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BookblogbyCari (345 KP) rated Fallen (Fallen, #1) in Books
Dec 12, 2018
This bestselling genre-crossing book has a captivating start and end, and I’m already looking forward to reading the next in the series!
The gist of the book is given away on its cover, so there’s no element of surprise here. It’s a love story between a human girl and an angel.
Although it clearly lies under the paranormal genre, the book is predominantly a romance, and the characters, even though they’ve been alive centuries, are presented as come-of-age teenagers, placing the book under the young adult genre also. It also comes under the urban fantasy genre, with its edgy beginnings at a reform school.
The prologue is enchanting with its snippet of the angel’s love for the girl in her previous life. The rest of the story is written from the viewpoint of the girl, Luce. Lucy would be your typical, if a little nervous, American girl, if it weren’t for her visions of black shadows that seem to appear only to her. With no reasonable explanation for the shadows, she was put on anti-psychotic medication.
Her story begins when she’s placed at a reform school, following the death of a friend that for some reason she has little recollection of, and (perhaps therefore) blames herself for. As you can imagine, the reform school has some lively, dramatic and intriguing characters! A love triangle is sparked on her first day. There’s the somehow familiar Daniel, who smiles, then flips her the bird, and the charming charismatic Cam, who can’t wait to spend time with her.
Luce finds herself drawn to Daniel, but he keeps giving her the brush off. Cam meanwhile takes a special interest in Luce. Once Luce has her “first” kiss with Daniel, she decides to meet Cam to apologise for leading him on. However, she ends up kissing Cam and the black shadows come after them. Daniel’s identity as a fallen angel is revealed to Luce and a battle (rather than their previous fist fight) begins. Luce flees for safety, only to find herself in further danger!
The obvious comparison here is with Stephanie Meyers Twilight Saga, which has a similar love triangle, but with a vampire and werewolf rather than fallen angels. Lauren Kate’s writing is not as good as Stephanie Meyers’, but is just as good as some of the other YA paranormal authors such as L J Smith, and Cassandra Clare. Although the romance is the central feature of the book, there are no erotic scenes.
I watched the film before reading the book, and found the film quite forgettable - but the book had me hooked! My interest in the next book in the series isn’t so much for the romance between Luce and Daniel, but for the inclusion of the other characters and the clear impression that there’s a lot more to the story than what’s been discovered so far!
The gist of the book is given away on its cover, so there’s no element of surprise here. It’s a love story between a human girl and an angel.
Although it clearly lies under the paranormal genre, the book is predominantly a romance, and the characters, even though they’ve been alive centuries, are presented as come-of-age teenagers, placing the book under the young adult genre also. It also comes under the urban fantasy genre, with its edgy beginnings at a reform school.
The prologue is enchanting with its snippet of the angel’s love for the girl in her previous life. The rest of the story is written from the viewpoint of the girl, Luce. Lucy would be your typical, if a little nervous, American girl, if it weren’t for her visions of black shadows that seem to appear only to her. With no reasonable explanation for the shadows, she was put on anti-psychotic medication.
Her story begins when she’s placed at a reform school, following the death of a friend that for some reason she has little recollection of, and (perhaps therefore) blames herself for. As you can imagine, the reform school has some lively, dramatic and intriguing characters! A love triangle is sparked on her first day. There’s the somehow familiar Daniel, who smiles, then flips her the bird, and the charming charismatic Cam, who can’t wait to spend time with her.
Luce finds herself drawn to Daniel, but he keeps giving her the brush off. Cam meanwhile takes a special interest in Luce. Once Luce has her “first” kiss with Daniel, she decides to meet Cam to apologise for leading him on. However, she ends up kissing Cam and the black shadows come after them. Daniel’s identity as a fallen angel is revealed to Luce and a battle (rather than their previous fist fight) begins. Luce flees for safety, only to find herself in further danger!
The obvious comparison here is with Stephanie Meyers Twilight Saga, which has a similar love triangle, but with a vampire and werewolf rather than fallen angels. Lauren Kate’s writing is not as good as Stephanie Meyers’, but is just as good as some of the other YA paranormal authors such as L J Smith, and Cassandra Clare. Although the romance is the central feature of the book, there are no erotic scenes.
I watched the film before reading the book, and found the film quite forgettable - but the book had me hooked! My interest in the next book in the series isn’t so much for the romance between Luce and Daniel, but for the inclusion of the other characters and the clear impression that there’s a lot more to the story than what’s been discovered so far!
