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Boy and Going Solo
Book
Boy and Going Solo is the whole of Roald Dahl's extraordinary autobiography in one volume. Reissued...
Lost in Shangri-La: Escape from a Hidden World - A True Story
Book
An utterly gripping nonfiction adventure narrative, Lost in Shangri-La is an untold true story of...
The Book of Illusions
Book
The Book of Illusions, written with breath-taking urgency and precision, plunges the reader into a...
Roald Dahl's Marvellous Medicine
Book
Most people know Roald Dahl as a famous write of children's books and adult short stories, but few...
Hazel (1853 KP) rated Unremembered (Unremembered, #1) in Books
Dec 17, 2018
<i>Unremembered</i> is the first in a young adult, science-fiction trilogy by American author, Jessica Brody. Set in current day California, <i>Unremembered</i> is told from the point of view of a sixteen-year-old girl, Seraphina, who has no memories of anything prior to the first page of the book.
Whilst it may be imagined that a first person narrative of someone who does not know anything may hinder the telling of the story, it actually connects the audience with the main character. As readers we also have no knowledge of what happened before the first page of the story. We learn everything as Seraphina does, the only difference being that we are aware of what certain items are – particularly technological ones – as well as being able to communicate and understand other people, not just through words but also with sarcasm and body language.
What we learn at the start is that there has been a plane crash into the Pacific Ocean with only one survivor, an unidentifiable girl with serious amnesia. Further on it transpires that there was never any record of her being on the plane in the first place. This is where all the question and mysteries begin. Temporarily given the name Violet, she is placed with a foster family, the Carson family, whose thirteen-year-old son Cody is intimidated by her flawless beauty. He begins to connect with her more after it emerges that she is a mathematical genius. So yet another question arises, how comes she can remembered how to solve complicated equations yet cannot even remember who she is?
There are also mysteries surrounding a peculiar tattoo on her wrist; a boy named Lyzender who keeps appearing, claiming to know who Violet, or should we say Sera, is; her uncanny ability to speak fluently in a range of languages; and the number 1609. What is the significance of this number? Not only is it the year Sera believes it is after recovering from the crash, it is also engraved onto a locket she was wearing along with the initials “S + Z”.
<i>Unremembered</i> is a fast paced novel whose mysteries get solved at the same time as more questions develop. It shows us how people with no experience of the modern world would struggle to understand the things we take for granted. It also poses the question of what it truly makes a human human.
I definitely recommend this novel and believe that it is something young adult girls would certainly enjoy. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the trilogy to find out what happens to Seraphina next.
Whilst it may be imagined that a first person narrative of someone who does not know anything may hinder the telling of the story, it actually connects the audience with the main character. As readers we also have no knowledge of what happened before the first page of the story. We learn everything as Seraphina does, the only difference being that we are aware of what certain items are – particularly technological ones – as well as being able to communicate and understand other people, not just through words but also with sarcasm and body language.
What we learn at the start is that there has been a plane crash into the Pacific Ocean with only one survivor, an unidentifiable girl with serious amnesia. Further on it transpires that there was never any record of her being on the plane in the first place. This is where all the question and mysteries begin. Temporarily given the name Violet, she is placed with a foster family, the Carson family, whose thirteen-year-old son Cody is intimidated by her flawless beauty. He begins to connect with her more after it emerges that she is a mathematical genius. So yet another question arises, how comes she can remembered how to solve complicated equations yet cannot even remember who she is?
There are also mysteries surrounding a peculiar tattoo on her wrist; a boy named Lyzender who keeps appearing, claiming to know who Violet, or should we say Sera, is; her uncanny ability to speak fluently in a range of languages; and the number 1609. What is the significance of this number? Not only is it the year Sera believes it is after recovering from the crash, it is also engraved onto a locket she was wearing along with the initials “S + Z”.
<i>Unremembered</i> is a fast paced novel whose mysteries get solved at the same time as more questions develop. It shows us how people with no experience of the modern world would struggle to understand the things we take for granted. It also poses the question of what it truly makes a human human.
I definitely recommend this novel and believe that it is something young adult girls would certainly enjoy. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the trilogy to find out what happens to Seraphina next.
Doesn't tax the brain too much
This book is a pretty successful debut and follows the struggles for both Allison, who miraculously survived a plane crash, and her mum Maggie, who, along with everyone else, thinks she didn't. Told from both the perspectives of Allison and Maggie, covering the past and the present, the story is not only of survival but one of the sometimes difficult relationship between a mother and her daughter.
Written at good pace, I raced through this book helped by short chapters. I admit it wasn't the most unpredictable of endings however, the drip-drip of suspense and gradual revealing of secrets makes this a compelling read.
