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Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated Uncertain Magic in Books
Apr 27, 2018
Uncertain Magic by Laura Kinsale
Genre: Adult Historical romance
ISBN: 9781402237027
Published: May 4th 2010 by Sourcebooks Casablanca (first published March 2nd 1987)
Rating: 5
Roddy has a "gift"—or as she thinks of it, a curse—that allows her to hear the mind and feel the emotions of every human and animal on earth. Because of this, and her family history, she knows she will never be married, never have her own family… because what man wants every single thought and emotion on display for his wife? Past failed marriages in the family have shown her that her happiness is a hopeless cause… until she meets one man whom she does not have access to his thoughts and feelings. So Roddy takes things into her own hands. She realizes a little too late what kind of man she's gotten interested in her: Lord Iveragh. The Devil Earl of Ireland.
She carries out her plan, however, and he seems to like her enough to marry her. But The Devil Earl is hiding things from her… and possibly himself. Roddy finds that she can help him… but it will require more than she may be willing to give. If she doesn't, though, she will loose him forever… and maybe loose herself, too.
I loved Uncertain Magic. I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading it. It was certainly a romance, and a very good one at that. But it was so much more than a romance novel: It was a clever blend of romance, adventure, historical events, family secrets, and Gaelic magic. The plot incorporated a rebellion in Ireland, smuggling, murder, and magic. There were horse races, escaping soldiers, and midnight balls with the dead.
The relationship between Roddy and Faelan (Lord Iveragh) started off a little random: a chance meeting, Roddy saving his horse from a heart attack, her pretending to be a stable boy and bragging on his employer (herself, of course) and Faelan seeing through it and embarrassing her. As it continued, I was a little surprised at the speed it progressed: They were married by chapter five. But them being married though the book was such an important aspect, that I understood it later. Of course, no marriage is perfect, and many romances are victims of happyland syndrome, where their relationship is so perfect that it's almost Holy.
Not this one.
There were misunderstandings, tears, heartbreak, scandals, possible affairs, redemption, and healing. And plenty of love-making.
With that said: the characters were great. Roddy was sweet and soft, but she had her spunk and I liked her immediately (especially when she took out a rude stableboy with a single kick). Faelan was, as his nickname describes him, a devil—but he was good that way. He was a little obnoxious, he had his sarcastic moments, and he certainly had his pride. He's the kind of dark secretive hero that everyone looks for… but with a touch of madness—or maybe magic—to make him even more mysterious. I love Roddy, I adore Faelan, and his mother (let's just say she never. shuts. up.) makes me laugh… the characters in this story are gems.
Just as I didn't expect the twisting exciting plot, I didn't expect the writing to be so good. It felt great to read, and the dialogue was easy to speak and felt natural. It flowed well, and was descriptive and lyrical. I liked the way Kinsale described Roddy experiencing everyone else's thoughts and emotions, and I liked the way she didn't over-describe everything—every little facial expression, every little movement—leaving out some for your imagination, but added enough description to allow you to see everything.
There were disappearing faeries and blind men who could see (try figuring that one out!) and missing chunks of time… all tied up beautifully at the end. Although it was, at first, a little confusing to figure out what had just happened on the last few pages, I loved the ending. There wasn't quite enough closure, but it didn't need to be closed: it was more like an opening for their new life together. After reading it, you know what will happen… so it doesn't need to be said.
This is probably one of my favorite books I've read this year, and it demands a re-read in the future.
Content/Recommendation: Some sex, mild language. Ages 18+
Review copyright Haley Mathiot 2010. Review copy supplied by publisher.
Genre: Adult Historical romance
ISBN: 9781402237027
Published: May 4th 2010 by Sourcebooks Casablanca (first published March 2nd 1987)
Rating: 5
Roddy has a "gift"—or as she thinks of it, a curse—that allows her to hear the mind and feel the emotions of every human and animal on earth. Because of this, and her family history, she knows she will never be married, never have her own family… because what man wants every single thought and emotion on display for his wife? Past failed marriages in the family have shown her that her happiness is a hopeless cause… until she meets one man whom she does not have access to his thoughts and feelings. So Roddy takes things into her own hands. She realizes a little too late what kind of man she's gotten interested in her: Lord Iveragh. The Devil Earl of Ireland.
She carries out her plan, however, and he seems to like her enough to marry her. But The Devil Earl is hiding things from her… and possibly himself. Roddy finds that she can help him… but it will require more than she may be willing to give. If she doesn't, though, she will loose him forever… and maybe loose herself, too.
I loved Uncertain Magic. I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading it. It was certainly a romance, and a very good one at that. But it was so much more than a romance novel: It was a clever blend of romance, adventure, historical events, family secrets, and Gaelic magic. The plot incorporated a rebellion in Ireland, smuggling, murder, and magic. There were horse races, escaping soldiers, and midnight balls with the dead.
The relationship between Roddy and Faelan (Lord Iveragh) started off a little random: a chance meeting, Roddy saving his horse from a heart attack, her pretending to be a stable boy and bragging on his employer (herself, of course) and Faelan seeing through it and embarrassing her. As it continued, I was a little surprised at the speed it progressed: They were married by chapter five. But them being married though the book was such an important aspect, that I understood it later. Of course, no marriage is perfect, and many romances are victims of happyland syndrome, where their relationship is so perfect that it's almost Holy.
Not this one.
There were misunderstandings, tears, heartbreak, scandals, possible affairs, redemption, and healing. And plenty of love-making.
With that said: the characters were great. Roddy was sweet and soft, but she had her spunk and I liked her immediately (especially when she took out a rude stableboy with a single kick). Faelan was, as his nickname describes him, a devil—but he was good that way. He was a little obnoxious, he had his sarcastic moments, and he certainly had his pride. He's the kind of dark secretive hero that everyone looks for… but with a touch of madness—or maybe magic—to make him even more mysterious. I love Roddy, I adore Faelan, and his mother (let's just say she never. shuts. up.) makes me laugh… the characters in this story are gems.
Just as I didn't expect the twisting exciting plot, I didn't expect the writing to be so good. It felt great to read, and the dialogue was easy to speak and felt natural. It flowed well, and was descriptive and lyrical. I liked the way Kinsale described Roddy experiencing everyone else's thoughts and emotions, and I liked the way she didn't over-describe everything—every little facial expression, every little movement—leaving out some for your imagination, but added enough description to allow you to see everything.
There were disappearing faeries and blind men who could see (try figuring that one out!) and missing chunks of time… all tied up beautifully at the end. Although it was, at first, a little confusing to figure out what had just happened on the last few pages, I loved the ending. There wasn't quite enough closure, but it didn't need to be closed: it was more like an opening for their new life together. After reading it, you know what will happen… so it doesn't need to be said.
This is probably one of my favorite books I've read this year, and it demands a re-read in the future.
Content/Recommendation: Some sex, mild language. Ages 18+
Review copyright Haley Mathiot 2010. Review copy supplied by publisher.