Louise (64 KP) rated Reasons to Stay Alive in Books
Jul 2, 2018
This book is a memoir from when Matt Haig was 24 and suffered severe depression and anxiety. Matt discusses everything relating to depression and anxiety including medicines, his childhood, his symptoms, warning signs and things that make you worse. This book is so relatable, Matt doesn’t sugar coat it, he tells it how it is. It’s refreshing to read from someone’s perspective who has suffered from the black dog and actually gives a realistic account rather than a psychologist who has never experienced it first hand. Matt really speaks to the reader telling them that they’re not alone that many people have suffered from this and pulled through but also some of the people who haven’t. As a fellow sufferer of anxiety and depression I was ready for the anti – pills argument, but this didn’t happen, Matt realises that some people will need medicine to help, for me personally I sighed with relief, I take medicine to stop the panic attacks and I still take them for the fear of them re-occurring. I would rather be on medicine than suffer. Another thing I could relate to Matt was the fear of death and becoming a bit of a hypochondriac, I know my fear of death is irrational and my biggest fear is choking but with medicine and mindfulness techniques my brain no longer goes into overdrive and I can fully function. Matt Haig has become a writer due to his depression as it was a coping mechanism for him, sometimes people need to find something to occupy them and express themselves, again totally relatable.If you as someone who has suffered from depression reads this book I can guarantee that you will be nodding in agreement the whole way through. The chapters are short and discuss a certain topics, it’s very easy to read and flows well with some humour added. This book is not just helpful for the sufferer but really useful for people around them to realise what we have to deal with on a day-to-day basis.
I recommend this book to anyone that wants a real account of depression and anxiety.
Overall I rated this 4.5 stars out of 5
I recommend this book to anyone that wants a real account of depression and anxiety.
Overall I rated this 4.5 stars out of 5
Hazel (1853 KP) rated Flame in the Mist in Books
Dec 17, 2018
<i>I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.</i>
Famed for her highly rated <i>The Wrath & The Dawn</i>, Renée Ahdieh has created a new fantasy world full of original characters. Set in a land similar to the Middle Eastern countries we are familiar with, <i>Flame in the Mist</i> incorporates out-dated ideology, ancient lifestyle with a hint of supernatural, and, of course – it is a Young Adult novel after all – a dash of romance. With an eclectic mix of themes, it is a book without cessation of adventure.
The protagonist, Hattori Mariko, at the mere age of 17, is destined to marry the son of the Emperor’s favourite concubine, Prince Raidan. The book commences with the journey from her home, however, Mariko never makes it to the city. Ambushed and presumed dead, Mariko is alone in the dangerous forest, at risk of being discovered by the infamous Black Clan. Instead of waiting for rescue, Mariko, fed up of women being treated as inferior to men, decides she does not want to go home, nor does she want to marry the prince. Her only remaining option is to locate the Black Clan and discover who attempted to murder her. But for this to work, she needs to convince everyone she is a boy.
Whilst Mariko is worming her way into the clan, her twin brother is determined to track down and rescue his sister. Unbeknownst to him, Mariko is beginning to feel more affiliated with their enemies than with her own family. And so a dilemma arises. Does Mariko betray her new “friends” or be unfaithful to the brother she loves?
<i>Flame in the Mist</i> is not only about Mariko’s predicament; it also concerns an age-old feud between powerful families, involving the wrongful death of a disgraced Samurai. As the younger generation reach maturity, they determine to avenge the deaths of their fathers, and, without knowing, Mariko ends up in the centre of two warring parties.
It is a little difficult to get into the story initially; many characters are introduced, but their significance is not obvious for some time. To add to the confusion, vital persons are only formally presented at the end of the novel, which finishes on a cliffhanger. The similarity of the foreign sounding names also creates uncertainty.
Ahdieh cleverly includes a problematic situation that our own world has (almost) overcome. Mariko represents the female population, a gender that is believed to be inferior to their male counterparts. Controlled by fathers, husbands, and powerful leaders, women do not have the opportunity to make their own decisions about their lives. Although it is disconcerting that someone wishes to take Mariko’s life, the ambush provides her with the freedom and chance to prove women are as capable as men. Sadly, she has to pretend to be a boy in order to do this.
It was inevitable that there would be a love interest in <i>Flame in the Mist</i>, however, it is not as inspiring as readers may hope for. The attraction between Mariko and a member of the Black Clan almost comes out of nowhere. Not only was Mariko believed to be male for a wide stretch of the novel, the character in question was one of the more abusive.
<i>Flame in the Mist</i> being the first novel I have read by Renée Ahdieh, I have nothing with which to compare it or state why it is readers particularly admire her writing. The story was mediocre at best, with very little characters that garner respect. Having been published less than a month ago, there is already a lot of hype surrounding this book – either I am missing something vital, or readers are going to be disappointed.
Famed for her highly rated <i>The Wrath & The Dawn</i>, Renée Ahdieh has created a new fantasy world full of original characters. Set in a land similar to the Middle Eastern countries we are familiar with, <i>Flame in the Mist</i> incorporates out-dated ideology, ancient lifestyle with a hint of supernatural, and, of course – it is a Young Adult novel after all – a dash of romance. With an eclectic mix of themes, it is a book without cessation of adventure.
The protagonist, Hattori Mariko, at the mere age of 17, is destined to marry the son of the Emperor’s favourite concubine, Prince Raidan. The book commences with the journey from her home, however, Mariko never makes it to the city. Ambushed and presumed dead, Mariko is alone in the dangerous forest, at risk of being discovered by the infamous Black Clan. Instead of waiting for rescue, Mariko, fed up of women being treated as inferior to men, decides she does not want to go home, nor does she want to marry the prince. Her only remaining option is to locate the Black Clan and discover who attempted to murder her. But for this to work, she needs to convince everyone she is a boy.