The two main characters of Allison and Maggie are very well developed with Maggie being a particular favourite of mine. The story captures both of their strengths and weaknesses extremely well together with their determination and resilience.
There are a few flaws with the plot that have been mentioned in other reviews but although these were a little annoying, they didn't detract too much from my overall enjoyment of this book.
Overall, I would recommend this to people who enjoy an easy and quick mystery that doesn't tax the brain too much.
Thank you to Random House UK, Vintage Publishing via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.
Written at good pace, I raced through this book helped by short chapters. I admit it wasn't the most unpredictable of endings however, the drip-drip of suspense and gradual revealing of secrets makes this a compelling read.
The two main characters of Allison and Maggie are very well developed with Maggie being a particular favourite of mine. The story captures both of their strengths and weaknesses extremely well together with their determination and resilience.
There are a few flaws with the plot that have been mentioned in other reviews but although these were a little annoying, they didn't detract too much from my overall enjoyment of this book.
Overall, I would recommend this to people who enjoy an easy and quick mystery that doesn't tax the brain too much.
Thank you to Random House UK, Vintage Publishing via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.
Troubled Skies (Blue Skies #3)
10.0
Rate It
Book
When Red, White, and Royal Blue meets Below Deck… To say Ricky is having a bad year is an...
Contemporary MM Romance
Sarah (7800 KP) rated The Rhythm Section (2019) in Movies
Nov 29, 2020
An average thriller
The Rhythm Section is a 2020 action thriller based on a book of the same name written by Mark Burnell. Directed by Reed Moreno, it stars Blake Lively as Stephanie Patrick, a young woman bent on revenge against the terrorists who orchestrated a plane crash that killed her entire family.
From the very beginning, you can see the influences and similarities in this to other films and stories.
This has obviously taken inspiration from the likes of John Le Carre and is a rather dark and gritty take on the action thriller genre, with a decent amount of physical (and well choreographed) violence. However in all honesty, the originality here is severely lacking. I’ve seen countless revenge films and this is no different. There is little in this to make it stand out above all those that have come before it and it isn’t helped by a limited number of action scenes either to help ramp up the interest.
It doesn’t start off very well, as we find out about Stephanie’s life and how the death of her family turned her into a drug addict and a prostitute. It’s so clichéd that even Jude Law’s character Boyd mocks her for this later in the film, which whilst fun, doesn’t change the fact that they actually used this idea in the plot. There’s also the sketchy almost nonexistent reason for journalist Proctor (Raza Jeffrey) to reach out to Stephanie to tell her that the plane crash was caused by terrorists rather than an accident. It just doesn’t make any sense as to why he’d get Stephanie involved and the film doesn’t even try to explain this rationally. Same goes when Boyd takes in Stephanie and starts to train her as an assassin. Whilst a reason is eventually revealed, it isn’t entirely plausible and again doesn’t make any sense as to why he does this with a woman who has no background or knowledge in espionage or assassination.
Aside from the sketchy plot, there are some plus points. Blake Lively performs well (despite the often hideous wigs), and you can see that she’s really giving it her all and could really make it as an action star. The scenes featuring her and Jude Law are also entertaining to watch and give the film a more relaxed feeling, especially the earlier training scenes. One of the most likeable things about this thought for me was the score. It’s tense and dramatic and full of excitement, with pieces featuring strings, piano and percussion to the point where you begin to wonder if the title ‘The Rhythm Section’ isn’t more appropriate for the music rather than the explanation given during the film.
Sadly The Rhythm Section is a fairly average thriller that whilst boosted slightly by a good performance and score, is unfortunately not particularly memorable, especially with such a lacklustre ending.
From the very beginning, you can see the influences and similarities in this to other films and stories.
This has obviously taken inspiration from the likes of John Le Carre and is a rather dark and gritty take on the action thriller genre, with a decent amount of physical (and well choreographed) violence. However in all honesty, the originality here is severely lacking. I’ve seen countless revenge films and this is no different. There is little in this to make it stand out above all those that have come before it and it isn’t helped by a limited number of action scenes either to help ramp up the interest.
It doesn’t start off very well, as we find out about Stephanie’s life and how the death of her family turned her into a drug addict and a prostitute. It’s so clichéd that even Jude Law’s character Boyd mocks her for this later in the film, which whilst fun, doesn’t change the fact that they actually used this idea in the plot. There’s also the sketchy almost nonexistent reason for journalist Proctor (Raza Jeffrey) to reach out to Stephanie to tell her that the plane crash was caused by terrorists rather than an accident. It just doesn’t make any sense as to why he’d get Stephanie involved and the film doesn’t even try to explain this rationally. Same goes when Boyd takes in Stephanie and starts to train her as an assassin. Whilst a reason is eventually revealed, it isn’t entirely plausible and again doesn’t make any sense as to why he does this with a woman who has no background or knowledge in espionage or assassination.