Housewife of Horror (12 KP) rated The Canal (2014) in Movies
Aug 25, 2018
Contains spoilers, click to show
The Canal (2014)
Platform: Shudder
Genre: Horror
Country: Ireland (IFB)
Running Time: 92 minutes
Written and Directed by: Ivan Kavanagh
Release Date: April 18th 2014 (Tribeca Film Festival)
Cast: Rupert Evans; Steve Oram; Antonia Campbell-Hughes; Hannah Hoekstra
After found footage, psychological horror films are a favorite of mine. I love how they pull you into the story, how up is down, left is right, I love to be enveloped by the plot. That tingly feeling I get on the back of my neck, the hairs standing up, I know then it has me in it’s clutches. I had that feeling with The Canal.
David (Rupert Evans) works as a film archivist, he is given a reel of footage from the police archives to watch and subsequently archive by his work colleague and close friend Claire (Antonia Campbell-Hughes), which turns out to be old crime scene footage of he and his wife’s current home. It was the scene of a shocking crime in 1902, the brutal murder of a cheating wife, their children and the nanny by the enraged father.
David suspects his wife Alice (Hannah Hoekstra) of having an affair, so he decides to follow her one night, only to unfortunately confirm his suspicions. He watches Alice while she is with her lover, and then picking up a hammer, he appears to mull over the idea of using it, only to quickly come to his senses. Walking away, he throws the hammer in to the canal on the way back to their marital home, where he has left their young son asleep in bed, alone in the house.
David, feeling sick from what he witnessed, as well as what he had considered doing about it, runs into the (quite dirty) canal-side public toilets. He hears something or someone coming in after him, and then see’s them, their feet, under the stall door, followed by fingers appearing to creep over the top of the door. He then proceeds to suffer from quite nightmarish visions that include the man, the husband, from the 1902 crime scene footage. He seems to be taunting David, whispering things to him. David, in a state of distress, manages to crawl outside, where he then witnesses what appears to be his wife being thrown into the canal; he just can’t see it very clearly or coherently. He later comes round on the floor of the bathroom, unnerved and disheveled, and makes his way home. The next morning, when he realises that Alice has not come home that night, David goes to the local police station to report her missing. Obviously, the police suspect David, “It’s always the husband” says the (inept) detective on the case.
The plot twists and turns, is it David? Is it the entity? Some great revelations about the grim history of the house come up throughout. It’s an interesting watch that comes to a disturbing conclusion.
A great little scene, that made me believe David was the killer, was during one of his viewings of the old footage. He stood up, in front of the projector, silhouetting him in front of the screen, making him appear to be a dark shadow. To me, this was the directors’ nod to David’s darkness within.
The Canal is a great psychological horror; it does very well to dig itself under your skin as you watch, and drag you in to this nightmare that David’s life has turned into. I was really impressed with the performance of Rupert Evans, tormented and devastated, he made David’s pain almost tangible. Watching him seemingly fall further into madness as the story progressed was quite frightening. I really felt for the nanny, she is a totally innocent girl who just wants to protect David and Alice’s son Billy, and can’t leave even when she knows she should. She gets dragged deeper and deeper in to the madness; everyone close to David is brought into this waking nightmare.
The ending is well, quite creepy and rather disturbing as I have said earlier. The story feels to me to have come full circle, and you can envision that it is a tormenting nightmare that will repeat itself over and over with future residents of the house for years to come.
4/5 – It’s rather worth a look if you like a good psychological horror
Lesley-Ann (Housewife of Horror)
Platform: Shudder
Genre: Horror
Country: Ireland (IFB)
Running Time: 92 minutes
Written and Directed by: Ivan Kavanagh
Release Date: April 18th 2014 (Tribeca Film Festival)
Cast: Rupert Evans; Steve Oram; Antonia Campbell-Hughes; Hannah Hoekstra
After found footage, psychological horror films are a favorite of mine. I love how they pull you into the story, how up is down, left is right, I love to be enveloped by the plot. That tingly feeling I get on the back of my neck, the hairs standing up, I know then it has me in it’s clutches. I had that feeling with The Canal.
David (Rupert Evans) works as a film archivist, he is given a reel of footage from the police archives to watch and subsequently archive by his work colleague and close friend Claire (Antonia Campbell-Hughes), which turns out to be old crime scene footage of he and his wife’s current home. It was the scene of a shocking crime in 1902, the brutal murder of a cheating wife, their children and the nanny by the enraged father.
David suspects his wife Alice (Hannah Hoekstra) of having an affair, so he decides to follow her one night, only to unfortunately confirm his suspicions. He watches Alice while she is with her lover, and then picking up a hammer, he appears to mull over the idea of using it, only to quickly come to his senses. Walking away, he throws the hammer in to the canal on the way back to their marital home, where he has left their young son asleep in bed, alone in the house.
David, feeling sick from what he witnessed, as well as what he had considered doing about it, runs into the (quite dirty) canal-side public toilets. He hears something or someone coming in after him, and then see’s them, their feet, under the stall door, followed by fingers appearing to creep over the top of the door. He then proceeds to suffer from quite nightmarish visions that include the man, the husband, from the 1902 crime scene footage. He seems to be taunting David, whispering things to him. David, in a state of distress, manages to crawl outside, where he then witnesses what appears to be his wife being thrown into the canal; he just can’t see it very clearly or coherently. He later comes round on the floor of the bathroom, unnerved and disheveled, and makes his way home. The next morning, when he realises that Alice has not come home that night, David goes to the local police station to report her missing. Obviously, the police suspect David, “It’s always the husband” says the (inept) detective on the case.
The plot twists and turns, is it David? Is it the entity? Some great revelations about the grim history of the house come up throughout. It’s an interesting watch that comes to a disturbing conclusion.
A great little scene, that made me believe David was the killer, was during one of his viewings of the old footage. He stood up, in front of the projector, silhouetting him in front of the screen, making him appear to be a dark shadow. To me, this was the directors’ nod to David’s darkness within.
The Canal is a great psychological horror; it does very well to dig itself under your skin as you watch, and drag you in to this nightmare that David’s life has turned into. I was really impressed with the performance of Rupert Evans, tormented and devastated, he made David’s pain almost tangible. Watching him seemingly fall further into madness as the story progressed was quite frightening. I really felt for the nanny, she is a totally innocent girl who just wants to protect David and Alice’s son Billy, and can’t leave even when she knows she should. She gets dragged deeper and deeper in to the madness; everyone close to David is brought into this waking nightmare.
The ending is well, quite creepy and rather disturbing as I have said earlier. The story feels to me to have come full circle, and you can envision that it is a tormenting nightmare that will repeat itself over and over with future residents of the house for years to come.
4/5 – It’s rather worth a look if you like a good psychological horror
Lesley-Ann (Housewife of Horror)
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Marionette (Dark Carousel #3) in Books
Nov 15, 2020
I have definitely taken a shine to the Dark Carousel series by Anya Allyn. There's something about it that has definitely reeled me in. As soon as I finished reading Paper Dolls, I dove right into reading Marionette, the third book in the Dark Carousel series. This one definitely had a lot of action going on!
