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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Black-Eyed Susans in Books
Feb 13, 2018
When she was sixteeen, young Tessa "Tessie" Cartwright was found, hanging on to life, in a field of Black-Eyed Susans. The other girls "dumped" with Tessa did not survive (in fact, some were just bones), and Tessa is doomed to live her life as the surviving "Black-Eyed Susan" in the press. Justifiably, the event haunts her life and her nightmares. Further, she is tormented by the fact that her testimony about what happened helped put the suspect, Terrell, on death row.
Now, a grown woman and mother, Tessa is working with the Terrell's legal team to exonerate him. This includes a forensic scientist (the forensics in the book are detailed and excellent). Her main reason? It seems wherever she lives, a patch of Black-Eyed-Susans follows, forcing her to live in fear, and to wonder if the sentenced killer truly is guilty. But if he isn't, are Tessa and her daughter safe? Why can't she remember what happened nearly 20 years ago? Tessa fears she is going insane, but also can't live with herself if she doesn't try to find out what happened so long ago.
This was a wonderful book; the subject matter is frightening, but the book itself was a captivating page-turner. The mystery is extremely well-plotted and riveting. Even when I was pretty sure I had things figured out, I was rapidly turning pages, still guessing and eagerly awaiting to find out what had happened to Tessa (and the other "Susans," as she calls them) back then. The book flips between present-day Tessa's point of view and to "Tessie," as a younger Tessa was known, talking about events leading up to and right after Terrell's trial. It's a suspenseful plot device that works well here; I was up late turning pages, desperate to know what happened.
Tessa is a well-formed character, even with her angst and anxieties resulting from her horrific past. Her supporting cast - her daughter, Terrell's lead lawyer, the forensic scientist, a quirky neighbor, her best friend from her youth - are all well-done, too. At times, the book is confusing due to Tessa's unreliable narration; she is suffering from memory loss and anxiety, after all, but it only adds to the book's suspense and intrigue. Perhaps the only thing I can find to complain about is that the ending is a bit too pat: it pops up suddenly to resolve things, but there's still a door left open, and it does nothing to diminish how enjoyable the book and the story is. Overall, an excellent thriller and a worthy read.
Now, a grown woman and mother, Tessa is working with the Terrell's legal team to exonerate him. This includes a forensic scientist (the forensics in the book are detailed and excellent). Her main reason? It seems wherever she lives, a patch of Black-Eyed-Susans follows, forcing her to live in fear, and to wonder if the sentenced killer truly is guilty. But if he isn't, are Tessa and her daughter safe? Why can't she remember what happened nearly 20 years ago? Tessa fears she is going insane, but also can't live with herself if she doesn't try to find out what happened so long ago.
This was a wonderful book; the subject matter is frightening, but the book itself was a captivating page-turner. The mystery is extremely well-plotted and riveting. Even when I was pretty sure I had things figured out, I was rapidly turning pages, still guessing and eagerly awaiting to find out what had happened to Tessa (and the other "Susans," as she calls them) back then. The book flips between present-day Tessa's point of view and to "Tessie," as a younger Tessa was known, talking about events leading up to and right after Terrell's trial. It's a suspenseful plot device that works well here; I was up late turning pages, desperate to know what happened.
Tessa is a well-formed character, even with her angst and anxieties resulting from her horrific past. Her supporting cast - her daughter, Terrell's lead lawyer, the forensic scientist, a quirky neighbor, her best friend from her youth - are all well-done, too. At times, the book is confusing due to Tessa's unreliable narration; she is suffering from memory loss and anxiety, after all, but it only adds to the book's suspense and intrigue. Perhaps the only thing I can find to complain about is that the ending is a bit too pat: it pops up suddenly to resolve things, but there's still a door left open, and it does nothing to diminish how enjoyable the book and the story is. Overall, an excellent thriller and a worthy read.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Broken Girls in Books
Mar 20, 2018
Captivating, ghostly thriller
Idlewild Hall has been abandoned since 1979. Until then, it was a boarding school of last resort, where parents sent the daughters they'd sooner rather forget. Now someone is looking to restore it, bringing back all of journalist Fiona Sheridan's memories of her teenage sister, Deb. Deb was murdered and her body left in the fields of Idlewild. A rich teen--her sister's boyfriend--named Tim Christopher was charged with Deb's murder. But it never seemed quite right to Fiona. So, she decides to write a story about the restoration, but encounters more than she bargained for as she begins to uncover years of long-buried secrets.