Aside from the sketchy plot, there are some plus points. Blake Lively performs well (despite the often hideous wigs), and you can see that she’s really giving it her all and could really make it as an action star. The scenes featuring her and Jude Law are also entertaining to watch and give the film a more relaxed feeling, especially the earlier training scenes. One of the most likeable things about this thought for me was the score. It’s tense and dramatic and full of excitement, with pieces featuring strings, piano and percussion to the point where you begin to wonder if the title ‘The Rhythm Section’ isn’t more appropriate for the music rather than the explanation given during the film.
Sadly The Rhythm Section is a fairly average thriller that whilst boosted slightly by a good performance and score, is unfortunately not particularly memorable, especially with such a lacklustre ending.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2400 KP) rated True Fiction in Books
Apr 20, 2018
I Truly Enjoyed This Book, and that’s Not Fiction
When terrorists take control of a plane leaving Hawaii and crash it into the island, the entire country is horrified. But none more so than thriller writer Ian Ludlow. You see, he had suggested just the twist on 9/11 that happened here to the CIA a few years back during a brainstorming session to help them come up with worst case scenarios. Within a few hours, Ian is certain that the CIA is out to kill him to silence him. Using every trick in the book – tricks he knows thanks to the books he’s written, Ian flees from his book tour in Seattle with his author escort, Margo French. Will the two be able to survive?
This book doesn’t waste a minute throwing us into this thrill ride and never lets up until we reach the climax. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to find out what was going to happen next, and the book manages to wink at a few clinches of the genre along the way. Ian and Margo were good characters, and another we meet along the way walks the fine line of being a caricature without being unbelievable. Since this is a thriller, there is a bit more language, violence, and sex than in the books I normally read. There is plenty of humor here to help ease the tension. I already can’t wait for the sequel.
This book doesn’t waste a minute throwing us into this thrill ride and never lets up until we reach the climax. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to find out what was going to happen next, and the book manages to wink at a few clinches of the genre along the way. Ian and Margo were good characters, and another we meet along the way walks the fine line of being a caricature without being unbelievable. Since this is a thriller, there is a bit more language, violence, and sex than in the books I normally read. There is plenty of humor here to help ease the tension. I already can’t wait for the sequel.
RəX Regent (349 KP) rated Tarzan Finds a Son! (1939) in Movies
Feb 19, 2019 (Updated Feb 19, 2019)
Contains spoilers, click to show
I think that this must be the most heart warming of the lot, so far at least. Tarzan and Jane discover a boy who is the lone survivor of a plane crash. They adopt him as there own and five years pass as Tarzan and his son, which he has named “Boy” have become inseparable.
But his family, the heirs to the Greystoke estate come searching for him and Tarzan will not give him up. Though Jane, whilst heart broken, is prepared too, though unaware that the Boy is just a pawn to gain an Their inheritance.
The relationship between Tarzan and his son are played out beautifully, as is the betrayal of Jane as she must take the boy against Tarzan’s will.
Though Jane’s character is starting feel frumpy and and bit two dimensional by this point in the series, the trio still manage to play this out really well and this one does deliver more of an emotional punch than I was expecting.
This is no small part due to Jane’s death scene, which is resolved by one the most outrageous Ex-machina moments which I have ever seen, but still, after test audiences did not want Jane to die, she miraculously, well, doesn’t!
But this was clearly where the plot was heading throughout and even though the pay off is smothered in fantasy, it still packed a punch. But on a lighter note, the humour also feels better and less forced in this one.
But his family, the heirs to the Greystoke estate come searching for him and Tarzan will not give him up. Though Jane, whilst heart broken, is prepared too, though unaware that the Boy is just a pawn to gain an Their inheritance.
The relationship between Tarzan and his son are played out beautifully, as is the betrayal of Jane as she must take the boy against Tarzan’s will.
Though Jane’s character is starting feel frumpy and and bit two dimensional by this point in the series, the trio still manage to play this out really well and this one does deliver more of an emotional punch than I was expecting.
This is no small part due to Jane’s death scene, which is resolved by one the most outrageous Ex-machina moments which I have ever seen, but still, after test audiences did not want Jane to die, she miraculously, well, doesn’t!
But this was clearly where the plot was heading throughout and even though the pay off is smothered in fantasy, it still packed a punch. But on a lighter note, the humour also feels better and less forced in this one.