Cassie and Molly are prisoners in Balthazar's castle as its inhabitants try to find the second book of The Mirrored Tree. Cassie and Molly desperately search for a way to leave the castle so she can be reunited with her family and with Ethan. However, things take a turn for the worst when Cassie learns her fate of which she can not escape if she wants to save her world and all of its occupants.
I find that the plot of each book in the Dark Carousel series gets weirder and weirder. The plot in Marionette so much different to the one that first started it all in Dollhouse. However, Marionette was a fast paced read, in fact, in some parts, it was a little too fast paced. There were times I was left feeling confused about what was going on. Luckily, that only happened a few times, and the rest of the plot felt solid. Marionette was quite a page turner, and I kept wanting to know what would happen next. Marionette definitely has more action in it than Paper Dolls did. It seemed like there was always something happening in Marionette. This book focused more on Cassie and somewhat on Ethan. We learn more about the different worlds (which has me confused) and more about the ice world which Cassie is from. We also learn more about Zack, Viola, Emerson, and Parker as well as the castle itself. I do wish the worlds weren't as confusing. It's hard to keep up with all the different worlds and what happens when you see your copy on that world. I wish it was better explained or that there was some kind of appendix or something in the book to help explain it. I also don't understand why the bad people need Molly. I sort of understand why they want Cassie, but I don't see what use Molly is to them as she has no powers or anything of the sort. There were a few plot twists that I didn't see coming. This book didn't really end in a cliffhanger, but I will still read the last book in the series to complete the story.
As always, Anya Allyn did a fantastic job with her characters. Cassie puts up a good fight and tries to protect everyone. I was really routing for her throughout Marionette. Molly is written well, but I feel like she's sort of a useless character. I wish I knew more about why Aisha decided to just give in to the Batistes, so more backstory there would have been nice. I am hoping there will be more backstory on Lacey as well so I can know why she sometimes speaks in third person. I know it was sort of explained that she went crazy after everything went down at the end of Dollhouse, but I'd like to know a bit more. Perhaps all of these things will be explained in the last book of the series. One character I felt bad for was Zack. I felt like he was sort of a prisoner in all of this too, yet he's very protective and sweet towards Cassie. I get why Cassie was angry at him, but he had no choice. I really wished Cassie was a bit nicer towards him in the book. I was saddened that there was hardly any Jessamine in Marionette. Jessamine is my favorite character, yet she's only in the book for the beginning for a little bit. I'm hoping she'll be featured more in the next book.
Trigger warnings for Marionette include death, murder, rape and attempted rape of a minor (not graphic), mentions of sex (not graphic), the occult, violence, alcohol, and imprisonment.
Despite the fast pacing in places, Marionette is still a great read. With great characters and lots of action, this book definitely holds one's attention throughout. I would definitely recommend Marionette by Anya Allyn to those aged 16+ who like a bit of science fiction with their supernatural horror. Now on to the next and final book in the Dark Carousel series entitled Music Box.
Cassie and Molly are prisoners in Balthazar's castle as its inhabitants try to find the second book of The Mirrored Tree. Cassie and Molly desperately search for a way to leave the castle so she can be reunited with her family and with Ethan. However, things take a turn for the worst when Cassie learns her fate of which she can not escape if she wants to save her world and all of its occupants.
I find that the plot of each book in the Dark Carousel series gets weirder and weirder. The plot in Marionette so much different to the one that first started it all in Dollhouse. However, Marionette was a fast paced read, in fact, in some parts, it was a little too fast paced. There were times I was left feeling confused about what was going on. Luckily, that only happened a few times, and the rest of the plot felt solid. Marionette was quite a page turner, and I kept wanting to know what would happen next. Marionette definitely has more action in it than Paper Dolls did. It seemed like there was always something happening in Marionette. This book focused more on Cassie and somewhat on Ethan. We learn more about the different worlds (which has me confused) and more about the ice world which Cassie is from. We also learn more about Zack, Viola, Emerson, and Parker as well as the castle itself. I do wish the worlds weren't as confusing. It's hard to keep up with all the different worlds and what happens when you see your copy on that world. I wish it was better explained or that there was some kind of appendix or something in the book to help explain it. I also don't understand why the bad people need Molly. I sort of understand why they want Cassie, but I don't see what use Molly is to them as she has no powers or anything of the sort. There were a few plot twists that I didn't see coming. This book didn't really end in a cliffhanger, but I will still read the last book in the series to complete the story.
As always, Anya Allyn did a fantastic job with her characters. Cassie puts up a good fight and tries to protect everyone. I was really routing for her throughout Marionette. Molly is written well, but I feel like she's sort of a useless character. I wish I knew more about why Aisha decided to just give in to the Batistes, so more backstory there would have been nice. I am hoping there will be more backstory on Lacey as well so I can know why she sometimes speaks in third person. I know it was sort of explained that she went crazy after everything went down at the end of Dollhouse, but I'd like to know a bit more. Perhaps all of these things will be explained in the last book of the series. One character I felt bad for was Zack. I felt like he was sort of a prisoner in all of this too, yet he's very protective and sweet towards Cassie. I get why Cassie was angry at him, but he had no choice. I really wished Cassie was a bit nicer towards him in the book. I was saddened that there was hardly any Jessamine in Marionette. Jessamine is my favorite character, yet she's only in the book for the beginning for a little bit. I'm hoping she'll be featured more in the next book.
Trigger warnings for Marionette include death, murder, rape and attempted rape of a minor (not graphic), mentions of sex (not graphic), the occult, violence, alcohol, and imprisonment.
Despite the fast pacing in places, Marionette is still a great read. With great characters and lots of action, this book definitely holds one's attention throughout. I would definitely recommend Marionette by Anya Allyn to those aged 16+ who like a bit of science fiction with their supernatural horror. Now on to the next and final book in the Dark Carousel series entitled Music Box.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Nocturne House (Legacy of Darkness #3) in Books
Jun 2, 2020
I've been a huge fan of London Clarke's since I read her first book Wildfell over two years ago. I loved the other two books in the Legacy of Darkness series (The Meadows and Whickering Place). However, the last and final installment of the series, Nocturne House, absolutely blew me away. It has become my favorite book that Clarke has written so far!
(While Nocturne House is the final installment in the Legacy of Darkness series, it can be read as a standalone. However, you do get a little more backstory on the majority of the characters if you've read the previous two books. Also, if you start at Nocturne House, you'll end up with spoilers for the first two books.)
Laura has been missing for awhile. When she turns up in the hospital after a car accident, her husband, Hunter, is over the moon. However, Laura is devastated. She wants to return to her life she had while she was missing where she lived in a house called Nocturne House, where she was free of all her medications, and she belonged to another man. She was a sanguinarian in that life, and she seemed to enjoy it. However, Hunter knows that the cult Laura was in was involved in some highly shady and illegal dealings. Will Hunter be able to win back Laura's heart and convince her that her time in Nocturne House wasn't all it was cracked up to be?
