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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Rooster Bar in Books
Jan 1, 2018
Slow-moving (1 more)
Not interesting
Not one of Grisham's best
Mark, Todd, and Zola all had big aspirations when they signed up for Foggy Bottom law school. They also dreamed of the big paychecks that would follow after graduation. Those paychecks would help pay off the student loans required to attend Foggy Bottom--a less than well-respected for-profit law school that has left each of the trio with an average of $200K in debt. Even worse, Foggy Bottom is such a terrible school that they are receiving a mediocre education from sub-par professors; they may not even pass the bar exam. And if they do, they have little chance of gaining one of the coveted, well-paying law positions that can pay off those loans. So when one of their close friends, Gordy, alerts them that their school is owned by a shady financial operative who also has ties to a bank that profits off their loans, they are outraged. When tragedy besets the group, Mark, Todd, and Zola decide to take matters into their own hands, no matter what it takes. Even if that means quitting school a few months shy of graduation...
Oh man, I wanted to like this one, but it just didn't work for me. It took me eleven days to read--unheard of for basically any book, let alone a Grisham, and I practically had to force myself to finish it. It seemed like a really good premise: the novel combines the timely issues of student loan debt and immigration, but nothing meshes together well.
I never warmed to the protagonists. It's really hard to like or empathize with Mark, Todd, or even Zola, who is dealing with her family being deported. What's being done to the three law students is certainly not great, but their response just never seemed fully justified to me. I could not root for them like I could a Darby Shaw, a Gray Grantham, a Reggie Love. It's a shame, because the bad guy is fairly despicable, but we don't get enough development on either side to feel fully invested. As for our trio, for instance, they basically blow a huge case for someone and never do anything to make amends--nor ever really seem to show any real remorse. How is that any better than the people they are going up against?
Without anyone to really root for or a plot to quickly move forward, this one just dragged on. For me, it was slow-moving and not-interesting. Definitely a letdown. 2.5 stars.
Oh man, I wanted to like this one, but it just didn't work for me. It took me eleven days to read--unheard of for basically any book, let alone a Grisham, and I practically had to force myself to finish it. It seemed like a really good premise: the novel combines the timely issues of student loan debt and immigration, but nothing meshes together well.
I never warmed to the protagonists. It's really hard to like or empathize with Mark, Todd, or even Zola, who is dealing with her family being deported. What's being done to the three law students is certainly not great, but their response just never seemed fully justified to me. I could not root for them like I could a Darby Shaw, a Gray Grantham, a Reggie Love. It's a shame, because the bad guy is fairly despicable, but we don't get enough development on either side to feel fully invested. As for our trio, for instance, they basically blow a huge case for someone and never do anything to make amends--nor ever really seem to show any real remorse. How is that any better than the people they are going up against?
Without anyone to really root for or a plot to quickly move forward, this one just dragged on. For me, it was slow-moving and not-interesting. Definitely a letdown. 2.5 stars.
Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated Kind Nepenthe in Books
May 16, 2018
Kind Nepenthe is one of those books I looked at on NetGalley for a while but couldn't bring myself to request for the longest time. It just didn't seem like something I'd over enjoy, honestly. If you frequent NetGalley though, you'll notice the horror section of their available titles has been dwindling over the past few months. As a result, I finally ended up with Matthew V. Brockmeyer's title and I can admit I am pleasantly surprised.
Aside from a single graphically sexual scene, Kind Nepenthe plays the horror genre safely. Brockmeyer keeps things significantly more tame than many of the authors I read, which means he's got to make up for it in other places. In this case, the story itself is rather well developed - even if it does have a few holes. (Seriously, how'd the boy die, dude? You got ghosts you ain't tellin' us the deets on.) A few of the characters, or rather most of them, are almost offensively stereotypical. Diesel, one of the main characters, has a son who quite literally dresses like the photo you've seen of a kid wanting to look gangsta.
