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Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated War Horse (2011) in Movies
Jun 11, 2019
Steven Spielberg is undoubtedly one of the world’s most loved directors and is without question, the king of blockbuster cinema. He thrilled us with dinosaurs in 1993’s blockbuster Jurassic Park, had us in tears with E.T. and had our hearts pumping out of our chests with the Indiana Jones series.
However, here, the ‘king’ relaxes a little and delves into proper old fashioned story telling with the emotional rollercoaster that is War Horse. Teaming up with John Williams once again, the duo delivers a beautiful score to accompany a beautifully shot film.
Jeremy Irvine stars alongside a full roster of celebrities including Harry Potter’s David Thewlis and Thor’s Tom Hiddlestone in what can only be described as one of Spielberg’s greatest films.
The film opens with some awe inspiring shots of the Devon countryside, with Albert Narracott (Jeremy Irvine) staring, masterfully at two horses in a field. Fast forward a few years and his alcoholic father Ted, played wonderfully by Peter Mullen purchases one of them in an auction, hoping to turn it into a plough horse. This horse becomes the focus of the entire film and is nicknamed Joey by Irvine’s character.
After the usual, Spielberg sentimentality, Joey is summoned to help the English army in the First World War. Obviously, this doesn’t go down too well with Albert and he promises that one day, they will find each other. It’s hard to describe just how heart-breaking these scenes are, as Joey is led away by his new trainer (Tom Hiddlestone) and all Albert can do is watch.
After being defeated by the Germans in a deadly ambush, Albert is informed that Hiddlestone’s character, Captain Nicholls has been killed in battle. Assuming the worst, Albert starts to prepare to either reunite with his beloved steed, or discover whether or not he has perished.
Spielberg has created a shockingly beautiful film as Joey loses Captain Nicholls and roams the countryside unmanned trying to escape the clutches of the German army. Unfortunately, on occasion, he runs right into them and becomes an artillery horse, pulling canons and other weapons.
The shots of no-man’s land as the horse time and time again escapes are breath-taking and show the scale of the destruction like nothing I’ve ever seen. Spielberg has a knack for scale and in War Horse, this is exceptionally poignant; shots of a horse graveyard and the grey barren landscape are examples of fine film-making. To say you’ll be in tears is somewhat of an understatement as Joey, terrified from the ordeal he is being taken through loses comrades, crashes through barbed wire and nearly gives up on life.
This coupled with John Williams best score since Jurassic Park ensures that this is a subtle blockbuster to be enjoyed by all.
However, the film isn’t perfect. On occasion, it delves into unnecessary sentimentality and Spielberg must’ve had a book of movie clichés with him at some points during the shoot, like the cheesy sunset ending and the token pulling through in the face of adversity. These are, however, small points in a film which is a spectacle to behold.
The animals no doubt steal the show, but their human counterparts do well in their roles. Jeremy Irvine is fabulous and was an unusual but totally justified choice for the part. David Thewlis shows how versatile he really is as an actor, playing the heartless landlord, ready to ship the Narracott family out of their farm.
War Horse is a film which hits with a huge dose of emotion. John Williams and Steven Spielberg are an unstoppable combination and what the film does best is show off its directors prowess as an artist, not a film-maker. The special effects are sparse because the story doesn’t require them, but when they are there, such as in the battle scenes, they help the story along, instead of hindering it.
It may not quite match the dizzy heights of Schindler’s List and Jurassic Park as Spielberg’s best, but it fits in between excellent Spielberg and spectacular Spielberg. Take some tissues and prepare yourself and you’ll be all set.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2012/01/22/review-war-horse-2012/
However, here, the ‘king’ relaxes a little and delves into proper old fashioned story telling with the emotional rollercoaster that is War Horse. Teaming up with John Williams once again, the duo delivers a beautiful score to accompany a beautifully shot film.
Jeremy Irvine stars alongside a full roster of celebrities including Harry Potter’s David Thewlis and Thor’s Tom Hiddlestone in what can only be described as one of Spielberg’s greatest films.
The film opens with some awe inspiring shots of the Devon countryside, with Albert Narracott (Jeremy Irvine) staring, masterfully at two horses in a field. Fast forward a few years and his alcoholic father Ted, played wonderfully by Peter Mullen purchases one of them in an auction, hoping to turn it into a plough horse. This horse becomes the focus of the entire film and is nicknamed Joey by Irvine’s character.
After the usual, Spielberg sentimentality, Joey is summoned to help the English army in the First World War. Obviously, this doesn’t go down too well with Albert and he promises that one day, they will find each other. It’s hard to describe just how heart-breaking these scenes are, as Joey is led away by his new trainer (Tom Hiddlestone) and all Albert can do is watch.
After being defeated by the Germans in a deadly ambush, Albert is informed that Hiddlestone’s character, Captain Nicholls has been killed in battle. Assuming the worst, Albert starts to prepare to either reunite with his beloved steed, or discover whether or not he has perished.