This is a wonderful, captivating book that drew me in immediately. I've never read anything by Simone St. James, so this was a welcome surprise. The novel alternates between two time periods: 1950 and 2014. In 1950, we hear from four girls attending Idlewild Hall--Katie, CeCe, Sonia, and Roberta. One of the girls soon goes missing and her disappearance ties to 2014, where Fiona is both searching for more information about her sister's death and, eventually, more knowledge about the missing Idlewild student. It's incredibly well-done and extremely suspenseful, drawing you quickly into the narrative and the two separate but related worlds.
The book plays on the boarding school mystique and offers up more supernatural elements than I was expecting, but they somehow work here. The novel is creepy and not one I always wanted to be reading alone in the dark! Like some of my favorites, Jennifer McMahon and Carol Goodman, St. James has a flair for the eerie and the ghostly, and it works well in this context. The boarding school stands stark and haunting in the book-terrifying at times-and you feel the fear ooze across the pages from the various characters.
Indeed, St. James does a great job capturing her characters, whom practically come to life before your very eyes. The group from boarding school are excellent--each different in their own way--and Fiona is an excellent, complicated character as well. While the two eras stood alone, I enjoyed how the stories intermingled and slowly tangled together, making the book quite fascinating and a real page-turner. This one wasn't what I expected; at times, it could be quite heartbreaking and touching.
Overall, this is an incredibly well-done thriller. It's quite captivating with lovely characters. A great discovery. I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review. More at http://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com.
This is a wonderful, captivating book that drew me in immediately. I've never read anything by Simone St. James, so this was a welcome surprise. The novel alternates between two time periods: 1950 and 2014. In 1950, we hear from four girls attending Idlewild Hall--Katie, CeCe, Sonia, and Roberta. One of the girls soon goes missing and her disappearance ties to 2014, where Fiona is both searching for more information about her sister's death and, eventually, more knowledge about the missing Idlewild student. It's incredibly well-done and extremely suspenseful, drawing you quickly into the narrative and the two separate but related worlds.
The book plays on the boarding school mystique and offers up more supernatural elements than I was expecting, but they somehow work here. The novel is creepy and not one I always wanted to be reading alone in the dark! Like some of my favorites, Jennifer McMahon and Carol Goodman, St. James has a flair for the eerie and the ghostly, and it works well in this context. The boarding school stands stark and haunting in the book-terrifying at times-and you feel the fear ooze across the pages from the various characters.
Indeed, St. James does a great job capturing her characters, whom practically come to life before your very eyes. The group from boarding school are excellent--each different in their own way--and Fiona is an excellent, complicated character as well. While the two eras stood alone, I enjoyed how the stories intermingled and slowly tangled together, making the book quite fascinating and a real page-turner. This one wasn't what I expected; at times, it could be quite heartbreaking and touching.
Overall, this is an incredibly well-done thriller. It's quite captivating with lovely characters. A great discovery. I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review. More at http://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com.
Chris Sawin (602 KP) rated Hush (2009) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019 (Updated Jun 22, 2019)
Zakes Abbot has a unique job. He's the guy that travels to gas stations and changes out the posters that advertise cars. His girlfriend, Beth, has tagged along for this particular trip. Their relationship is strained, to say the least, and it winds up erupting into several arguments. Just then, a white truck pulls in front of them and the door slides open for a moment to reveal a naked women chained inside before slamming down again. After doing everything within their power, they make the last stop on Zakes' trip. Zakes and Beth have their most heated argument and Beth decides to travel back to Manchester alone. As Zakes is sitting in the car, the white truck pulls up and Zakes runs inside to find Beth but can't find her. Zakes finds Beth's necklace outside as he realizes that whoever is driving that truck has just abducted his girlfriend and he'll do whatever it takes to get her back.