I don't know how London Clarke does it. Perhaps she has magical author superpowers, but she makes each book in the Legacy of Darkness series even better than its predecessor. I didn't think that was possible since I always feel like each book was amazing! Nocturne House had such an intriguing plot. I found myself fully immersed in the story from the very first page. The story is extremely addictive, and I found that every time I had to put the book down for whatever reason, I was constantly craving more of the story. I had to find out what would happen next! Although there are chapters from Laura's point of view as well as Hunter's and Pearse's, Clarke does an amazing job at connecting all the narratives together. The story runs together so smoothly, and each chapter seems to just flow into the next. I liked how we got to know more about The Colony (the major vampire cult) and its offshoot named SOAL (Success of a Lifetime) which prides itself on being better than The Colony and not as dark. SOAL reminded me a lot of Scientology and The Manson Family in which the way things were ran. It was obvious that London Clarke had done her homework on cults and how they operate. There were quite a few plot twists peppered throughout Nocturne House. While I was able to foresee some of the twists, many of them I never saw coming. Major points for that because unpredictable plot twists are the best! I also loved how Clarke made the ending for Nocturne House come together nicely. It never felt rushed or too perfect. It just felt natural. While there are no cliffhangers, there is some room for speculation or perhaps another book in the series (wishful thinking on my part!). The only minor thing that confused me was when Laura's story would switch from past to present and back again. Laura's chapters started off with if they were in the past or present, but there were a few chapters that weren't labeled as such. Luckily, it was fairly easy to figure out which timeline I was in.
Every character in Nocturne House felt like a real life person. Each character felt very fleshed out instead of a make believe person. I was happy to revisit the lives of characters from the second book in the series and even more elated to see mentions of characters from the very first book! While this book has chapters from three different character's points of view, Laura stood out as the main character. I found her chapters to be the most exciting (though each chapter brought excitement of its own). I kept wanting Laura to come to her senses, but I could see the appeal of SOAL as well as Alex, the man Laura claimed to be her husband at Nocturne House. I enjoyed reading about Laura's thought process throughout the book especially when it came to SOAL's activities. I also enjoyed Hunter's perspective on everything, and his loyalty to Laura was very admirable. I think a lot of people would have just walked away after being treated the way Laura treated him. Alex was also a brilliant character, and even I was sucked in by his charismatic personality. I was elated to see that Pearse and Avery were back in Nocturne House. I loved them both in Whickering Place. I won't go into much detail about them in case you want to read the previous book in the series, but let's just say that Pearse was the same old Pearse with how he felt about everything.
Trigger warnings for Nocturne House include profanity, violence (though not gory), mental health issues, sexual situations (not graphic), rape (mentioned in name only), brainwashing, kidnapping, murder, demons, the occult, and alcohol use.
Overall, Nocturne House is a fantastic novel with a solid story and fantastic characters. London Clarke managed to make a spooky story really come to life in each and every page. I would definitely recommend Nocturne House by London Clarke to those aged 16+. I believe fans of most genres will enjoy this one!
(While Nocturne House is the final installment in the Legacy of Darkness series, it can be read as a standalone. However, you do get a little more backstory on the majority of the characters if you've read the previous two books. Also, if you start at Nocturne House, you'll end up with spoilers for the first two books.)
Laura has been missing for awhile. When she turns up in the hospital after a car accident, her husband, Hunter, is over the moon. However, Laura is devastated. She wants to return to her life she had while she was missing where she lived in a house called Nocturne House, where she was free of all her medications, and she belonged to another man. She was a sanguinarian in that life, and she seemed to enjoy it. However, Hunter knows that the cult Laura was in was involved in some highly shady and illegal dealings. Will Hunter be able to win back Laura's heart and convince her that her time in Nocturne House wasn't all it was cracked up to be?
I don't know how London Clarke does it. Perhaps she has magical author superpowers, but she makes each book in the Legacy of Darkness series even better than its predecessor. I didn't think that was possible since I always feel like each book was amazing! Nocturne House had such an intriguing plot. I found myself fully immersed in the story from the very first page. The story is extremely addictive, and I found that every time I had to put the book down for whatever reason, I was constantly craving more of the story. I had to find out what would happen next! Although there are chapters from Laura's point of view as well as Hunter's and Pearse's, Clarke does an amazing job at connecting all the narratives together. The story runs together so smoothly, and each chapter seems to just flow into the next. I liked how we got to know more about The Colony (the major vampire cult) and its offshoot named SOAL (Success of a Lifetime) which prides itself on being better than The Colony and not as dark. SOAL reminded me a lot of Scientology and The Manson Family in which the way things were ran. It was obvious that London Clarke had done her homework on cults and how they operate. There were quite a few plot twists peppered throughout Nocturne House. While I was able to foresee some of the twists, many of them I never saw coming. Major points for that because unpredictable plot twists are the best! I also loved how Clarke made the ending for Nocturne House come together nicely. It never felt rushed or too perfect. It just felt natural. While there are no cliffhangers, there is some room for speculation or perhaps another book in the series (wishful thinking on my part!). The only minor thing that confused me was when Laura's story would switch from past to present and back again. Laura's chapters started off with if they were in the past or present, but there were a few chapters that weren't labeled as such. Luckily, it was fairly easy to figure out which timeline I was in.
Every character in Nocturne House felt like a real life person. Each character felt very fleshed out instead of a make believe person. I was happy to revisit the lives of characters from the second book in the series and even more elated to see mentions of characters from the very first book! While this book has chapters from three different character's points of view, Laura stood out as the main character. I found her chapters to be the most exciting (though each chapter brought excitement of its own). I kept wanting Laura to come to her senses, but I could see the appeal of SOAL as well as Alex, the man Laura claimed to be her husband at Nocturne House. I enjoyed reading about Laura's thought process throughout the book especially when it came to SOAL's activities. I also enjoyed Hunter's perspective on everything, and his loyalty to Laura was very admirable. I think a lot of people would have just walked away after being treated the way Laura treated him. Alex was also a brilliant character, and even I was sucked in by his charismatic personality. I was elated to see that Pearse and Avery were back in Nocturne House. I loved them both in Whickering Place. I won't go into much detail about them in case you want to read the previous book in the series, but let's just say that Pearse was the same old Pearse with how he felt about everything.
Trigger warnings for Nocturne House include profanity, violence (though not gory), mental health issues, sexual situations (not graphic), rape (mentioned in name only), brainwashing, kidnapping, murder, demons, the occult, and alcohol use.
Overall, Nocturne House is a fantastic novel with a solid story and fantastic characters. London Clarke managed to make a spooky story really come to life in each and every page. I would definitely recommend Nocturne House by London Clarke to those aged 16+. I believe fans of most genres will enjoy this one!
Bong Mines Entertainment (15 KP) rated Damn. by Kendrick Lamar in Music
Jun 7, 2019
Kendrick Lamar is an iconic hip-hop artist outta Compton, California. Not too long ago, he released his fourth studio album, entitled, “DAMN.”.
1) Kendrick Lamar – “BLOOD.”