Spielberg has created a shockingly beautiful film as Joey loses Captain Nicholls and roams the countryside unmanned trying to escape the clutches of the German army. Unfortunately, on occasion, he runs right into them and becomes an artillery horse, pulling canons and other weapons.
The shots of no-man’s land as the horse time and time again escapes are breath-taking and show the scale of the destruction like nothing I’ve ever seen. Spielberg has a knack for scale and in War Horse, this is exceptionally poignant; shots of a horse graveyard and the grey barren landscape are examples of fine film-making. To say you’ll be in tears is somewhat of an understatement as Joey, terrified from the ordeal he is being taken through loses comrades, crashes through barbed wire and nearly gives up on life.
This coupled with John Williams best score since Jurassic Park ensures that this is a subtle blockbuster to be enjoyed by all.
However, the film isn’t perfect. On occasion, it delves into unnecessary sentimentality and Spielberg must’ve had a book of movie clichés with him at some points during the shoot, like the cheesy sunset ending and the token pulling through in the face of adversity. These are, however, small points in a film which is a spectacle to behold.
The animals no doubt steal the show, but their human counterparts do well in their roles. Jeremy Irvine is fabulous and was an unusual but totally justified choice for the part. David Thewlis shows how versatile he really is as an actor, playing the heartless landlord, ready to ship the Narracott family out of their farm.
War Horse is a film which hits with a huge dose of emotion. John Williams and Steven Spielberg are an unstoppable combination and what the film does best is show off its directors prowess as an artist, not a film-maker. The special effects are sparse because the story doesn’t require them, but when they are there, such as in the battle scenes, they help the story along, instead of hindering it.
It may not quite match the dizzy heights of Schindler’s List and Jurassic Park as Spielberg’s best, but it fits in between excellent Spielberg and spectacular Spielberg. Take some tissues and prepare yourself and you’ll be all set.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2012/01/22/review-war-horse-2012/
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Switch in Books
Jan 7, 2021
A touching look at love and loss
Leena Cotton's way to deal with life is losing herself in her work. But when she's forced to take a two-month sabbatical, her usual focal point is gone. So Leena comes up with a plan: she'll escape to her grandmother Eileen's house, a beautiful little cottage in the lovely, quiet village of Hamleigh, and Eileen will come and stay in Leena's flat in London. To Leena, this sounds perfect; her grandmother, after all, though nearly eighty, is newly single and looking for another chance at love. Where better to find it than in bustling London? But switching places isn't as easy as it seems. In Hamleigh, Leena learns her grandmother's shoes are hard to fill, having to plan a local festival and deal with nosy neighbors. Meanwhile, in London, Eileen has to get up-to-speed with online dating and the hustle and bustle of a busy city. But, all may not be lost for the Cotton women.
Oh this book. It's just absolutely lovely. I wasn't sure if the idea of a "swapping places" book would come across as silly or trite, but in O'Leary's deft hands, it's perfect. She gives us a beautiful story about healing after grief (Leena's sabbatical comes because she blows a presentation as she's dealing with the grief of losing her sister; Eileen, obviously, has lost her granddaughter). But it's also funny, sweet, and romantic. The sadness is woven in with hope and beauty. It's one of those rare books that can make you both cry and laugh.
Eileen and Leena--what can I say about these characters? They are so real! I identified, of course, with workaholic Leena, and you just want to go into the book and save her (though she doesn't need it) as she struggles with her sister's death, feeling abandoned by her own grieving mother after the loss, and getting her life back on track. And Eileen? She's a total trip. Finally free to find love again, she's a wonderful and spunky woman that you cannot help but root for. The supporting cast is absolutely excellent--Leena's friends and flatmates, combined with the townspeople of Hamleigh, make for some of the most memorable supporting cast I can remember in quite some time. They all fit together perfectly in the story.
Overall, I defy you not to fall for this tale. Eileen's quest for love. Leena's quest to find herself again. O'Leary gives us a beautiful gift in THE SWITCH. One of my favorite reads of the year. 4.5+ stars.
Leena Cotton's way to deal with life is losing herself in her work. But when she's forced to take a two-month sabbatical, her usual focal point is gone. So Leena comes up with a plan: she'll escape to her grandmother Eileen's house, a beautiful little cottage in the lovely, quiet village of Hamleigh, and Eileen will come and stay in Leena's flat in London. To Leena, this sounds perfect; her grandmother, after all, though nearly eighty, is newly single and looking for another chance at love. Where better to find it than in bustling London? But switching places isn't as easy as it seems. In Hamleigh, Leena learns her grandmother's shoes are hard to fill, having to plan a local festival and deal with nosy neighbors. Meanwhile, in London, Eileen has to get up-to-speed with online dating and the hustle and bustle of a busy city. But, all may not be lost for the Cotton women.
Oh this book. It's just absolutely lovely. I wasn't sure if the idea of a "swapping places" book would come across as silly or trite, but in O'Leary's deft hands, it's perfect. She gives us a beautiful story about healing after grief (Leena's sabbatical comes because she blows a presentation as she's dealing with the grief of losing her sister; Eileen, obviously, has lost her granddaughter). But it's also funny, sweet, and romantic. The sadness is woven in with hope and beauty. It's one of those rare books that can make you both cry and laugh.
