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Blood Myth (2019)
Blood Myth (2019)
2019 | Horror
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Characters – James Lincoln is a journalist, his latest case involves in trying to debunk folklore which he is finding all too easy, until he learns about this newest one, which he decides to use as his final part of the article, he takes his fiancée who is pregnant and he has cheated on before to investigate. He spends time trying to find his missing fiancée learning that not everything is a myth. Harriet is the pregnant wife that joins James on his journey, she does disappear, being the mystery about what is going on. Alexandra is the local woman that has been studying the myth for years, being the only person that helps James out. We do meet plenty of locals, with most just dismissing James cries for help.

Performances – Jonathan McClean is the star of the show, he is involved in nearly every scene, it is his work dealing with being tired of the investigations, which is clear how he is dealing with this story. The rest of the cast don’t get much time to do anything more than the basics required, not given enough time to do much more.

Story – The story follows a journalist that is investigating myths and folklores with the latest one being one that might have more truths behind it. The story is interesting because it does show how frustrated the journalist is doing this story, which is against the normal as we usually see overly enthusiastic ghost hunters trying to debunk them. The story flows as James learns more about everything, but just like him, we don’t learn much about what is happening until he does. We do get plenty of mystery, but like most films like this the story ends up going in the same direction.

Horror – The horror in this film comes from the unknown, this does leave us wondering just what is going on, with the darkness and noise being used to the strongest effects.

Settings – The film is set in a small British village, which does help play into the folklore because the small villages are always going to have them.

Special Effects – The effects are saved for big moments in the film, they are kept hidden more than thrown onto the audience.


Scene of the Movie – The day after the first night.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Too much searching though.

Final Thoughts – This is a horror that does ask plenty of questions, with what is going on, only to follow a simple instruction on how everything ends up unfolding.

Overall: Folklore horror 101
  
Weir again goes from traditionalist historian to historical novelist, but she can't seem to leave the historian bit behind. Much as I dislike wholesale abandonment of historical accuracy and the flagrant sensationalism of Phillipa Gregory and her Ilk, I really found this book over long and tedious - I could quite cheerfully have done some poisoning myself just to get the book over and done with! It feels like Weir has looked up every single historical quote she could find from people in the period and tried to squeeze them into the book. I had read biographies of the period that are more enlightening that this and do more to bring the people and period to life.

During the third quarter of the book, we get a lot of Henry coming in to visit Katherine, giving us a bit of plot exposition and then having a strop and stomping out like a child having a tantrum. After about the tenth occurrence this gets rather tedious and doesn't feel altogether likely.

I was slightly weirded by the implication that Katherine on arrival quite fancied the ten year old Henry and the bit in the Tower with the 'ghost lady' and the shivers down the spine in Peterborough cathedral seemed out of place and both only really play off if you have a knowledge of the period already, in which case you really don't need to be reading this.

Finally, for all the historical stuff Weir has stuffed in there, she really does need to pay better attention to her geography. I know Ampthill isn't that far from Dunstable, but I think I little effort would inform her that it's more like 14 miles and not the 4 she has in the book!

While the writing isn't awful, it's just not engaging and the book is far too long and becomes tedious. Does Weir really believe that Katherine believed that, after everything that he had done, Henry would meekly accept the Pope's vastly overdue ruling, put Anne and Elizabeth and the change of a male heir aside along with his leadership of the Church of England? hindsight is a wonderful thing, but I find it hard to beleive that Katherine was as stupid and naive as she comes across here. She says she still loves Henry and wouldn't do anything against him, yet writes to the Pope and the Emperor with a clear intention of inciting war! I think Weir means to make her sympathetic, but I just found her exasperating. I would recommend some good non-fiction book on the period ahead of this.
  
I have tried, over and over and over again, to get through this book. I just can't and I won't try anymore. There are far better books to read than to waste time on one that's not worth the expense it takes to get through it. Technically, the writing is good, but everything is just so boring and lifeless; I don't care about anyone or anything. Maybe if it didn't often read like a history lesson and had some movement, I would have liked this book better. Good historical fiction incorporates the history seamlessly into the narrative. This book didn't and the history actually came in chunks that disrupted the story. This is an author I'll be sure to steer clear of from now on.
  
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starwarsluvr (236 KP) rated Zombified in Books

Jan 30, 2018  
Z
Zombified
Lyra Mcken | 2012
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I got this book from the author for a honest review. I am not a big fan of zombie books and honestly this one isn't a lot different for me except that the characters and plot of the book were better then most...I still didnt like the whole zombie eating people thing etc...but honestly I did enjoy the story..there was more to the zombies then just eating people and wasn't a bad story. I would def recommend this story to those who enjoy zombies especially and for those who might be interested in trying a new zombie book just to try one this would be a good one to start with. I am thinking about reading the next book when it comes out. :)
  
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saheffernan (157 KP) rated Saint X in Books

Mar 7, 2020  
Saint X
Saint X
Alexis Schaitkin | 2020 | Thriller
5
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Wonderfully descriptive, bits to move the story along, somewhat compelling characters. There are different parts I loved and different parts that were just so slow. The first 3 pages was description of the island we would be visiting and not really any story. 1/4 of the way in it picked up and continued for about a few chapters but then we got to mid way and it just started to get hard to believe and continued on a slow pace until the end.
I did really like how we learned of Alison through articles, many people's recalled memories, her diary entries. These are the parts I felt kept the book interesting after each chapter we'd get more and more of Alison.