Now, I'm aware this sounds mostly negative, but in a way it allowed me to better formulate the type of behaviors associated with Brockmeyer's cast. It's not very complex, so for me to have read this book in two days means that Brockmeyer must have succeeded elsewhere in his work - and he did! The flow of Kind Nepenthe can be likened to the river that runs through Homicide Hill. It's a constant, rolling movement from one even to another. Not hurried, but steady.
There are two separate stories that take place here and four different endings. Despite its lack of originality in characters, Kind Nepenthe manages to wiggle its way into the reader's sympathies. I felt for Katie, the young, pregnant girlfriend of Diesel's son. My heart ached for Rebecca, whose loneliness begins to eat at her as the story progresses. Even Diesel managed to find an endearing resonance with me, much to my surprise.
While I was hoping for a little bit more boo! than I received, I look forward to more of Brockmeyer's work in the future. This book was a nice, relaxing read and I simply was not able to put it down. I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book for the purpose of review.
Aside from a single graphically sexual scene, Kind Nepenthe plays the horror genre safely. Brockmeyer keeps things significantly more tame than many of the authors I read, which means he's got to make up for it in other places. In this case, the story itself is rather well developed - even if it does have a few holes. (Seriously, how'd the boy die, dude? You got ghosts you ain't tellin' us the deets on.) A few of the characters, or rather most of them, are almost offensively stereotypical. Diesel, one of the main characters, has a son who quite literally dresses like the photo you've seen of a kid wanting to look gangsta.
Now, I'm aware this sounds mostly negative, but in a way it allowed me to better formulate the type of behaviors associated with Brockmeyer's cast. It's not very complex, so for me to have read this book in two days means that Brockmeyer must have succeeded elsewhere in his work - and he did! The flow of Kind Nepenthe can be likened to the river that runs through Homicide Hill. It's a constant, rolling movement from one even to another. Not hurried, but steady.
There are two separate stories that take place here and four different endings. Despite its lack of originality in characters, Kind Nepenthe manages to wiggle its way into the reader's sympathies. I felt for Katie, the young, pregnant girlfriend of Diesel's son. My heart ached for Rebecca, whose loneliness begins to eat at her as the story progresses. Even Diesel managed to find an endearing resonance with me, much to my surprise.
While I was hoping for a little bit more boo! than I received, I look forward to more of Brockmeyer's work in the future. This book was a nice, relaxing read and I simply was not able to put it down. I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book for the purpose of review.
p3anut (62 KP) rated Pet Sematary (2019) in Movies
Apr 11, 2019
Contains spoilers, click to show
I'm 33 and I saw the original pet semetary when I was about 10 on some cable channel like nbc or abc. Back in the 90's, tv was heavily edited. Even then it scared the shit out of me!
The 2019 just didn't give me that same vibe. Yes, I'm older and don't scare as easy. But I also get creeped out pretty easily when a movie does something right. And this movie didn't do to much right to chill me to my core.
Now that's not to say this movie was bad or awful in anyway. The pacing was very good. The twist that they showed us in the trailers was great and added to the later plot device. And even having Gage running towards the road as the truck came barreling towards Ellie made me think they were about to lose two kids. Hell even Lithgow was pretty stellar in his role. But this movie just tried too hard to top the original.
The wife's back story about Zelda should have stopped after she told what had happened to Zelda. They drug it out by giving her some PTSD bullshit that I didn't feel really fit into the story.
The guy that gets hit by a car (victor) and warns Louis about the dangers that are about to unfold was rushed and not as fleshed out as the character in the 90's film. And I don't mean to compare this to that film because it is it's own thing, but they could have tried to humanize him a little more that just a device plot.
Ellie being self aware that she had died and turning evil because of it was fucking creepy. And Everytime this girl had screen time you felt like she was back from the dead and completely changed. The scene where Ellie terrorizes Jud was pretty close to the original but with some twists and I thought that made it more enjoyable. especially since these characters seemed to think situations out better than typical horror movies.
The last twist was fantastic and I'm not going to spoil it. I didn't care for the ending. I thought it was very bleak and bland. And really didn't lead to what was going to happen now as a whole, not just Gage potentially dying.