Eileen and Leena--what can I say about these characters? They are so real! I identified, of course, with workaholic Leena, and you just want to go into the book and save her (though she doesn't need it) as she struggles with her sister's death, feeling abandoned by her own grieving mother after the loss, and getting her life back on track. And Eileen? She's a total trip. Finally free to find love again, she's a wonderful and spunky woman that you cannot help but root for. The supporting cast is absolutely excellent--Leena's friends and flatmates, combined with the townspeople of Hamleigh, make for some of the most memorable supporting cast I can remember in quite some time. They all fit together perfectly in the story.
Overall, I defy you not to fall for this tale. Eileen's quest for love. Leena's quest to find herself again. O'Leary gives us a beautiful gift in THE SWITCH. One of my favorite reads of the year. 4.5+ stars.
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) in Movies
Jul 24, 2017
The limited cast is great (1 more)
The sound design is amazing
Expect the Unexpected
Contains spoilers, click to show
I remember when the first Cloverfield movie was released, it was made in secret and after the trailer dropped people were really hyped. Then the movie came out and it was okay, but nowhere near as good as the trailer and most people quickly forgot about it and it has kind of faded into obscurity since then, remembered only as an interesting experiment that never really lived up to its full potential. So when a follow up movie set in the same universe was announced at the start of this year, you can imagine the surprise of movie fans. Again this movie was made in secret, not an easy thing to do in this day and age and although it shared a name with the first movie, this isn’t necessarily a sequel or a prequel. This review will contain a spoiler free section then a section where I will spoil the hell out of everything in the movie, but don’t worry I’ll give you fair warning before I do that.
This movie is an example of why sometimes it is better to have a small, focused team of people working on a restrictive budget towards a collective aim and end product, because what we end up with is a concentrated, purposeful film, in which each aspect has been handled with care. First off, this movie has three characters and that’s it, so the performances have to be nothing less than stellar for the piece to work. Luckily they are here. Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays a young girl called Michelle who has just left her man, however it is when she is driving away that she has a car accident and wakes up in the basement of Howard’s Doomsday bunker, the character played by John Goodman. As the film’s traumatising event unfold, she shows resilience, persistence, tenacity and resourcefulness and she pulls it off in a believable way. John Gallagher Jr plays a man called Emmet who has known John Goodman’s character from before the events of the movie play out. He is the comic relief of the movie, but his character is just as important as the other two and he delivers a spot on performance. However John Goodman’s performance in this film is of a different class, he runs away with the movie and steals every scene he is in. This film is a great reminder of why he is considered one of the great character actors of our time. it is very rare that I will say that an actor is perfect in a role, to be a perfect performance, the character must have no lines or scenes that I dislike, steal every scene that they are in and make me totally forget about the actor playing the part and only see the character that they are portraying. The last person to successfully pull it off was JK Simmons in Whiplash, that is the level of quality that we are talking about here, definitely Goodman’s best performance of the last decade.
The other star of this film is the audio, both the score used and the sound effects are so well timed and effective. The various tracks played throughout mixed with the straight up terrifying noises of simple things in the environment, especially the door of Michelle’s room, which honestly sounds like a woman screaming every time it is opened or closed. Also, I don’t know if John Goodman’s breathing was amplified in any way, but it is terrifying. The editing in this movie is also fantastic, best executed during Michelle’s crash at the start of the movie, the abrupt nature of the scenes and sound effects instantly let you know what kind of ride you are in for, for the next 90 minutes.
Okay, from this point on major plot points and twists will be spoiled, you have been warned.
As the film progresses, we learn that Howard had a daughter called Megan, but Emmet and Michelle suspect that he may have killed his daughter or at least some other young girls, so they hatch a plan to break out. Howard finds evidence of the plan and confronts the pair, Emmett takes the blame and what is one of the most shocking scenes I have seen in cinema, Howard shoots him point blank in the head with a thunderous gunshot. After this, Michelle realises he really is crazy and she has to get out, but he also catches her with evidence of the escape plan and chases her around the bunker. Michelle then kicks acid over him and makes for the exit hatch in a terrifying chase sequence. After she gets out the bunker explodes, but she soon realises she isn’t in the clear yet. A dog like monster chases her around the garden which she runs from, then a large alien ship lifts her up, but just as it is about to devour her, she makes a Molotov cocktail and throws it into the mouth of the beast blowing it up, she then drives away and the movie ends. People have a problem with the end of this movie after Michelle leaves the bunker, but although I will say that the first half is definitely superior, I still enjoyed the ending and overall this is probably my favourite movie of 2016 so far.