Lamar tackles the issue of life and death. He poses several questions over a melodic instrumental produced by Lamar, Bēkon, and Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith. One of them being, “Are we gonna live or die?” Lamar tells a brilliant story about him walking down a block, and he sees a blind lady in search of something she had lost. He goes over to help, and then he asks, “Hello, ma’am, can I be of any assistance? It seems to me that you have lost something. I would like to help you find it.” She replied, “Oh yes, you have lost something. You’ve lost your life.” And then we hear a gunshot. Lamar is shot. Did he lose his life? The dire ending answers the probing question posed in the beginning—we gonna die.
2) Kendrick Lamar – “DNA.”
Lamar explains why his DNA differs from a sucker’s DNA. His deoxyribonucleic acid consists of going through the school of hard knocks. He endured a rugged street life, prisons, money, drugs, alcohol, sex, murder, mayhem, loyalty, royalty, joy, etc. This is because his DNA comprises of things shared collectively by African-Americans who have been through the struggle. Lyrically, Lamar leaves earth, while rapping over an explosive track produced by Mike WiLL Made-It. From beginning to end, he doesn’t take a bar off and shows why conscience rap has resurrected into the new norm.
3) Kendrick Lamar – “YAH.”
Lamar let it be known that he’s diagnosed with real ni^^a conditions, and keeps it a hunnit by calling out Geraldo Rivera because of criticism Lamar received from a FOX NEWS segment. The kid Capri intro adds a classic east coast authenticity over a laid-back track produced by Bēkon, Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, Sounwave, and DJ Dahi. Preconceived lies told by White slave masters to African slaves are melting like hot butter in the sun. Lamar, a descendant of those slaves, has awakened and knows himself.
4) Kendrick Lamar – “ELEMENT.”
Lamar, who Capri calls the ‘New Kung Fu Kenny’, continues his Shaolin-rap assault over a Wu-Tang-like track produced by Bēkon, Tae Beast, James Blake, Sounwave, and Ricci Riera. Lamar is simply on another level than his peers. He’s been through more sh*t than them, and he’s ready to put the Bible down and go eye for an eye for this sh*t. When he said, “I been stomped out in front of my mama / my daddy commissary made it to commas / B*tch, all my grandmas dead / So, ain’t nobody prayin’ for me, I’m on your head.”
5) Kendrick Lamar – “FEEL.”
Lamar beautifully expresses how he feels on a dope Sounwave-produced track, where Lamar raps, “I feel like the whole world want me to pray for ’em / But who the f*ck prayin’ for me?” Lamar feels that nobody ain’t prayin’ for him, and this void has him with a chip on his shoulders, looking at life from a dark, and troubled point of view. He feels pain and doesn’t see hope. Did the incident with the blind lady cause him to feel this way? Why does he feel this way? Kendrick raps, “I feel like it ain’t no tomorrow f*ck the world / The world is endin’, I’m done pretendin’… I feel like this gotta be the feelin’ what ‘Pac was…”
But Lamar knows ill-thinking is bad for his health, and he acknowledges the source of his negative thinking, “The feelin’ is toxic, I feel like I’m boxin’ demons / Monsters, false prophets schemin’,” and the list goes on and on. If no one is, just know that we are praying for you Kendrick, YAH-willing.
6) Kendrick Lamar – “LOYALTY” (FEAT. RIHANNA.)
Lamar and Rihanna explore one of the key elements in Lamar’s DNA, loyalty; and they pose a simple question—who are you loyal to? Is it your family? Friends? Or yourself? Maybe it’s money, weed, or alcoholic? Where does it begin and where does it end? Lamar and Rihanna do a wonderful job over a beautify track produced by Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, Terrace Martin, Sounwave, and DJ Dahi.
7) Kendrick Lamar – “PRIDE.”
The Steve Lacy’s intro, “Love’s gonna get you killed, but pride’s gonna be the death of you and me,” fits perfect in the scheme of things. Lamar, a spiritual intellectual, understands Proverbs 16: 18, which states, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” So, Lamar uses those reference points to further expound his faith. In the beginning, Lamar’s love for the blind lady got him shot. And now, will his pride, the great satisfaction he feels when he reviews all that he has achieved, will that be the death of him? Over a smooth/laid-back track produced by Bēkon, Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, and Steve Lacy, Lamar states that he can’t fake being humble, just because people are insecure.
He answers the question of pride
Lamar raps, “Sick venom in men and women overcome with pride. A perfect world is never perfect, only filled with lies. Promises are broken and more resentment come alive. Race barriers make inferior of you and I. See, in a perfect world, I’ll choose faith over riches. I’ll choose work over b*tches, I’ll make schools out of prison. I’ll take all the religions and put ‘em all in one service. Just to tell ’em we ain’t sh*t, but He’s been perfect.”
If Lamar maintains his Israelite faith over riches, and keep that equation as the top priority, he won’t be a victim of pride. But the question is—can Lamar remain humble amidst all the madness?
8) Kendrick Lamar – “HUMBLE.”
Lamar shows that being humble is easier said than done. Over a bouncy-head-nodding track produced by Mike WiLL Made-It, Lamar speaks his mind and gives zero f*cks on what people think about him. He’s braggadocios, confident, and asserts himself as the king of rap music. He sends a cryptic message to his competition, “Watch my soul speak, you let the meds talk. If I kill a ni^^a, it won’t be the alcohol. I’m the realest ni^^a after all, b*tch, be humble.”
9) Kendrick Lamar – “LUST.”
Lamar tackles the issue of lust, one of the main causes that fuel what we do. He begins by creating a scene, where lust has him trying to stick the tip of his phallus inside a woman’s vagina. She agrees, causing blood to run through his favorite vein. His logic, it doesn’t matter what you do—just make it count.
So, over a chilled- track produced by BADBADNOTGOOD, Sounwave, and DJ Dahi, Lamar raps, “Hop in the shower, put on your makeup, lace your weave up. Touch on yourself, call up your ni^^a, tell him he ain’t sh*t. Credit card scam, get you a Visa, make him pay your rent. Hop on the ‘Gram, flex on the b*tches that be hatin’ on you. Pop you a pill, call up your b*tches, have ‘em waitin’ on you. Go to the club, have you some fun, make that ass bounce. It’s whatever, just make it count.”
10) Kendrick Lamar – “LOVE.” (FEAT. ZACARI.)
Lamar turns the lights down over a contemporary R&B love song, produced by Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, Greg Kurstin, Sounwave, and Teddy Walton. The theme of love and lust continues, but this time, into a more unchartered direction. Zacari’s melodic cadence compliments Kung Fu Kenny’s intimate love-lyrics to the love of his life, probably his fiancé Whitney Alford, Lamar’s high school sweetheart.
11) Kendrick Lamar – “XXX.” (FEAT. U2.)
Lamar gets political over an NWA-type track produced By Bēkon, Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, DJ Dahi, Sounwave, and Mike WiLL Made-It. The theme is America and the plight and strife of young African-American males trying to make ends meet. Lamar talks about a man who calls him, needing prayer and advice because his son had been murdered. He wants to know what to do and seeks advice from Lamar because he’s anointed.