Hush is a thriller that is practically overflowing with suspense, which is good because that's pretty much exactly what the trailer would lead you to believe it would be. While I was watching it, I couldn't help getting this slight High Tension and Wolf Creek vibe from the film. The action doesn't take long to get rolling like in Wolf Creek, but once it starts it just snowballs into the worst situation (almost) anyone could possibly imagine. Everything that can go wrong for Zakes as he's tracking down Beth pretty much winds up happening. The guy can't seem to catch a break. The film doesn't necessarily bring anything new to the table, but it delivers in what it advertised which is all that really matters. While some situations in the film seem a bit unbelievable and the ending is a bit anticlimactic, it doesn't really take away from the overall entertainment value of the film.
Hush is not a horror film. I'll throw that out there, right now. It's a suspenseful thriller that is sure to get your heart racing at times. It's not necessarily something I'd highly recommend. It's not a bad film, but you're not going to miss anything spectacular if you skip it. It's the type of film to not expect a lot out of and then wind up finding it on demand, watching it, and being a bit surprised by it. No matter how bad someone's day is, he or she could pop this in and remind themself that it could've been a hell of a lot worse.
Hush is a thriller that is practically overflowing with suspense, which is good because that's pretty much exactly what the trailer would lead you to believe it would be. While I was watching it, I couldn't help getting this slight High Tension and Wolf Creek vibe from the film. The action doesn't take long to get rolling like in Wolf Creek, but once it starts it just snowballs into the worst situation (almost) anyone could possibly imagine. Everything that can go wrong for Zakes as he's tracking down Beth pretty much winds up happening. The guy can't seem to catch a break. The film doesn't necessarily bring anything new to the table, but it delivers in what it advertised which is all that really matters. While some situations in the film seem a bit unbelievable and the ending is a bit anticlimactic, it doesn't really take away from the overall entertainment value of the film.
Hush is not a horror film. I'll throw that out there, right now. It's a suspenseful thriller that is sure to get your heart racing at times. It's not necessarily something I'd highly recommend. It's not a bad film, but you're not going to miss anything spectacular if you skip it. It's the type of film to not expect a lot out of and then wind up finding it on demand, watching it, and being a bit surprised by it. No matter how bad someone's day is, he or she could pop this in and remind themself that it could've been a hell of a lot worse.
BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated The Beautiful Pretender (A Medieval Fairy Tale, #2) in Books
Jan 2, 2019
Forced into deception by the Earl of Plimmwald, will Avelina be able to keep up the facade of being his daughter Lady Dorothea?
The king has ordered Reinhart, the new Margrave of Thornbeck to marry. Knowing he can not deny the king, Lord Thornbeck summons the ten women the king has chosen as suitable matches. For two weeks he plans to test these women to find the most noble lady among them, and choose her as his bride. Little does he know that not all of the ladies presented to him are truly born of nobility. When Avelina arrives at Thornbeck castle, masquerading as Lady Dorothea, she is convinced she will be found out. However as the days pass, she finds it easier to pretend to be a lady, instead of the maidservant she truly is. She has two goals: To make sure no one discovers that she is a servant, and to keep Lord Thornbeck from choosing her as his bride. For if her secret is revealed, destruction and ruin will be brought upon Avelina and her family.
The Beautiful Pretender is "Happily Ever After" at its finest! Melanie Dickerson has a beautiful gift for bringing classic fairy tales to life in an incredibly new and different way. Every page is filled with beautiful descriptions of the castle, clothes, grounds and lifestyle of the medieval times. These fairy tales (and especially Avelina's story) are much more realistic than the Disney adaptations (however I am addicted to fairy tales in general), and makes me feel like these stories could have actually happened. The Beautiful Pretender will have you biting your nails from the first page and there are plenty of suspenseful moments that will keep you turning those pages until you can not keep your eyes open any longer! (Yes, I say this from experience...) This story is such a lovely romance. Seeing in our characters something that I believe we can all identify with, the desire to be wanted and loved for who we are. And we must never forget the One who loves us more than anyone ever could. He who loves us exactly as we are, regardless of our heritage and in spite of our imperfections. Never forget that as a son or daughter of our Lord, you are royalty.