This movie is an example of why sometimes it is better to have a small, focused team of people working on a restrictive budget towards a collective aim and end product, because what we end up with is a concentrated, purposeful film, in which each aspect has been handled with care. First off, this movie has three characters and that’s it, so the performances have to be nothing less than stellar for the piece to work. Luckily they are here. Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays a young girl called Michelle who has just left her man, however it is when she is driving away that she has a car accident and wakes up in the basement of Howard’s Doomsday bunker, the character played by John Goodman. As the film’s traumatising event unfold, she shows resilience, persistence, tenacity and resourcefulness and she pulls it off in a believable way. John Gallagher Jr plays a man called Emmet who has known John Goodman’s character from before the events of the movie play out. He is the comic relief of the movie, but his character is just as important as the other two and he delivers a spot on performance. However John Goodman’s performance in this film is of a different class, he runs away with the movie and steals every scene he is in. This film is a great reminder of why he is considered one of the great character actors of our time. it is very rare that I will say that an actor is perfect in a role, to be a perfect performance, the character must have no lines or scenes that I dislike, steal every scene that they are in and make me totally forget about the actor playing the part and only see the character that they are portraying. The last person to successfully pull it off was JK Simmons in Whiplash, that is the level of quality that we are talking about here, definitely Goodman’s best performance of the last decade.
The other star of this film is the audio, both the score used and the sound effects are so well timed and effective. The various tracks played throughout mixed with the straight up terrifying noises of simple things in the environment, especially the door of Michelle’s room, which honestly sounds like a woman screaming every time it is opened or closed. Also, I don’t know if John Goodman’s breathing was amplified in any way, but it is terrifying. The editing in this movie is also fantastic, best executed during Michelle’s crash at the start of the movie, the abrupt nature of the scenes and sound effects instantly let you know what kind of ride you are in for, for the next 90 minutes.
Okay, from this point on major plot points and twists will be spoiled, you have been warned.
As the film progresses, we learn that Howard had a daughter called Megan, but Emmet and Michelle suspect that he may have killed his daughter or at least some other young girls, so they hatch a plan to break out. Howard finds evidence of the plan and confronts the pair, Emmett takes the blame and what is one of the most shocking scenes I have seen in cinema, Howard shoots him point blank in the head with a thunderous gunshot. After this, Michelle realises he really is crazy and she has to get out, but he also catches her with evidence of the escape plan and chases her around the bunker. Michelle then kicks acid over him and makes for the exit hatch in a terrifying chase sequence. After she gets out the bunker explodes, but she soon realises she isn’t in the clear yet. A dog like monster chases her around the garden which she runs from, then a large alien ship lifts her up, but just as it is about to devour her, she makes a Molotov cocktail and throws it into the mouth of the beast blowing it up, she then drives away and the movie ends. People have a problem with the end of this movie after Michelle leaves the bunker, but although I will say that the first half is definitely superior, I still enjoyed the ending and overall this is probably my favourite movie of 2016 so far.
Dean Gregory (18 KP) rated Scotland Yard in Tabletop Games
Jun 5, 2019
Clever asymmetrical gameplay (2 more)
Strategic
Beginner rules available for younger players
Catch Me If You Can
Scotland Yard is an asymmetrical game of deduction and deception, depending on which role you take. Mister X must move in secret to stay out of the reach of the law long enough to escape London (22 turns), while the detectives must work together to trap and capture him.
The board is a map of London divided into numbered stations and linked together by coloured lines, depicting routes and different modes of transport - yellow for taxis, blue for buses and red for the underground. There are also a handful of black routes for ferries, which are available only to Mister X under special rules.
The mechanic of a player moving in complete secret on a tabletop game is one I never would have thought was possible, but Scotland Yard manages to pull it off, and make it work well. Mister X plots their movements with the use of a special pad and paper by writing down the station number they occupy, covering it with the ticket they used to make their move. This is the only clue the detectives have as to where X might be. It works extremely well.
Mister X also has access to two special tickets - a X2 ticket allows them to make two moves in one, and a black ticket allows them to use any mode of transport, with the added bonus of showing them to take ferry routes. Smart use of these powers is necessary to get out of scrapes, as they also have to reveal their location every 5 moves, starting with move 3.
Detectives have a limited number of tickets for each mode of transport, so in order to win they need to coordinate their movements so they don't waste tickets unnecessarily. However, if there are less than 4 detective players, each detective not controlled by a player is replaced with a police officer who is universally controlled. The police can move freely without the need for tickets, making them far more versatile than detectives. This is presumably to balance the difficulty for smaller teams, but it ends up making a game with all 4 detectives considerably harder than a game with only 3. The level of care and consideration that must go into each move makes playing the detectives a completely different experience to playing as Mister X.
I came into the game thinking it would be heavily skewed in Mister X's favour. After all, most of the moves they make are in secret, they're completely unhindered by tickets, and they get a couple of special powers to boot. On top of that, the detectives first two moves are complete guesswork, so X gets a head start. In practice though, staying 3 steps ahead of the detectives is vital to survival, and when they work together well it can be ready for X to put themselves in an impossible situation. It takes careful planning to stay ahead of the game.