Overall I really enjoyed the movie for what it was, a fun popcorn horror flick.
Have you seen it? What did you think of the movie?
The 2019 just didn't give me that same vibe. Yes, I'm older and don't scare as easy. But I also get creeped out pretty easily when a movie does something right. And this movie didn't do to much right to chill me to my core.
Now that's not to say this movie was bad or awful in anyway. The pacing was very good. The twist that they showed us in the trailers was great and added to the later plot device. And even having Gage running towards the road as the truck came barreling towards Ellie made me think they were about to lose two kids. Hell even Lithgow was pretty stellar in his role. But this movie just tried too hard to top the original.
The wife's back story about Zelda should have stopped after she told what had happened to Zelda. They drug it out by giving her some PTSD bullshit that I didn't feel really fit into the story.
The guy that gets hit by a car (victor) and warns Louis about the dangers that are about to unfold was rushed and not as fleshed out as the character in the 90's film. And I don't mean to compare this to that film because it is it's own thing, but they could have tried to humanize him a little more that just a device plot.
Ellie being self aware that she had died and turning evil because of it was fucking creepy. And Everytime this girl had screen time you felt like she was back from the dead and completely changed. The scene where Ellie terrorizes Jud was pretty close to the original but with some twists and I thought that made it more enjoyable. especially since these characters seemed to think situations out better than typical horror movies.
The last twist was fantastic and I'm not going to spoil it. I didn't care for the ending. I thought it was very bleak and bland. And really didn't lead to what was going to happen now as a whole, not just Gage potentially dying.
Overall I really enjoyed the movie for what it was, a fun popcorn horror flick.
Have you seen it? What did you think of the movie?
Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated Red Dragon (Hannibal Lecter #1) in Books
Jul 10, 2018
I really wish I read this when I was in high school. This book really would have been right up my alley. The story was so complex that I would have devoured it within days. This would have been one of those books that I stayed up late reading under my covers. However, reading this book showed me how much I have changed & how my tastes in books have changed as well. Personally I am not a huge fan of mysteries. I find them dull, and typically I avoid them. The weird thing is that I love mystery thrillers. I have always found them fascinating especially if it is a psychological thriller.
Red Dragon is that psychological thriller that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat once you get passed the half way mark. The beginning of the book dragged for me. I would have loved more of an action packed thriller vs. a mystery turned thriller. Though the first half was essential for establishing characters I truly felt that it dragged. I'm typically used to a book that jolts you into the action instead of taking a lazy river ride to a waterfall. I want the rapids. So, due to the first half, it took me forever to finish. One thing that I really liked about the first half was how much it messed with my mind. Honestly I had trouble reading it before I went to bed simply because of the dreams it created at night. I had to make sure every door and window was locked before I went to bed simply to help sooth my mind so that I could get some sleep.
Though the story dragged for the first half, the second half made up for it. I found myself entranced by the thriller aspect of the writing & loved how complex the story truly was. It has been years since I last watched Red Dragon (the movie) so at times the story felt fresh and new. It was weird, sexual in strange spots, and honestly something that I have never read before. Thomas Harris was able to create a serial killer that will make you cringe, sympathize with, and wish they were dead all at different moments. It was fascinating to read.
All in all, I enjoyed the book. It isn't my favorite book but it was an interesting read that makes me yearn to watch the movies again. I probably will not continue on in the series but I'm happy that I did take the time to read it.
Red Dragon is that psychological thriller that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat once you get passed the half way mark. The beginning of the book dragged for me. I would have loved more of an action packed thriller vs. a mystery turned thriller. Though the first half was essential for establishing characters I truly felt that it dragged. I'm typically used to a book that jolts you into the action instead of taking a lazy river ride to a waterfall. I want the rapids. So, due to the first half, it took me forever to finish. One thing that I really liked about the first half was how much it messed with my mind. Honestly I had trouble reading it before I went to bed simply because of the dreams it created at night. I had to make sure every door and window was locked before I went to bed simply to help sooth my mind so that I could get some sleep.