But Lamar doesn’t sugarcoat his advice. He tells the man straight up, “If somebody kills my son, that means somebody’s gettin’ killed.” Then, Lamar goes on to tell the man how he would go about doing the killing. America is an eye-for-an-eye nation, and forgiveness is hardly practiced.
12) Kendrick Lamar – “FEAR.”
Lamar deeps dig into his soul to confront his fears. He does so over a conversation track produced by The Alchemist. Lamar uses Deuteronomy 28:28 to make sense of his damnation, where the title track derived from. “The Lord shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart…,” states the biblical commandment. Lamar reasons that YAH cursed the Israelites (so-called Blacks, Hispanics, and Native American Indians) because of their iniquity. So, that explains their conditions in the wilderness of North America.
Pride
So, Lamar’s fear of lose it all like the biblical character forced him or scared him to not spend a dime. Not because he is cheap, but because he didn’t want to spend money because he feared running out of money, and going back to Section 8. Lamar raps, “30 shows a month and I still won’t buy me no Lexus.” Not a lot of people can say this.
13) Kendrick Lamar – “GOD.”
Lamar talks about the success that he doesn’t want to lose. He compares it to what it was like when he didn’t have fame and fortune. Even though he chooses faith over riches, he’s still feeling good laughing to the bank like aha. Over a laid-back track produced by Bēkon, Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, Cardo, Sounwave, Ricci Riera, and DJ Dahi, Lamar tells listeners, “Don’t judge me,” because this is what God feels like. Matthew 7:1 states,
14) Kendrick Lamar – “DUCKWORTH.”
Lamar uses his last name, Duckworth, as a song to explain the relationship between his father, Ducky, and Anthony Tiffith, CEO of Top Dawg Entertainment. Lamar explained if Tiffith had killed Ducky, then he would be serving life, and Lamar would’ve grown up without a father. And there would have been no Top Dawg Entertainment, and probably no Kendrick Lamar.
1) Kendrick Lamar – “BLOOD.”
Lamar tackles the issue of life and death. He poses several questions over a melodic instrumental produced by Lamar, Bēkon, and Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith. One of them being, “Are we gonna live or die?” Lamar tells a brilliant story about him walking down a block, and he sees a blind lady in search of something she had lost. He goes over to help, and then he asks, “Hello, ma’am, can I be of any assistance? It seems to me that you have lost something. I would like to help you find it.” She replied, “Oh yes, you have lost something. You’ve lost your life.” And then we hear a gunshot. Lamar is shot. Did he lose his life? The dire ending answers the probing question posed in the beginning—we gonna die.
2) Kendrick Lamar – “DNA.”
Lamar explains why his DNA differs from a sucker’s DNA. His deoxyribonucleic acid consists of going through the school of hard knocks. He endured a rugged street life, prisons, money, drugs, alcohol, sex, murder, mayhem, loyalty, royalty, joy, etc. This is because his DNA comprises of things shared collectively by African-Americans who have been through the struggle. Lyrically, Lamar leaves earth, while rapping over an explosive track produced by Mike WiLL Made-It. From beginning to end, he doesn’t take a bar off and shows why conscience rap has resurrected into the new norm.
3) Kendrick Lamar – “YAH.”
Lamar let it be known that he’s diagnosed with real ni^^a conditions, and keeps it a hunnit by calling out Geraldo Rivera because of criticism Lamar received from a FOX NEWS segment. The kid Capri intro adds a classic east coast authenticity over a laid-back track produced by Bēkon, Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, Sounwave, and DJ Dahi. Preconceived lies told by White slave masters to African slaves are melting like hot butter in the sun. Lamar, a descendant of those slaves, has awakened and knows himself.
4) Kendrick Lamar – “ELEMENT.”
Lamar, who Capri calls the ‘New Kung Fu Kenny’, continues his Shaolin-rap assault over a Wu-Tang-like track produced by Bēkon, Tae Beast, James Blake, Sounwave, and Ricci Riera. Lamar is simply on another level than his peers. He’s been through more sh*t than them, and he’s ready to put the Bible down and go eye for an eye for this sh*t. When he said, “I been stomped out in front of my mama / my daddy commissary made it to commas / B*tch, all my grandmas dead / So, ain’t nobody prayin’ for me, I’m on your head.”
5) Kendrick Lamar – “FEEL.”
Lamar beautifully expresses how he feels on a dope Sounwave-produced track, where Lamar raps, “I feel like the whole world want me to pray for ’em / But who the f*ck prayin’ for me?” Lamar feels that nobody ain’t prayin’ for him, and this void has him with a chip on his shoulders, looking at life from a dark, and troubled point of view. He feels pain and doesn’t see hope. Did the incident with the blind lady cause him to feel this way? Why does he feel this way? Kendrick raps, “I feel like it ain’t no tomorrow f*ck the world / The world is endin’, I’m done pretendin’… I feel like this gotta be the feelin’ what ‘Pac was…”
But Lamar knows ill-thinking is bad for his health, and he acknowledges the source of his negative thinking, “The feelin’ is toxic, I feel like I’m boxin’ demons / Monsters, false prophets schemin’,” and the list goes on and on. If no one is, just know that we are praying for you Kendrick, YAH-willing.
6) Kendrick Lamar – “LOYALTY” (FEAT. RIHANNA.)
Lamar and Rihanna explore one of the key elements in Lamar’s DNA, loyalty; and they pose a simple question—who are you loyal to? Is it your family? Friends? Or yourself? Maybe it’s money, weed, or alcoholic? Where does it begin and where does it end? Lamar and Rihanna do a wonderful job over a beautify track produced by Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, Terrace Martin, Sounwave, and DJ Dahi.
7) Kendrick Lamar – “PRIDE.”
The Steve Lacy’s intro, “Love’s gonna get you killed, but pride’s gonna be the death of you and me,” fits perfect in the scheme of things. Lamar, a spiritual intellectual, understands Proverbs 16: 18, which states, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” So, Lamar uses those reference points to further expound his faith. In the beginning, Lamar’s love for the blind lady got him shot. And now, will his pride, the great satisfaction he feels when he reviews all that he has achieved, will that be the death of him? Over a smooth/laid-back track produced by Bēkon, Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, and Steve Lacy, Lamar states that he can’t fake being humble, just because people are insecure.
He answers the question of pride
Lamar raps, “Sick venom in men and women overcome with pride. A perfect world is never perfect, only filled with lies. Promises are broken and more resentment come alive. Race barriers make inferior of you and I. See, in a perfect world, I’ll choose faith over riches. I’ll choose work over b*tches, I’ll make schools out of prison. I’ll take all the religions and put ‘em all in one service. Just to tell ’em we ain’t sh*t, but He’s been perfect.”
If Lamar maintains his Israelite faith over riches, and keep that equation as the top priority, he won’t be a victim of pride. But the question is—can Lamar remain humble amidst all the madness?
8) Kendrick Lamar – “HUMBLE.”