There is a beginner mode which is aimed at younger players. The differences are that the number of rounds Mister X needs to survive for is 13 instead of 22, red underground routes are unavailable to all players, and most of all, Mister X remains in the board all game, only disappearing on the turns where he would appear in the regular game. I can't really offer an opinion on this version, but I can see the appeal of it, even if it defeats the concept of the game a bit.
This is a bonafide classic, and a solid challenge no matter which role you take on. As long as the game doesn't devolve into a series of guesses and lucky breaks (which, due to the nature of Mister X's movements, can be a regular issue), it offers an evening of smart gameplay with a solid replay value.
The board is a map of London divided into numbered stations and linked together by coloured lines, depicting routes and different modes of transport - yellow for taxis, blue for buses and red for the underground. There are also a handful of black routes for ferries, which are available only to Mister X under special rules.
The mechanic of a player moving in complete secret on a tabletop game is one I never would have thought was possible, but Scotland Yard manages to pull it off, and make it work well. Mister X plots their movements with the use of a special pad and paper by writing down the station number they occupy, covering it with the ticket they used to make their move. This is the only clue the detectives have as to where X might be. It works extremely well.
Mister X also has access to two special tickets - a X2 ticket allows them to make two moves in one, and a black ticket allows them to use any mode of transport, with the added bonus of showing them to take ferry routes. Smart use of these powers is necessary to get out of scrapes, as they also have to reveal their location every 5 moves, starting with move 3.
Detectives have a limited number of tickets for each mode of transport, so in order to win they need to coordinate their movements so they don't waste tickets unnecessarily. However, if there are less than 4 detective players, each detective not controlled by a player is replaced with a police officer who is universally controlled. The police can move freely without the need for tickets, making them far more versatile than detectives. This is presumably to balance the difficulty for smaller teams, but it ends up making a game with all 4 detectives considerably harder than a game with only 3. The level of care and consideration that must go into each move makes playing the detectives a completely different experience to playing as Mister X.
I came into the game thinking it would be heavily skewed in Mister X's favour. After all, most of the moves they make are in secret, they're completely unhindered by tickets, and they get a couple of special powers to boot. On top of that, the detectives first two moves are complete guesswork, so X gets a head start. In practice though, staying 3 steps ahead of the detectives is vital to survival, and when they work together well it can be ready for X to put themselves in an impossible situation. It takes careful planning to stay ahead of the game.
There is a beginner mode which is aimed at younger players. The differences are that the number of rounds Mister X needs to survive for is 13 instead of 22, red underground routes are unavailable to all players, and most of all, Mister X remains in the board all game, only disappearing on the turns where he would appear in the regular game. I can't really offer an opinion on this version, but I can see the appeal of it, even if it defeats the concept of the game a bit.
This is a bonafide classic, and a solid challenge no matter which role you take on. As long as the game doesn't devolve into a series of guesses and lucky breaks (which, due to the nature of Mister X's movements, can be a regular issue), it offers an evening of smart gameplay with a solid replay value.
postapocalypticplayground (27 KP) rated Ready Player One in Books
Jan 29, 2018
The year is 2044, the world has burnt through it's fossil fuels and the effects of global warming has left the world in decline, many turn to drugs and crime to survive and to cope with the world around them. Tech giant James Halliday offers humanity an escape in "The Oasis" a virtual universe where you can pretty much do anything you want and mostly for free. When Halliday dies he has no heir to his vast fortune and announces to the world an elaborate game, the first to win and find his "easter egg" inherits everything. The game however is fiendish and after 5 years without a single clue answered, many have given up searching until one day, Wade Watts, becomes the first to enter the scoreboard and the race to win explodes back into everyone's lives.
I think it's safe to say I devoured this book! Whilst set in a future world, most of what takes place is within the Oasis itself as Wade is a "gunter" (an whittled down name for egg hunter) he dedicates his life to the search for the egg, living on a diet rich with 80's pop culture his knowledge is great enough to rival Halliday's himself. He is far from alone in this though, many are still searching and the race is on against corporate egg hunters, the Sixers, who want to take the egg purely for profiteering. I loved Wade as a character and whilst everything seems overwhelming for him the writing never feels so. You feel everything he goes through, willing him to solve each riddle, sharing his frustration at each dead end and his joy when something goes right. It's almost as if Wade becomes the readers avatar. The 80's references are many as well as throwbacks to all kinds of gaming which I loved and there was many a knowing smile and laugh out loud moment for me whilst reading. I loved how the solving of each puzzle was well laid out and researched (apart from the Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters that is) and how the story felt comfortable moving away from it's linear path, sometimes surprisingly so.
It's quite lacking in female avatars though which I think is a little sad, other than Art3mis it's pretty much a lad zone, which given that female gamers now make up over 40% (various sources) of the gaming populous makes it feel that the book was written for a male stereotype (and stereotyping crops up a lot). Not only is she the only female avatar but it feels like she is only there to be the "love interest" despite her being a formidable gunter. It's not all bad, she is pretty much the most kick ass of all of them but I just wished there was a more even presence. There is also sadly a fair bit of tokenism going on and I felt some minority groups were marginalised.
It didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the book at the time which I read pretty much every opportunity I got, but now having had time to reflect I'm going to have to knock a star off for everything I mentioned above. If you grew up in, or have a good knowledge of the 1980's and have a thing for retro gaming this will tick a ton of boxes for you. If you didn't or don't, this is still a great adventure that will pull you in and you will likely discover a whole new world of games, films and TV that you may find yourself wanting to check out!
I think it's safe to say I devoured this book! Whilst set in a future world, most of what takes place is within the Oasis itself as Wade is a "gunter" (an whittled down name for egg hunter) he dedicates his life to the search for the egg, living on a diet rich with 80's pop culture his knowledge is great enough to rival Halliday's himself. He is far from alone in this though, many are still searching and the race is on against corporate egg hunters, the Sixers, who want to take the egg purely for profiteering. I loved Wade as a character and whilst everything seems overwhelming for him the writing never feels so. You feel everything he goes through, willing him to solve each riddle, sharing his frustration at each dead end and his joy when something goes right. It's almost as if Wade becomes the readers avatar. The 80's references are many as well as throwbacks to all kinds of gaming which I loved and there was many a knowing smile and laugh out loud moment for me whilst reading. I loved how the solving of each puzzle was well laid out and researched (apart from the Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters that is) and how the story felt comfortable moving away from it's linear path, sometimes surprisingly so.
It's quite lacking in female avatars though which I think is a little sad, other than Art3mis it's pretty much a lad zone, which given that female gamers now make up over 40% (various sources) of the gaming populous makes it feel that the book was written for a male stereotype (and stereotyping crops up a lot). Not only is she the only female avatar but it feels like she is only there to be the "love interest" despite her being a formidable gunter. It's not all bad, she is pretty much the most kick ass of all of them but I just wished there was a more even presence. There is also sadly a fair bit of tokenism going on and I felt some minority groups were marginalised.
It didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the book at the time which I read pretty much every opportunity I got, but now having had time to reflect I'm going to have to knock a star off for everything I mentioned above. If you grew up in, or have a good knowledge of the 1980's and have a thing for retro gaming this will tick a ton of boxes for you. If you didn't or don't, this is still a great adventure that will pull you in and you will likely discover a whole new world of games, films and TV that you may find yourself wanting to check out!
Hadley (567 KP) rated Jericho's Wall in Books
Sep 14, 2020
The story (1 more)
Quick read
There's a modern relatability in Jericho's Wall, Pamela Young's third novel and possible new series. Set in the future of a government controlled world, where everyone is told what job they can have, how many children they're allowed to have, and where they're allowed to live, Jericho's Wall, as the title suggests, is run by a Lord Jericho Baal. The world now contains android beings known as Monitors who listen and watch everyone to keep an uprising from happening while laser-armed drones keep an eye on everything else.
Our main character Joshlynn, who's going on 16, is preparing to take her Forever Test, which tells her what her permanent profession will be the rest of her life. Everyone has to take this test in this world, and they have no say in what their profession will be, but to Joshlynn's surprise, she gets to become a doctor, something she secretly wanted to do for a living. While receiving this great news, Joshlynn also gets bad news about her mother, someone who has been sick for awhile, collapsed in the fields while working and was taken away by the Removers. These androids (maybe even people - - - it's never specified in the book) take people away when they are no longer of use to the community and kill them, and this is what happened to Joshlynn's mother. At first, Joshlynn is affected by this, but nearing the second day later, it seems as if she just forgets about it. Joshlynn moves on with her life that very night, being taken from a rundown apartment to an uptown apartment by Monitors, where hospital staff are housed- - - this apartment compared to her former one is like moving from living in your car to a fully furnished house.
She begins to intern with a cranky nurse named Magda, learning about medications and herbal remedies that the hospital uses. She also begins to work alongside a doctor named 'Cat' McBride, a nice and likable character, who shows her some of the patients, but memorably, the nursery. This is one of the most emotional parts of the story because, not only are parents not allowed to raise their own children (which they can only have one), but if the child is born with a defect, the doctors are ordered to let the baby starve to-death. Readers learn that the logic of Lord Baal is that a child with a defect is just that and of no use to the community.
But the upside of Joshlynn working at the hospital is that she meets a couple of people who become close friends of her's: Suz, a young woman who has been working at the hospital for nearly two years, and Grif, a trouble-making patient that is staying at the hospital for the time being. Later, Joshlynn finds out that the two are planning to make an escape to the 'wilderness,' which is the wooded areas surrounding the communities that are forbidden to enter by none other than Lord Baal.
There's not much more I can say about Jericho's Wall without giving away major points of the story. It was a very enjoyable quick read that I didn't want to put down, but that didn't make it flawless; like most books, there were inconsistencies here and there, but also there were some things that just didn't make sense. I don't think casual readers will notice these things without really looking for them. I, personally, just don't like inconsistencies in the stories I read.