I received a free copy of The Beautiful Pretender from Thomas Nelson Publishers through Book Look Bloggers in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
The king has ordered Reinhart, the new Margrave of Thornbeck to marry. Knowing he can not deny the king, Lord Thornbeck summons the ten women the king has chosen as suitable matches. For two weeks he plans to test these women to find the most noble lady among them, and choose her as his bride. Little does he know that not all of the ladies presented to him are truly born of nobility. When Avelina arrives at Thornbeck castle, masquerading as Lady Dorothea, she is convinced she will be found out. However as the days pass, she finds it easier to pretend to be a lady, instead of the maidservant she truly is. She has two goals: To make sure no one discovers that she is a servant, and to keep Lord Thornbeck from choosing her as his bride. For if her secret is revealed, destruction and ruin will be brought upon Avelina and her family.
The Beautiful Pretender is "Happily Ever After" at its finest! Melanie Dickerson has a beautiful gift for bringing classic fairy tales to life in an incredibly new and different way. Every page is filled with beautiful descriptions of the castle, clothes, grounds and lifestyle of the medieval times. These fairy tales (and especially Avelina's story) are much more realistic than the Disney adaptations (however I am addicted to fairy tales in general), and makes me feel like these stories could have actually happened. The Beautiful Pretender will have you biting your nails from the first page and there are plenty of suspenseful moments that will keep you turning those pages until you can not keep your eyes open any longer! (Yes, I say this from experience...) This story is such a lovely romance. Seeing in our characters something that I believe we can all identify with, the desire to be wanted and loved for who we are. And we must never forget the One who loves us more than anyone ever could. He who loves us exactly as we are, regardless of our heritage and in spite of our imperfections. Never forget that as a son or daughter of our Lord, you are royalty.
I received a free copy of The Beautiful Pretender from Thomas Nelson Publishers through Book Look Bloggers in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Miss Bala (2019) in Movies
Jul 2, 2019
Gloria (Gina Rodriguez), a makeup artist in Los Angeles, heads to Tijuana for a fun weekend with her best friend, Suzu (Cristina Rodlo). Gloria is going to help Suzu prepare for the Miss Baja California beauty pageant. They decide to head to a club to rub elbows with one of the more important judges, Chief Saucedo (Damian Alcazar). That is when a fun trip turns into a nightmare, several members of a local cartel, Estrella (Spanish for star), break in and start shooting up the club. The leader of Estrella, Leno (Ismael Cruz Cordova), believes that Chief Saucedo is trying to cut into his business and is there to assassinate him. Gloria escapes but gets separated from Suzu. She searches all night and calls the hospitals but can’t find her friend. She finds a police officer to have him help search and tells him he saw the attackers. Instead of taking her to the police station he delivers her to Estrella and Leno. He agrees to help her find her friend but there is a price. Now Gloria will have go to great lengths to find her friend and survive a deadly battle between a cartel and the police from right in the middle of the chaos.
Gina Rodriguez is really good in this film. I thought her performance was definitely the best part of this film. Otherwise the performances were a mix bag of good and bad. Cruz Cordova in particular failed to really come across as a scary, but sensitive, cartel leader. The cameo by Anthony Mackie was a surprise. The story is really interesting and there were times that were suspenseful. The action was decent with some good scenes. The issue was there were also some campy performances and scene set ups that felt rushed. The film was shot decently and the music fit well. The end, which I would not dare spoil, really fell short of all of the buildup.
Before looking for a trailer for this movie I did not know that this was a remake of a 2012 film of the same name. I would be interested to see this film to compare the two because I enjoyed the story. This film missed on some points but really did entertain me for the hour and forty-four minutes. I would say that you could save this for streaming or rental. I don’t think that it would be a movie I would watch again in the theater.
Gina Rodriguez is really good in this film. I thought her performance was definitely the best part of this film. Otherwise the performances were a mix bag of good and bad. Cruz Cordova in particular failed to really come across as a scary, but sensitive, cartel leader. The cameo by Anthony Mackie was a surprise. The story is really interesting and there were times that were suspenseful. The action was decent with some good scenes. The issue was there were also some campy performances and scene set ups that felt rushed. The film was shot decently and the music fit well. The end, which I would not dare spoil, really fell short of all of the buildup.