Lamar shows that being humble is easier said than done. Over a bouncy-head-nodding track produced by Mike WiLL Made-It, Lamar speaks his mind and gives zero f*cks on what people think about him. He’s braggadocios, confident, and asserts himself as the king of rap music. He sends a cryptic message to his competition, “Watch my soul speak, you let the meds talk. If I kill a ni^^a, it won’t be the alcohol. I’m the realest ni^^a after all, b*tch, be humble.”
9) Kendrick Lamar – “LUST.”
Lamar tackles the issue of lust, one of the main causes that fuel what we do. He begins by creating a scene, where lust has him trying to stick the tip of his phallus inside a woman’s vagina. She agrees, causing blood to run through his favorite vein. His logic, it doesn’t matter what you do—just make it count.
So, over a chilled- track produced by BADBADNOTGOOD, Sounwave, and DJ Dahi, Lamar raps, “Hop in the shower, put on your makeup, lace your weave up. Touch on yourself, call up your ni^^a, tell him he ain’t sh*t. Credit card scam, get you a Visa, make him pay your rent. Hop on the ‘Gram, flex on the b*tches that be hatin’ on you. Pop you a pill, call up your b*tches, have ‘em waitin’ on you. Go to the club, have you some fun, make that ass bounce. It’s whatever, just make it count.”
10) Kendrick Lamar – “LOVE.” (FEAT. ZACARI.)
Lamar turns the lights down over a contemporary R&B love song, produced by Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, Greg Kurstin, Sounwave, and Teddy Walton. The theme of love and lust continues, but this time, into a more unchartered direction. Zacari’s melodic cadence compliments Kung Fu Kenny’s intimate love-lyrics to the love of his life, probably his fiancé Whitney Alford, Lamar’s high school sweetheart.
11) Kendrick Lamar – “XXX.” (FEAT. U2.)
Lamar gets political over an NWA-type track produced By Bēkon, Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, DJ Dahi, Sounwave, and Mike WiLL Made-It. The theme is America and the plight and strife of young African-American males trying to make ends meet. Lamar talks about a man who calls him, needing prayer and advice because his son had been murdered. He wants to know what to do and seeks advice from Lamar because he’s anointed.
But Lamar doesn’t sugarcoat his advice. He tells the man straight up, “If somebody kills my son, that means somebody’s gettin’ killed.” Then, Lamar goes on to tell the man how he would go about doing the killing. America is an eye-for-an-eye nation, and forgiveness is hardly practiced.
12) Kendrick Lamar – “FEAR.”
Lamar deeps dig into his soul to confront his fears. He does so over a conversation track produced by The Alchemist. Lamar uses Deuteronomy 28:28 to make sense of his damnation, where the title track derived from. “The Lord shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart…,” states the biblical commandment. Lamar reasons that YAH cursed the Israelites (so-called Blacks, Hispanics, and Native American Indians) because of their iniquity. So, that explains their conditions in the wilderness of North America.
Pride
So, Lamar’s fear of lose it all like the biblical character forced him or scared him to not spend a dime. Not because he is cheap, but because he didn’t want to spend money because he feared running out of money, and going back to Section 8. Lamar raps, “30 shows a month and I still won’t buy me no Lexus.” Not a lot of people can say this.
13) Kendrick Lamar – “GOD.”
Lamar talks about the success that he doesn’t want to lose. He compares it to what it was like when he didn’t have fame and fortune. Even though he chooses faith over riches, he’s still feeling good laughing to the bank like aha. Over a laid-back track produced by Bēkon, Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, Cardo, Sounwave, Ricci Riera, and DJ Dahi, Lamar tells listeners, “Don’t judge me,” because this is what God feels like. Matthew 7:1 states,
14) Kendrick Lamar – “DUCKWORTH.”
Lamar uses his last name, Duckworth, as a song to explain the relationship between his father, Ducky, and Anthony Tiffith, CEO of Top Dawg Entertainment. Lamar explained if Tiffith had killed Ducky, then he would be serving life, and Lamar would’ve grown up without a father. And there would have been no Top Dawg Entertainment, and probably no Kendrick Lamar.
Hadley (567 KP) rated The Institute in Books
Oct 24, 2019
Likable characters (1 more)
Paranormal
Sexualizing children (1 more)
Not a regular King story
At around 95 novels, Stephen King, who is one of the most well-known authors of our time, debuts a possible new novel series about psychic children. 'The Institute' mostly takes place in a hidden facility located in a wooded area of Maine,where readers follow a kidnapped child prodigy named Luke Ellis, and the government experiments that are inflicted on him to heighten his psychic powers.
So why is the government kidnapping children to conduct psychic research on them? At first, it may seem just that: psychic research, because psychic powers seem to be more powerful in young children than adults, but nothing is what it seems. As the boss of this Institute says to the children: " ' There's a war going on, and you have been called upon to serve your country.' " A few sentences later, and she explains it a little more in depth for Ellis: " ' This is not an arms race but a mind race, and if we lose, the consequences would be more than dire; they would be unimaginable. You may only be twelve, but you are a soldier in an undeclared war. The same is true of Kalisha and the others. Do you like it? Of course not. Draftees never do, and draftees sometimes need to be taught that there are consequences for not following orders. I believe you've already had one lesson in that regard. If you're as bright as your records say you are, perhaps you won't need another. If you do, however, you'll get it. This is not your home. This is not your school. You will not simply be given an extra chore or sent to the principal's office or given detention; you will be punished. Clear? ' "
King writes in a third-person point-of-view, which makes it a little disturbing that when any female character he introduces (including girls as young as 11-years-old) are usually introduced by their breast size. It's not uncommon for male writers to introduce female characters this way, but when most of them are children, it can be very off putting for readers. One scene, King makes Ellis notice that Kalisha has 'her hands on her mostly nonexistent hips,' then writes about the character Helen in the same scene: " Another door opened and Helen Simms appeared, clad - - - sort of - - - in what Luke believed were called babydoll pajamas. She had hips, plus other interesting equipment. " Both of these characters are only twelve-years-old.
Aside from the children, King also introduces an important character named Tim Jamieson. This character starts the novel off before readers meet Ellis; we learn that he is a former cop who is traveling to New York while taking odd jobs on his way there, including a night knocker job in DuPray, South Carolina (which becomes very important later on in the story) .
Avery, my personal favorite character in the book, is a ten-year-old who acts like a five-year-old, " The screamer was a little boy in Star Wars pajamas, hammering on doors with small fists that went up and down like pistons. Ten? Avery Dixon looked six, seven at most. The crotch and one leg of his pajama pants were wet and sticking to him. " Dixon and Kalisha are both in the Institute for telepathy. " 'You know so,' Kalisha said, and began to stroke the little boy's [Dixon] hair again. Like had a sense - - - maybe bullshit, maybe not - - - that a lot was going on between them. Inside traffic. " And quickly, the group of children become protective of Dixon, " 'But you need to take care of this one for as long as you can. When I think of Tony or Zeke or that bitch Winona hitting Avery, it makes me want to cry. ' " Kalisha confides in Ellis.