I think young readers who enjoyed the Maze Runner will like Jericho's Wall.
Our main character Joshlynn, who's going on 16, is preparing to take her Forever Test, which tells her what her permanent profession will be the rest of her life. Everyone has to take this test in this world, and they have no say in what their profession will be, but to Joshlynn's surprise, she gets to become a doctor, something she secretly wanted to do for a living. While receiving this great news, Joshlynn also gets bad news about her mother, someone who has been sick for awhile, collapsed in the fields while working and was taken away by the Removers. These androids (maybe even people - - - it's never specified in the book) take people away when they are no longer of use to the community and kill them, and this is what happened to Joshlynn's mother. At first, Joshlynn is affected by this, but nearing the second day later, it seems as if she just forgets about it. Joshlynn moves on with her life that very night, being taken from a rundown apartment to an uptown apartment by Monitors, where hospital staff are housed- - - this apartment compared to her former one is like moving from living in your car to a fully furnished house.
She begins to intern with a cranky nurse named Magda, learning about medications and herbal remedies that the hospital uses. She also begins to work alongside a doctor named 'Cat' McBride, a nice and likable character, who shows her some of the patients, but memorably, the nursery. This is one of the most emotional parts of the story because, not only are parents not allowed to raise their own children (which they can only have one), but if the child is born with a defect, the doctors are ordered to let the baby starve to-death. Readers learn that the logic of Lord Baal is that a child with a defect is just that and of no use to the community.
But the upside of Joshlynn working at the hospital is that she meets a couple of people who become close friends of her's: Suz, a young woman who has been working at the hospital for nearly two years, and Grif, a trouble-making patient that is staying at the hospital for the time being. Later, Joshlynn finds out that the two are planning to make an escape to the 'wilderness,' which is the wooded areas surrounding the communities that are forbidden to enter by none other than Lord Baal.
There's not much more I can say about Jericho's Wall without giving away major points of the story. It was a very enjoyable quick read that I didn't want to put down, but that didn't make it flawless; like most books, there were inconsistencies here and there, but also there were some things that just didn't make sense. I don't think casual readers will notice these things without really looking for them. I, personally, just don't like inconsistencies in the stories I read.
I think young readers who enjoyed the Maze Runner will like Jericho's Wall.
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Kyera (8 KP) rated Empire of Storms in Books
Feb 1, 2018
Re-Read Update:
This book destroyed me. I cheered when my baby, Abraxos, appeared (legitimately out loud cheered) and wanted to cry at those fateful words. If you've read this book, you know which ones I'm referring to and if not, I can't say because there would be spoilers. Despite the issues and shift in the characterization of some of our leads, this book takes you on an incredible emotional journey with highs that make you cheer (see above) and lows that bring you to tears (almost).
Despite the length of the book, I didn't feel as though the story lagged or the pacing was poor. Any free minute I had, I immediately turned to the book to continue where I left off. Even knowing what was going to happen, it managed to enthrall me.
One of the problems that I have with this book is its portrayal of relationships. There are aspects of it that are so swoon-worthy and make your heart hurt, but there are some that are not healthy. It's nice to see diverse portrayals of love and relationships, but my concern is that a young adult reader might see the territorial Fae nonsense in the book and not realize that it's an extreme. It might seem normalized. As I am not a teenager, I am aware of the intricacies and can roll my eyes at the "nonsense" without putting any weight on the idea. That may not be the same for teen readers.
There are aspects of the character development that seems off and others that, although regrettable, are completely valid. For example, Dorian has gone through an incredible amount of turmoil and emotional upheaval in the last two books. It's understandable that his personality would not quite be the same carefree, flirty scholar that we met in the first book who wished to stand up to his father but could never garner the courage to do so.
In a similar vein, we watch other characters develop into multi-faceted people and understand them more. Manon and Lysandra have become much more interesting characters as they were expanded upon, and at least for me have become some of my favourites. Despite the huge cast of fairly main characters, each is still given the time to shine and grow.
Finally, the world building continues in this book to an immense degree. A combination of the book's size and the various viewpoints has allowed Sarah J Maas to expand the world we have come to know. Erilea has been developed and we are able to see more pieces of Nehemia's homeland, Aelin's kingdom, and so much in between.
I still love this series and highly recommend it to young adult/teen readers who enjoy fantasy books.
Original Review:
These novels are so addicting, emotional and indescribable - but I'm going to try to do them justice. If you've not yet read up to Empire of Storms, please avoid this review as it has spoilers. I try to leave out the major plot points and just focus on the characters/world, but it's not free from them. Please read on only if you've read the series.
Our main cast of beloved and some tolerated, main/supporting characters grows throughout the series. Although we lose Nehemia, which I am still so sad about - we are introduced to the Fae. Their inclusion in the series brings the genre into high fantasy and makes it even more enjoyable. Prior to this series, I hadn't read many novels in which the supernatural creatures were the Fae but now I am obsessed. The world of the Fae isn't experienced or explained much, but I would love to see more of it. Their powers or abilities are so intriguing and well written. Just enough information is given that you can understand what is going on, then beautifully populate the world and battles in your mind.