Before looking for a trailer for this movie I did not know that this was a remake of a 2012 film of the same name. I would be interested to see this film to compare the two because I enjoyed the story. This film missed on some points but really did entertain me for the hour and forty-four minutes. I would say that you could save this for streaming or rental. I don’t think that it would be a movie I would watch again in the theater.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Dark Places (2015) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
Although it was exciting to hear “Dark Places” is based on a novel written by the same author who wrote “Gone Girl,” unfortunately it just doesn’t measure up.
Libby Day (Charlize Theron) is the sole survivor of a massacre in which her two sisters and mother (Christina Hendricks) were murdered. Her Satan worshipping brother (Corey Stoll), the most likely suspect, spends his life in prison for the murders.
After living most of her life believing the case is closed, one day Libby is contacted by a group called “The Kill Club.” The group is obsessed with her family’s case and swears they can prove her brother’s innocence.
As Libby goes on a cathartic journey into her own mind and into a case she hardly feels is worth looking into, scenes switch between her memories and her present experience. The plot execution is intricate, yet coherent.
However, the film’s slow pace and lack of climactic scenes frankly starts to become exhausting about midway through. It is a raw and suspenseful drama. But it falls disappointingly short of being a thriller – getting close but never quite finishing.
There are moments of genuine quality, mostly found in the skill of Theron and Hendricks’ acting.
We’ve already seen Theron in similar roles and know she really can do no wrong. She embodies her role as an emotionally charged heroin, and her expressions exude a past riddled with dark memories. It could be said she has been type cast for these roles. This makes it hard to tell if the film would be all that watchable without her in the cast.
Even Theron’s amazing acting isn’t enough to place this film on a glorious pedestal.
The story feels incomplete in many ways while at the same time being quite elaborate in some aspects.
One example – the scenes showing the mother’s experience of hardship provide good background for the main plotline. These scenes are raw and unsettling. Hendricks does an amazing job showing the emotion of a single mother who is continuously beaten down by life.
On the other hand – “The Kill Club,” which is a central part of the plot as it is the catalyst for Theron’s exploration of the case, is hardly elaborated on. This makes its members come off as unconvincing in their roles and the idea of the group becomes a hokey part of the plot. The lack of depth here takes away from Theron’s skillful performance just a bit.
Not a big thrill, I give “Dark Places” 2.5 out of 5 stars.
Libby Day (Charlize Theron) is the sole survivor of a massacre in which her two sisters and mother (Christina Hendricks) were murdered. Her Satan worshipping brother (Corey Stoll), the most likely suspect, spends his life in prison for the murders.
After living most of her life believing the case is closed, one day Libby is contacted by a group called “The Kill Club.” The group is obsessed with her family’s case and swears they can prove her brother’s innocence.
As Libby goes on a cathartic journey into her own mind and into a case she hardly feels is worth looking into, scenes switch between her memories and her present experience. The plot execution is intricate, yet coherent.
However, the film’s slow pace and lack of climactic scenes frankly starts to become exhausting about midway through. It is a raw and suspenseful drama. But it falls disappointingly short of being a thriller – getting close but never quite finishing.
There are moments of genuine quality, mostly found in the skill of Theron and Hendricks’ acting.
We’ve already seen Theron in similar roles and know she really can do no wrong. She embodies her role as an emotionally charged heroin, and her expressions exude a past riddled with dark memories. It could be said she has been type cast for these roles. This makes it hard to tell if the film would be all that watchable without her in the cast.
Even Theron’s amazing acting isn’t enough to place this film on a glorious pedestal.
The story feels incomplete in many ways while at the same time being quite elaborate in some aspects.
One example – the scenes showing the mother’s experience of hardship provide good background for the main plotline. These scenes are raw and unsettling. Hendricks does an amazing job showing the emotion of a single mother who is continuously beaten down by life.