Whilst Mariko is worming her way into the clan, her twin brother is determined to track down and rescue his sister. Unbeknownst to him, Mariko is beginning to feel more affiliated with their enemies than with her own family. And so a dilemma arises. Does Mariko betray her new “friends” or be unfaithful to the brother she loves?
<i>Flame in the Mist</i> is not only about Mariko’s predicament; it also concerns an age-old feud between powerful families, involving the wrongful death of a disgraced Samurai. As the younger generation reach maturity, they determine to avenge the deaths of their fathers, and, without knowing, Mariko ends up in the centre of two warring parties.
It is a little difficult to get into the story initially; many characters are introduced, but their significance is not obvious for some time. To add to the confusion, vital persons are only formally presented at the end of the novel, which finishes on a cliffhanger. The similarity of the foreign sounding names also creates uncertainty.
Ahdieh cleverly includes a problematic situation that our own world has (almost) overcome. Mariko represents the female population, a gender that is believed to be inferior to their male counterparts. Controlled by fathers, husbands, and powerful leaders, women do not have the opportunity to make their own decisions about their lives. Although it is disconcerting that someone wishes to take Mariko’s life, the ambush provides her with the freedom and chance to prove women are as capable as men. Sadly, she has to pretend to be a boy in order to do this.
It was inevitable that there would be a love interest in <i>Flame in the Mist</i>, however, it is not as inspiring as readers may hope for. The attraction between Mariko and a member of the Black Clan almost comes out of nowhere. Not only was Mariko believed to be male for a wide stretch of the novel, the character in question was one of the more abusive.
<i>Flame in the Mist</i> being the first novel I have read by Renée Ahdieh, I have nothing with which to compare it or state why it is readers particularly admire her writing. The story was mediocre at best, with very little characters that garner respect. Having been published less than a month ago, there is already a lot of hype surrounding this book – either I am missing something vital, or readers are going to be disappointed.
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LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Scream 4 (2011) in Movies
Nov 12, 2020
11 years after Scream 3 "graced" cinema screens, Wes Craven returned to his meta horror series in an era where the genre had gone into full remake mode.
I'm not convinced that Scream 4 needs to exist, especially after the underwhelming way the third film closed out the original trilogy, but this entry is definitely a step up.
The Meta side of things is again a little over the top, but it's good to see Ghostface in a more modern setting. This Ghostface is brutal as well, and Scream 4 is arguably the goriest of the franchise, making it's iconic masked antagonist more intimidating than ever.
The returning cast are back again - Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette - and have somehow survived all of the Scream movies - as per usual, it feels like a homecoming with them in tow. It's not often in horror you have one person make it this far, let alone three. It gives the series a uniqueness that I can appreciate.
The new characters are all written like typical cannon fodder slasher victims but they all serve there purpose well. Hayden Panittiere is a welcome addition, and it's nice to see Anthony Anderson in a pre Black-ish role.
The plot is so so. It's all ground that has been relentlessly trodden by this point, but it still works. Sidney is back in town. People start getting stabbed. Everyone is a suspect. Rinse and repeat.
The killer reveal in this one isn't too shoddy either, and makes more sense that the reveals in Scream 2 and 3, and there's a lot of direct homage to the first movie in how it's all executed (coming round full circle to the remake commentary)
All in all, Scream 4 is a bucket load of fun, even if it doesn't quite hit the heights if the original. It will be interesting to see how the upcoming sequel will turn out following Craven's death, but I have the feeling it won't quite be the same. Long live Wes Craven!
I'm not convinced that Scream 4 needs to exist, especially after the underwhelming way the third film closed out the original trilogy, but this entry is definitely a step up.
The Meta side of things is again a little over the top, but it's good to see Ghostface in a more modern setting. This Ghostface is brutal as well, and Scream 4 is arguably the goriest of the franchise, making it's iconic masked antagonist more intimidating than ever.
The returning cast are back again - Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette - and have somehow survived all of the Scream movies - as per usual, it feels like a homecoming with them in tow. It's not often in horror you have one person make it this far, let alone three. It gives the series a uniqueness that I can appreciate.
The new characters are all written like typical cannon fodder slasher victims but they all serve there purpose well. Hayden Panittiere is a welcome addition, and it's nice to see Anthony Anderson in a pre Black-ish role.
The plot is so so. It's all ground that has been relentlessly trodden by this point, but it still works. Sidney is back in town. People start getting stabbed. Everyone is a suspect. Rinse and repeat.
The killer reveal in this one isn't too shoddy either, and makes more sense that the reveals in Scream 2 and 3, and there's a lot of direct homage to the first movie in how it's all executed (coming round full circle to the remake commentary)
All in all, Scream 4 is a bucket load of fun, even if it doesn't quite hit the heights if the original. It will be interesting to see how the upcoming sequel will turn out following Craven's death, but I have the feeling it won't quite be the same. Long live Wes Craven!
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