Kalisha, one of the other children that has been kidnapped, is another very likable character that seems to keep all of the other kids' spirits up by either keeping them out of trouble with advice or stopping small fights between them. Another kid named Nicky, the troublemaker of the group, is the stereo-typical bad boy. He gets involved in fistfights with the orderlies that work at the Institute, taking quite a bit of abuse in return. But eventually, the rebelliousness catches up with him, leading him to be moved from Front Half to the dreaded Back Half.
Readers later learn that Back Half is worse than Front Half. Most questions we may have about why the Institute is abusing these children are all answered when readers get to see into Back Half from Kalisha's point-of-view. But what is left unanswered is exactly how many children have been through the Institute? From the amount of children seen just in this story, the numbers could be in the hundreds of thousands!
But, as expected, the children come up with a plan to escape - - - with giving as little detail as possible, an orderlie at the Institute is helped by one of the children with a personal problem, and in return, this orderlie decides to help one of them escape and reveal everything that is the Institute. The instance the escape starts being discussed is when the book really picks up.
King's writing of the abuse our characters sustain is very real (" When Stevie Whipple asked where he'd been and what was wrong, Luke just shook his head. He didn't want to talk about the tank. Not now, not ever. He supposed it was like being in a war. You got drafted, you went, but you didn't want to talk about what you'd seen, or what had happened to you there." ) The scene in which Ellis refuses to speak of is where the orderlie Zeke is trying to make Ellis confess that he is not only telekinesis, but also telepathic: "Zeke hauled him up by the hair. His white tunic was soaked. He looked fixedly at Luke. 'I'm going to put you down again, Luke. Again and again and again. I'll put you down until you drown and then we'll resuscitate you and drown you again and resuscitate you again. Last chance: what number am I thinking of?' "
King brings up a fictional belief that strikes fear in parents everywhere: children being kidnapped for government experiments. Readers witness Ellis' parents being killed, Kalisha being a surrogate mother to kids she barely knows, Nicky being beaten by adults when he refuses to get 'shots for dots,' night terrors, suicide, zap sticks and murder.
This book doesn't read like a regular King book; even with the paranormal aspects occurring in it, it doesn't add up to much. The horror aspect is more in the form of child abuse then paranormal moments. I would only recommend this book to fans of Netflix's 'Stranger Things' and Patterson's 'Maximum Ride.' I don't think I would read this again.
So why is the government kidnapping children to conduct psychic research on them? At first, it may seem just that: psychic research, because psychic powers seem to be more powerful in young children than adults, but nothing is what it seems. As the boss of this Institute says to the children: " ' There's a war going on, and you have been called upon to serve your country.' " A few sentences later, and she explains it a little more in depth for Ellis: " ' This is not an arms race but a mind race, and if we lose, the consequences would be more than dire; they would be unimaginable. You may only be twelve, but you are a soldier in an undeclared war. The same is true of Kalisha and the others. Do you like it? Of course not. Draftees never do, and draftees sometimes need to be taught that there are consequences for not following orders. I believe you've already had one lesson in that regard. If you're as bright as your records say you are, perhaps you won't need another. If you do, however, you'll get it. This is not your home. This is not your school. You will not simply be given an extra chore or sent to the principal's office or given detention; you will be punished. Clear? ' "
King writes in a third-person point-of-view, which makes it a little disturbing that when any female character he introduces (including girls as young as 11-years-old) are usually introduced by their breast size. It's not uncommon for male writers to introduce female characters this way, but when most of them are children, it can be very off putting for readers. One scene, King makes Ellis notice that Kalisha has 'her hands on her mostly nonexistent hips,' then writes about the character Helen in the same scene: " Another door opened and Helen Simms appeared, clad - - - sort of - - - in what Luke believed were called babydoll pajamas. She had hips, plus other interesting equipment. " Both of these characters are only twelve-years-old.
Aside from the children, King also introduces an important character named Tim Jamieson. This character starts the novel off before readers meet Ellis; we learn that he is a former cop who is traveling to New York while taking odd jobs on his way there, including a night knocker job in DuPray, South Carolina (which becomes very important later on in the story) .
Avery, my personal favorite character in the book, is a ten-year-old who acts like a five-year-old, " The screamer was a little boy in Star Wars pajamas, hammering on doors with small fists that went up and down like pistons. Ten? Avery Dixon looked six, seven at most. The crotch and one leg of his pajama pants were wet and sticking to him. " Dixon and Kalisha are both in the Institute for telepathy. " 'You know so,' Kalisha said, and began to stroke the little boy's [Dixon] hair again. Like had a sense - - - maybe bullshit, maybe not - - - that a lot was going on between them. Inside traffic. " And quickly, the group of children become protective of Dixon, " 'But you need to take care of this one for as long as you can. When I think of Tony or Zeke or that bitch Winona hitting Avery, it makes me want to cry. ' " Kalisha confides in Ellis.
Kalisha, one of the other children that has been kidnapped, is another very likable character that seems to keep all of the other kids' spirits up by either keeping them out of trouble with advice or stopping small fights between them. Another kid named Nicky, the troublemaker of the group, is the stereo-typical bad boy. He gets involved in fistfights with the orderlies that work at the Institute, taking quite a bit of abuse in return. But eventually, the rebelliousness catches up with him, leading him to be moved from Front Half to the dreaded Back Half.
Readers later learn that Back Half is worse than Front Half. Most questions we may have about why the Institute is abusing these children are all answered when readers get to see into Back Half from Kalisha's point-of-view. But what is left unanswered is exactly how many children have been through the Institute? From the amount of children seen just in this story, the numbers could be in the hundreds of thousands!
But, as expected, the children come up with a plan to escape - - - with giving as little detail as possible, an orderlie at the Institute is helped by one of the children with a personal problem, and in return, this orderlie decides to help one of them escape and reveal everything that is the Institute. The instance the escape starts being discussed is when the book really picks up.
King's writing of the abuse our characters sustain is very real (" When Stevie Whipple asked where he'd been and what was wrong, Luke just shook his head. He didn't want to talk about the tank. Not now, not ever. He supposed it was like being in a war. You got drafted, you went, but you didn't want to talk about what you'd seen, or what had happened to you there." ) The scene in which Ellis refuses to speak of is where the orderlie Zeke is trying to make Ellis confess that he is not only telekinesis, but also telepathic: "Zeke hauled him up by the hair. His white tunic was soaked. He looked fixedly at Luke. 'I'm going to put you down again, Luke. Again and again and again. I'll put you down until you drown and then we'll resuscitate you and drown you again and resuscitate you again. Last chance: what number am I thinking of?' "
King brings up a fictional belief that strikes fear in parents everywhere: children being kidnapped for government experiments. Readers witness Ellis' parents being killed, Kalisha being a surrogate mother to kids she barely knows, Nicky being beaten by adults when he refuses to get 'shots for dots,' night terrors, suicide, zap sticks and murder.
This book doesn't read like a regular King book; even with the paranormal aspects occurring in it, it doesn't add up to much. The horror aspect is more in the form of child abuse then paranormal moments. I would only recommend this book to fans of Netflix's 'Stranger Things' and Patterson's 'Maximum Ride.' I don't think I would read this again.