On the other hand – “The Kill Club,” which is a central part of the plot as it is the catalyst for Theron’s exploration of the case, is hardly elaborated on. This makes its members come off as unconvincing in their roles and the idea of the group becomes a hokey part of the plot. The lack of depth here takes away from Theron’s skillful performance just a bit.
Not a big thrill, I give “Dark Places” 2.5 out of 5 stars.
BookInspector (124 KP) rated Big Sister in Books
Sep 24, 2020
More book reviews at https://bbookinspector.wordpress.com
This book was my first encounter with this author’s writing, but from what I have seen so far, I will be definitely checking out more of Gunnar’s work.
In the beginning, I was a little bit confused, because for some reason I thought Varg was a woman. 😀 (Have no idea why…) So, yes, Varg is the protagonist in this story, and a very complex one, to be honest. He is over sixty and still risking his life for his cases, that is pretty amusing to me. 🙂 I really liked him as a personality, and I think he got away with his nosiness pretty well. I liked that Varg is very realistic, he is very clever, but at the same time, he doesn’t try to pose as some kind of super detective. I really liked all the characters which the author chose for this story, they made the story really interesting and rich.
The narrative was told from a single perspective, but for me, it was enough. The author had my curiosity growing with every chapter, as he cleverly delivered the clues and completely unexpected twists and turns throughout the pages. Staalesen has a great eye for a detail, and the descriptions of the settings were very visual and well delivered. I really enjoyed the topics which author addressed, such as family relationships; divorce and it’s consequences; rape and how it affects people; depression and what it can lead to; and many more. Even though this book is not very big, it touches and addresses a lot of important topics.
I really enjoyed the writing style of this novel, Staalesen’s writing is very creative, detailed and compact. I admire, how he can put so much into his words. For me, this book was very pleasant to read, except for the names of characters and places. I had a bit of a difficulty sorting out the characters, because their names didn’t stay in my head, and I skipped most of the place’s names because it was difficult for me to pronounce them. I loved the short chapters, which this book had to offer, and the whole book was a pretty quick read. Even though the ending concluded the story very nicely and with another surprise, it still left some cliffhangers, which will be bothering me until the next book. 😀
So, to conclude, it is very fast paced and suspenseful novel, filled with very intriguing characters and very surprising twists and turns, and I do strongly recommend to give this book a try. Enjoy the sun and a good book! 😉
This book was my first encounter with this author’s writing, but from what I have seen so far, I will be definitely checking out more of Gunnar’s work.
In the beginning, I was a little bit confused, because for some reason I thought Varg was a woman. 😀 (Have no idea why…) So, yes, Varg is the protagonist in this story, and a very complex one, to be honest. He is over sixty and still risking his life for his cases, that is pretty amusing to me. 🙂 I really liked him as a personality, and I think he got away with his nosiness pretty well. I liked that Varg is very realistic, he is very clever, but at the same time, he doesn’t try to pose as some kind of super detective. I really liked all the characters which the author chose for this story, they made the story really interesting and rich.
The narrative was told from a single perspective, but for me, it was enough. The author had my curiosity growing with every chapter, as he cleverly delivered the clues and completely unexpected twists and turns throughout the pages. Staalesen has a great eye for a detail, and the descriptions of the settings were very visual and well delivered. I really enjoyed the topics which author addressed, such as family relationships; divorce and it’s consequences; rape and how it affects people; depression and what it can lead to; and many more. Even though this book is not very big, it touches and addresses a lot of important topics.
