it down to 3.5 out of 5 stars as I’ve had a lot of time to think about my review and have realized that Siege and Storm has middle book syndrome.
My one problem with Siege and Storm, is that it needed more of the Darkling in it. The Shadow and Bone Trilogy is about the Darkling being the villain and Siege and Storm did not deliver. You’d think there would have been more of a prescense, but there was just not enough of him! Please take Mal away and replace him with the Darkling!! Also, what in the good lordy fucks was that ending Leigh?! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL US!? I. AM. DEAD.
I still have an ever growing dislike for Mal. He doesn’t have one bit of empathy in his body and it’s so frustrating! Like he’s supposed to be that rock that Alina can fall back onto for support and he’s just being a douche about her having powers. Can we just replace all of Mal’s scenes with more of my BB’s Nikolai and the Darkling plz?! Nikolai had the best character development and was the most relatable in the entire series thus far.
I’ve not really grown to like Alina as much like others do, as she’s still the same annoying girl that I wish wasn’t as special as she is. One thing I do like about her though, is the whole anti hero darkness she has brewing along with the inner turmoil she’s dealing with. With her new found power enhancements, but I just wish her powers weren’t vaguely talked about.
Another thing I wasn’t entirely a fan of was the love triangle *cough cough* love SQUARE *cough cough* trope that took place throughout the novel. Don’t get me wrong, it was extremely well-written and really filled in some (read: a lot of the) boring parts. BUT, this trope is extremely overrated and can really ruin a novel. It was rather annoying that Alina had all of these men to choose from and she couldn’t make up her mind about any of them. Plus, I don’t think she deserves any of them. So… yea.
Okay, onto the story itself. The first half was… such… a… bore… It was so freaking slow and I wanted to give up on it so much. It also kind of put me into a slump on picking up Ruin and Rising. I just didn’t want to be disappointed like I was with Siege and Storm. The second half of the story on the other hand, was packed to the max with intense scenes and action. I honestly thought my wittle heart would crack into a million pieces.
Leigh’s writing style is extremely unique and well-done. She’s able to write scenes that not only grip your attention, but will also pluck each heart string until that breaking point. Then it will rip your heart out of your chest with one swift moment.
Other than a few bumps, Siege and Storm was captivating to a point, but not as much as Shadow and Bone. It’s a soul sucker of a book and I’m enamored with it. The world-building is some of the best I’ve ever seen, especially for a series. The tensions in scenes is extremely palpable – making this a great sequel to an amazing series.
“You know the problem with heroes and saints Nikolai? They always end up dead.
BookInspector (124 KP) rated Purgatory Road in Books
Sep 24, 2020
From the first pages I had creeps running down my spine. This story is a nerve - racking, blood – curdling, fearsome piece of art. It started like every second horror movie, couple’s car broke in the middle of nowhere and they need to survive but eventually they will meet someone who wants to kill them. Heard that before, right? But this novel is something different. There is something else lurking around, where it is very hard to explain what it is, and author kept it for your own imagination till the very last page. Was it real or was it just a fruit of imagination, I honestly don’t know. The plot of this book is really disturbing and filled with lots of violence and disturbed characters so if u have weak nerves and fear of violence save yourself from nightmares. I know I had few even though I like these kind of books.
I really enjoyed what author did with the characters, they are very mysterious and all of them have their own secrets which author helps to untangle slowly, torturing with every chapter. There are amazing insights of couple’s relationship problems and hidden feelings towards each other and helps discover their own most secret realisations which they tried to suppress for some time. Characters manipulate with these feelings magnificently. The book is really fast paced and these chapters are so short, that it grips you so bad that all I could think was “OK, just one more…” and I couldn’t put it down. It is really easy to read this book, because the language used is not difficult so it just flies through. There are a lot of things going on in the book with a lot of turns and twists which made it even more interesting and gripping. The ending was really enjoyable as well not like the ones you see in horror movies. To conclude, I would strongly recommend this book to all out there who got strong nerves and would like some spine – chilling story to read.
I really enjoyed what author did with the characters, they are very mysterious and all of them have their own secrets which author helps to untangle slowly, torturing with every chapter. There are amazing insights of couple’s relationship problems and hidden feelings towards each other and helps discover their own most secret realisations which they tried to suppress for some time. Characters manipulate with these feelings magnificently. The book is really fast paced and these chapters are so short, that it grips you so bad that all I could think was “OK, just one more…” and I couldn’t put it down. It is really easy to read this book, because the language used is not difficult so it just flies through. There are a lot of things going on in the book with a lot of turns and twists which made it even more interesting and gripping. The ending was really enjoyable as well not like the ones you see in horror movies. To conclude, I would strongly recommend this book to all out there who got strong nerves and would like some spine – chilling story to read.