Though the story dragged for the first half, the second half made up for it. I found myself entranced by the thriller aspect of the writing & loved how complex the story truly was. It has been years since I last watched Red Dragon (the movie) so at times the story felt fresh and new. It was weird, sexual in strange spots, and honestly something that I have never read before. Thomas Harris was able to create a serial killer that will make you cringe, sympathize with, and wish they were dead all at different moments. It was fascinating to read.
All in all, I enjoyed the book. It isn't my favorite book but it was an interesting read that makes me yearn to watch the movies again. I probably will not continue on in the series but I'm happy that I did take the time to read it.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Schindler's List (1993) in Movies
Jun 22, 2019 (Updated Sep 25, 2019)
I've started and restarted this review about five times, I'm not sure where to begin.
It pains me to say it but I think the negatives outweigh the positives on this for me. The sets are incredible though and the fact that they managed to get hoards of people working together is no easy feat. It's certainly an epic achievement.
I have spoken to a few people since seeing it and mentioned the fact that I didn't like it filmed as black and white, I've been surprised at how many condescending responses I had. "Black and white films are difficult for some people to get used to." "They're not to everyone's tastes." For the record I love black and white movies, the issue I have with this one though is that it's so sharp that at times it looks unnatural. The joy of black and white movies is the feeling of a little age to the film. Perhaps this is just the curse of the modern age, but all the shots look amazingly crisp. I know, how often does someone moan about having filming that's too good for a film?
"Remember to take some tissues!" was the response I got when I told people I was going to see it, me being a crier I heeded the warning. I was left mostly unmoved though. The statements of fact and the scenes at Auschwitz certainly made me pause for thought and brought a tear to my eye but the dramatised sections generally didn't hold a lot of impact.
When Schindler has his departing scene it really felt that it should have been more emotional for the viewer but it came across a little hammy. Neeson's acting had been relatively understated the whole way through and they chose that moment for him to depart from that?
Some moments in history only need the facts, and while creatively this was a masterpiece (certainly the music was) I didn't feel that it was possible to get the gravity of the situation. In this instance I would personally like to know the real accounts and that would be achieved better by reading some books on the subject of watching personal recordings from survivors.
What you should do
Most of you have probably already seen Schincler's List, if you haven't then you probably should despite what I said. Without films like this some of us would probably have no knowledge at all about such important moments in history.
Whether they're entirely accurate or not they open up curiosity to learn more.
It pains me to say it but I think the negatives outweigh the positives on this for me. The sets are incredible though and the fact that they managed to get hoards of people working together is no easy feat. It's certainly an epic achievement.
I have spoken to a few people since seeing it and mentioned the fact that I didn't like it filmed as black and white, I've been surprised at how many condescending responses I had. "Black and white films are difficult for some people to get used to." "They're not to everyone's tastes." For the record I love black and white movies, the issue I have with this one though is that it's so sharp that at times it looks unnatural. The joy of black and white movies is the feeling of a little age to the film. Perhaps this is just the curse of the modern age, but all the shots look amazingly crisp. I know, how often does someone moan about having filming that's too good for a film?
"Remember to take some tissues!" was the response I got when I told people I was going to see it, me being a crier I heeded the warning. I was left mostly unmoved though. The statements of fact and the scenes at Auschwitz certainly made me pause for thought and brought a tear to my eye but the dramatised sections generally didn't hold a lot of impact.
When Schindler has his departing scene it really felt that it should have been more emotional for the viewer but it came across a little hammy. Neeson's acting had been relatively understated the whole way through and they chose that moment for him to depart from that?
Some moments in history only need the facts, and while creatively this was a masterpiece (certainly the music was) I didn't feel that it was possible to get the gravity of the situation. In this instance I would personally like to know the real accounts and that would be achieved better by reading some books on the subject of watching personal recordings from survivors.
What you should do
Most of you have probably already seen Schincler's List, if you haven't then you probably should despite what I said. Without films like this some of us would probably have no knowledge at all about such important moments in history.