I really enjoyed the writing style of this novel, Staalesen’s writing is very creative, detailed and compact. I admire, how he can put so much into his words. For me, this book was very pleasant to read, except for the names of characters and places. I had a bit of a difficulty sorting out the characters, because their names didn’t stay in my head, and I skipped most of the place’s names because it was difficult for me to pronounce them. I loved the short chapters, which this book had to offer, and the whole book was a pretty quick read. Even though the ending concluded the story very nicely and with another surprise, it still left some cliffhangers, which will be bothering me until the next book. 😀
So, to conclude, it is very fast paced and suspenseful novel, filled with very intriguing characters and very surprising twists and turns, and I do strongly recommend to give this book a try. Enjoy the sun and a good book! 😉
Joe Goodhart (27 KP) rated All-New Wolverine, Volume 5: Orphans of X in Books
Nov 30, 2020
<b>**</b> <i>Before I begin, I should just like to preface this review with the following disclaimer: any reviews I have written are almost always going to be less than biased, due to the content being related to Laura Kinney (X-23). However, that being said, if the story is rubbish, and Laura is in it, I will still be honest in my review. Now, on to the review.. </i><b>**</b>
ORPHANS OF X was the perfect story arc to wash away the taste from the two previous arcs - "Enemy of the State II" and "Immune". From the beginning to the end, this was a solid story! There was action, there was suspenseful tension, and, of course, there was humor along the way (Thanks in part to Gabby, or as she is known by her new codename: Honey Badger!). A winning recipe for how to write a comic book successfully!
Under writer Tom Taylor's hand, Laura has evolved as a character. Yes, she was a former assassin. Yes, she killed a hell of a lot of people during her time when she was part of the Facility's Weapon X Program. However, that doesn't mean you can't a) move beyond that, nor b) can you just forget that. And that is what Taylor has done.
Laura has grown, taking on the responsibility of looking out for/"raising" her sister/clone Gabby. She displays more emotions, not 100% perfect, but considering her backstory, it makes sense the way she is being written.
No spoilers, promise, but the ending resolution to ORPHANS OF X sets in motion great potential! We know the next arc will be "Old Woman Laura", but after that? Oh, wait 'til you read it, and if you are a fan of the character, you should be as excite as I am!
And, as praiseworthy as Tom Taylor's writing was, I feel I should also gave a more than fair nod to new series artist (I hope!) Juann Cabal. A lot of talent, and definitely someone this book could use! Cabal's pencils are tight, yet fluid. He brings a lot of action to a fight panel, yet also brings a careful attention to facial detail when it is a simpler, not action-y scene.
Oh, of course, there were also some amazing (as always) covers by fan favorite Terry Dodson! Brilliant!!
Many of us, fans of Laura Kinney, have been hankering for a story like this. Everything about it was all aces! But, don't let me be the final word on this. By all means, good folk, read on..
ORPHANS OF X was the perfect story arc to wash away the taste from the two previous arcs - "Enemy of the State II" and "Immune". From the beginning to the end, this was a solid story! There was action, there was suspenseful tension, and, of course, there was humor along the way (Thanks in part to Gabby, or as she is known by her new codename: Honey Badger!). A winning recipe for how to write a comic book successfully!
Under writer Tom Taylor's hand, Laura has evolved as a character. Yes, she was a former assassin. Yes, she killed a hell of a lot of people during her time when she was part of the Facility's Weapon X Program. However, that doesn't mean you can't a) move beyond that, nor b) can you just forget that. And that is what Taylor has done.
Laura has grown, taking on the responsibility of looking out for/"raising" her sister/clone Gabby. She displays more emotions, not 100% perfect, but considering her backstory, it makes sense the way she is being written.
No spoilers, promise, but the ending resolution to ORPHANS OF X sets in motion great potential! We know the next arc will be "Old Woman Laura", but after that? Oh, wait 'til you read it, and if you are a fan of the character, you should be as excite as I am!
And, as praiseworthy as Tom Taylor's writing was, I feel I should also gave a more than fair nod to new series artist (I hope!) Juann Cabal. A lot of talent, and definitely someone this book could use! Cabal's pencils are tight, yet fluid. He brings a lot of action to a fight panel, yet also brings a careful attention to facial detail when it is a simpler, not action-y scene.
Oh, of course, there were also some amazing (as always) covers by fan favorite Terry Dodson! Brilliant!!
Many of us, fans of Laura Kinney, have been hankering for a story like this. Everything about it was all aces! But, don't let me be the final word on this. By all means, good folk, read on..
The Deep Dark: Disaster and Redemption
6.0
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The Deep Dark: Disaster and Redemption in America's Richest Silver Mine For nearly a century,...
Rescued By The Alpha (Alaskan Wolf Alliance #1)
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M/M Shifter Mpreg Romance. When wishing for a new life, Elam finds out the hard way that he...