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Playing with Fire (Skulduggery Pleasant, #2)
Derek Landy | 2008 | Young Adult (YA)
5
6.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Hmmmm ... I'm unsure what to feel about this one.

The second in Derek Landy's 'Skulduggery Pleasant' series (after Skulduggery Pleasant), this - for large part - feels juvenile, very much aimed towards a younger audience.

And then we get short, sudden shocks of pure body horror, enough to give (I imagine) the more sensitive young reader nightmares.

So, if it was a movie, large parts PG, maybe, with certain other sections more like an 18.

Anyway, knowing that (and with that in mind), it's enjoyable enough, continuing on the story of Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain that was started in the previous novel, with plenty of plot threads left hanging open for the sequels.
  
Titane (2021)
Titane (2021)
2021 | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
Titane is a truly mind bending experience, with several layers to work through to get to its core. It's been marketed as a sex fuelled body horror, which it certainly is to a degree, but beyond that, it's a fascinating character drama between two people who are coasting through life with their own separate issues. It's a love story that explores grief to an uneasy level, and dives headfirst into gender fluidity in the modern world. It's a bold vision that uses horror to great effect. To delve into the details any further would defeat the whole point of how the narrative unfolds - definitely recommend going in as blind as possible.
Agathe Rousselle is a revelation in the lead roll, an actor who certianly comes across as steadfast and fearless in her first feature length project. I'm excited to see what she brings to the table in the future. Vincent Lindon by comparison is a veteran of the industry, and the two of them share a chemistry that is equally electric as it is uncomfortable.
It's wonderfully directed by Julia Ducournau, who has crafted a visually striking and vibrant piece that will worm it's way into your brain and stay there for a while. Between this and her last film Raw, she surely has a big part to play in the future of the genre.

Titane isn't an easy watch, and is sometimes challenging, but is ultimately rewarding, and certainly unique. A modern body horror that gets under the skin in more ways than one.
  
40x40

Sue (5 KP) rated Hair of the Dog in Books

Aug 13, 2018  
Hair of the Dog
Hair of the Dog
Carlene O'Neil | 2018 | Mystery
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Winery owner and amateur sleuth Penny Lively is knee deep in another murder. There is trouble at the veterinarian’s office where Cousin Annie is being accused of murder. She is found standing over the body of her business partner and holding the murder weapon. It is not what it looks like so Penny is on the case to find the real murderer and clear Annie’s good name.

The book has a lot of great suspects to choose from; the grieving widow, the fired vet tech, an old friend that’s in love with the grieving widow, a flirty business rep, and a bookkeeper with memory problems. Just when you think you know who the murderer could be, another murder takes place. The characters are quirky and enjoyable, the pace of the book is good, and the plot/mystery has enough twists and turns.

This is the third book in the series but can be read as a stand-alone without much confusion.