Whether they're entirely accurate or not they open up curiosity to learn more.
Style: Formal, serious.
Point of View: Third person – each chapter is either Nick Dunne or Amy Dunne, never both.
Difficulty Reading: I struggled with the first half of the book. Don’t get me wrong, I was excited to read it because the movie was bomb as f*ck. The movie had me sitting on my toes the entire time, but this book was such a drag. Once you get about halfway through, that’s when it gets good.
Promise: The book promises a thrilling crime mystery and it does deliver it. But it delivers it in a way that makes the book almost seem repetitive as he said, she said.
Quality: It was a well-written book, I’ll give the author that. But there was a lot of swearing – and I cuss like a sailor. That kind of took the appeal of the book down quite a few notches.
Insights: If I could change anything about the book: take some of the cuss words out – it’s way too much, make the first half of the book more gripping – you lose readers because it’s boring.
Ah-Ha Moment: When Nick Dunne realized that Amy Dunne was just f*cking with him, he knew it but couldn’t tell anyone because then it would seem like he was the one who set the whole thing up.
Another moment was when Amy Dunne killed her old friend. I was like ‘what are you doing woman’ the entire time I read it.
Favorite Quote: “A lot of people lacked that gift: knowing when to fuck off.” – I feel this is the best representation of who I am as a person and of people nowadays.
“Sleep is like a cat: It only comes to you if you ignore it.” – Any quote that talks about cats are always great.
What will you gain: An interesting but hard read. If you don’t have the time or patience, put this book down.
Aesthetics: The copy I bought had the cover poster for the movie and it was nice to imagine Nick Dunne as the man on the cover. The first page of the book was what drew me in, the whole staring at the back of Amy’s head and thinking of breaking it open to mush your hands with her brain just appeals to me in a way that’s hard to describe. (I promise I’m not a serial killer. Yet…) Then as I read more, I struggled until I hit the point of the plot doing a massive U-turn and actually becoming interesting.
“There’s a difference between really loving someone and loving the idea of her.”
Point of View: Third person – each chapter is either Nick Dunne or Amy Dunne, never both.
Difficulty Reading: I struggled with the first half of the book. Don’t get me wrong, I was excited to read it because the movie was bomb as f*ck. The movie had me sitting on my toes the entire time, but this book was such a drag. Once you get about halfway through, that’s when it gets good.
Promise: The book promises a thrilling crime mystery and it does deliver it. But it delivers it in a way that makes the book almost seem repetitive as he said, she said.
Quality: It was a well-written book, I’ll give the author that. But there was a lot of swearing – and I cuss like a sailor. That kind of took the appeal of the book down quite a few notches.
Insights: If I could change anything about the book: take some of the cuss words out – it’s way too much, make the first half of the book more gripping – you lose readers because it’s boring.
Ah-Ha Moment: When Nick Dunne realized that Amy Dunne was just f*cking with him, he knew it but couldn’t tell anyone because then it would seem like he was the one who set the whole thing up.
Another moment was when Amy Dunne killed her old friend. I was like ‘what are you doing woman’ the entire time I read it.
Favorite Quote: “A lot of people lacked that gift: knowing when to fuck off.” – I feel this is the best representation of who I am as a person and of people nowadays.
“Sleep is like a cat: It only comes to you if you ignore it.” – Any quote that talks about cats are always great.
What will you gain: An interesting but hard read. If you don’t have the time or patience, put this book down.
Aesthetics: The copy I bought had the cover poster for the movie and it was nice to imagine Nick Dunne as the man on the cover. The first page of the book was what drew me in, the whole staring at the back of Amy’s head and thinking of breaking it open to mush your hands with her brain just appeals to me in a way that’s hard to describe. (I promise I’m not a serial killer. Yet…) Then as I read more, I struggled until I hit the point of the plot doing a massive U-turn and actually becoming interesting.
“There’s a difference between really loving someone and loving the idea of her.”
Kyera (8 KP) rated Morning Star in Books
Feb 1, 2018
As with the two previous books in the series, Morning Star is brutally violent and honest in its portrayal of the darkness of humanity. It's a strange series that I don't quite know how I feel. While overall the plot and storytelling are good and I enjoy reading the series, for the most part, I am also frequently horrified by events and actions. As a result, I would recommend again that younger teen readers do not pick this up. Wait until you are older to read the series.
Sevro is such a strange character, but I love him. Some of the things he said, although unintentionally funny, had me laughing aloud (and probably sounding like a crazy person because I was by myself). Sadly, the course of the war and things that he has experienced seem to change him - as the war alters all of the characters. In the third book, he is just as funny and strangely likable as he was in the previous two books despite the horrors that he has endured.
I love the honest wonder of Ragnar, despite his fierce size and fighting skills he was not born to the same world as Darrow. He is genuinely pleased or fascinated by things most would take for granted in that world. Despite the fact that Ragnar is a terrifying killing machine - you can't help but like him.
Although there is a lot of death and destruction in these books, it is not until halfway through the third book that the pain of a character affected me. I got a little teary-eyed because it was one of the characters that I had grown to care about. I don't feel a very strong connection to them in general, which I feel is probably the main weakness of this series for me.
The second book fell prey to the typical slow nature of a middle book in a trilogy. In general, I feel that these books take some time to get into but become very engaging eventually. The third book was a little slower to start than even the others, although there were some enjoyable moments early on it wasn't until a little over halfway through the book that I really thought 'wow this is where things start happening.'
Once I was in the second half of the book, I felt like this was my favorite of the books in the series. I think Pierce Brown does his best work when he's talking about a battle. So the fighting you see in this part of the book really shines.
While it is very authentic to a war scenario, I don't personally like that so many characters die. I know people would complain if no one died because then the stakes wouldn't be as high for the characters but it makes me so sad when a character I like doesn't make it.
Despite the slow start of the third book, by the end, I had completely forgotten about it and felt that this was my favorite book in the series. The action, the schemes, everything just pulled me in and I was riveted, guessing, gasping and cheering until the very last page.
Sevro is such a strange character, but I love him. Some of the things he said, although unintentionally funny, had me laughing aloud (and probably sounding like a crazy person because I was by myself). Sadly, the course of the war and things that he has experienced seem to change him - as the war alters all of the characters. In the third book, he is just as funny and strangely likable as he was in the previous two books despite the horrors that he has endured.
I love the honest wonder of Ragnar, despite his fierce size and fighting skills he was not born to the same world as Darrow. He is genuinely pleased or fascinated by things most would take for granted in that world. Despite the fact that Ragnar is a terrifying killing machine - you can't help but like him.
Although there is a lot of death and destruction in these books, it is not until halfway through the third book that the pain of a character affected me. I got a little teary-eyed because it was one of the characters that I had grown to care about. I don't feel a very strong connection to them in general, which I feel is probably the main weakness of this series for me.
The second book fell prey to the typical slow nature of a middle book in a trilogy. In general, I feel that these books take some time to get into but become very engaging eventually. The third book was a little slower to start than even the others, although there were some enjoyable moments early on it wasn't until a little over halfway through the book that I really thought 'wow this is where things start happening.'
Once I was in the second half of the book, I felt like this was my favorite of the books in the series. I think Pierce Brown does his best work when he's talking about a battle. So the fighting you see in this part of the book really shines.
While it is very authentic to a war scenario, I don't personally like that so many characters die. I know people would complain if no one died because then the stakes wouldn't be as high for the characters but it makes me so sad when a character I like doesn't make it.
Despite the slow start of the third book, by the end, I had completely forgotten about it and felt that this was my favorite book in the series. The action, the schemes, everything just pulled me in and I was riveted, guessing, gasping and cheering until the very last page.
Sensitivemuse (246 KP) rated Silence for the Dead in Books
Mar 29, 2018
Good ghost story, slow dragged out ending
Anything to do with a horror ghost theme and an asylum has to be good right? Well, yes and no. The book was somewhat enjoyable to read but it had its’ moments.
The plot itself was good. It had the elements of a good gothic theme - not scary enough to make people read it in daytime (seriously?) but it had some good decent creep factor in it. It’s enough to set the mood and theme of the book but nothing to make the skin crawl. The element of mystery was also there and the ghost story aspect was good - nothing to blind side you - except perhaps for a little twist in the end (with where the ghost was and who was it manipulating etc etc). It’s pretty much a stable plot with all the main points closed (or is it? *queue creepy organ music*) so I’d have to say the gothic ghost story was what was in it for me.
Character wise. Kitty is likable. She’s resourceful, and a survivor from horrible abuse. Big applause for her for being strong and able to stand up and survive through various ordeals. Captain Mabry stood out for me because I enjoyed reading about his character. He seemed to be the strong stable silent type in the asylum where you have various patients with various issues (most were casualties of World War One) and there was a certain calmness about him that made him likable.
It’s pretty much obvious Kitty and Jack were to be together. The romance aspect in the book was all right. Necessary? I’m not sure perhaps. It’s not really for me. When their romance was more cemented was where the book was starting to take a slight turn downhill.
So near the ending when everything was revealed, all plot holes start to close. Sometimes, depending on the writing, you can stretch it out and make it interesting. Or you can make it drag. This one, unfortunately drags. We’re done with the ghosts, everything was answered, and the last 30 pages or so I just wanted the book to end. The romance of Kitty and Jack intensify and this is where intense eye rolling is also induced. Dear Lord, am I reading this just to see if there’s a scary twist at the end? Or am I wasting my time? Well sadly, I wasted my time. It was good to see what happened to characters like Mabry, and even Matron, but it just dragged way too much. Yeah okay we get it Kitty and Jack forever. Why do we need so many pages of this, am I suddenly reading a romance now?
Other than the ghost story in this book, the romance nearly killed it for me and a dragged out ending. Perhaps a nice twist in the ending would be nice. Or maybe skim the 30 pages and be done. I would say take it or leave it with this book. It was moderately enjoyable for me.
The plot itself was good. It had the elements of a good gothic theme - not scary enough to make people read it in daytime (seriously?) but it had some good decent creep factor in it. It’s enough to set the mood and theme of the book but nothing to make the skin crawl. The element of mystery was also there and the ghost story aspect was good - nothing to blind side you - except perhaps for a little twist in the end (with where the ghost was and who was it manipulating etc etc). It’s pretty much a stable plot with all the main points closed (or is it? *queue creepy organ music*) so I’d have to say the gothic ghost story was what was in it for me.
Character wise. Kitty is likable. She’s resourceful, and a survivor from horrible abuse. Big applause for her for being strong and able to stand up and survive through various ordeals. Captain Mabry stood out for me because I enjoyed reading about his character. He seemed to be the strong stable silent type in the asylum where you have various patients with various issues (most were casualties of World War One) and there was a certain calmness about him that made him likable.
It’s pretty much obvious Kitty and Jack were to be together. The romance aspect in the book was all right. Necessary? I’m not sure perhaps. It’s not really for me. When their romance was more cemented was where the book was starting to take a slight turn downhill.
So near the ending when everything was revealed, all plot holes start to close. Sometimes, depending on the writing, you can stretch it out and make it interesting. Or you can make it drag. This one, unfortunately drags. We’re done with the ghosts, everything was answered, and the last 30 pages or so I just wanted the book to end. The romance of Kitty and Jack intensify and this is where intense eye rolling is also induced. Dear Lord, am I reading this just to see if there’s a scary twist at the end? Or am I wasting my time? Well sadly, I wasted my time. It was good to see what happened to characters like Mabry, and even Matron, but it just dragged way too much. Yeah okay we get it Kitty and Jack forever. Why do we need so many pages of this, am I suddenly reading a romance now?
Other than the ghost story in this book, the romance nearly killed it for me and a dragged out ending. Perhaps a nice twist in the ending would be nice. Or maybe skim the 30 pages and be done. I would say take it or leave it with this book. It was moderately enjoyable for me.