Sarah J Maas makes you fall in love with each of the characters, whether you liked them when they were first introduced or not. One of the first perspective shifts we experience is when we are introduced to the bloodthirsty Manon Blackbeak. At first, you wish her scenes weren't there as they take away from time with our main characters but by the fifth novel she's one of the characters you're rooting for. Although she's a witch and over one hundred years old, she is given the ability to develop and change over the course of the novels. It takes time because she's learning that things she believed her entire life aren't true and don't need to affect how she views life.
Even characters that we were originally introduced to, like Lysandre are able to evolve and change over the course of the books. She and Celaena start off butting heads and competing, but that doesn't last. They join together and made a formidable pair (especially once magic is restored to the land). Lysandre grows into one of my favourite characters and her wholehearted commitment to the cause is inspiring.
Seeking more information about the Wyrdkeys, Celaena seeks knowledge from the Fae Queen Maeve. Unwilling to give her information away for nothing, Queen Maeve makes a deal that Celaena must train with and impress one of her trusted warriors, Rowan. Prince Rowan is able to manipulate ice and wind, whilst also transforming into a hawk. Her inner circle are sworn to her with a blood oath and a group of Fae warriors that include Rowan, Lorcan, Gavriel, Vaughen, Fenrys and Connall. Later on, this group is affectionately titled Rowan's cadre and some join our heroes on their journey.
Unsurprisingly, we discover that Celaena is actually the Princess (or Queen) of Terrasen and that revelation brings with it some people from her past. Her cousin, Aedion was forced for years to do the bidding of the King of Adarlan whilst secretly helping his people. He is a general and his legion of warriors called the Bane are loyal to him rather than the King. We also meet another person from Terrasen, the daughter of the woman who sacrificed herself to allow Aelin to escape as a child - Elide. She was mistreated by her Uncle for years, until Manon Blackbeak helped her escape. After only a few days, she crosses paths with Lorcan who is a member of Rowan's cadre and they begin to journey together.
Lorcan is not well liked by Rowan or Aelin when we first come across him in Rifthold. He is still bound to Queen Maeve and is seeking to find and destroy the Wyrdkeys. Throughout his journey across Erilea, he discovers that he has a soft spot for Elide and protects her. Some of the other cadre are viewed in a more favourable light by Aelin and her friends, as they attempt to delay their orders from Maeve to help on the quest.
Sarah J Maas writes the best pairings that fill your heart with so much feeling then she rips it out and stomps all over it. Rowan loves Aelin with his whole heart, every part, the good, the bad, the broken and beaten, the assassin, the Queen, the Fae and no one else has ever done that for her. Their love is true and enduring. Heartwrenching and pure. Even though they didn't start off on the best footing, after training her for a time and even breaking his blood oath to Maeve - Rowan is completely enamored. Plus, they're mates so there's nothing more important and bonding. Each relationship is authentic and pulls at your heartstrings.
Throughout the novels, you are able to experience more of the lands with Erilea from the dark, twisted towers of Morath to the Queen's home of Terrasen. They are welcome additions to our mental maps of the land and wonderfully illustrated through words.
This is one of my favourite series by far and is highly recommended to all - also specifically to young adult readers who enjoy well writen novels with developed characters, immersive world-building and fantasy.
This book destroyed me. I cheered when my baby, Abraxos, appeared (legitimately out loud cheered) and wanted to cry at those fateful words. If you've read this book, you know which ones I'm referring to and if not, I can't say because there would be spoilers. Despite the issues and shift in the characterization of some of our leads, this book takes you on an incredible emotional journey with highs that make you cheer (see above) and lows that bring you to tears (almost).
Despite the length of the book, I didn't feel as though the story lagged or the pacing was poor. Any free minute I had, I immediately turned to the book to continue where I left off. Even knowing what was going to happen, it managed to enthrall me.
One of the problems that I have with this book is its portrayal of relationships. There are aspects of it that are so swoon-worthy and make your heart hurt, but there are some that are not healthy. It's nice to see diverse portrayals of love and relationships, but my concern is that a young adult reader might see the territorial Fae nonsense in the book and not realize that it's an extreme. It might seem normalized. As I am not a teenager, I am aware of the intricacies and can roll my eyes at the "nonsense" without putting any weight on the idea. That may not be the same for teen readers.
There are aspects of the character development that seems off and others that, although regrettable, are completely valid. For example, Dorian has gone through an incredible amount of turmoil and emotional upheaval in the last two books. It's understandable that his personality would not quite be the same carefree, flirty scholar that we met in the first book who wished to stand up to his father but could never garner the courage to do so.
In a similar vein, we watch other characters develop into multi-faceted people and understand them more. Manon and Lysandra have become much more interesting characters as they were expanded upon, and at least for me have become some of my favourites. Despite the huge cast of fairly main characters, each is still given the time to shine and grow.
Finally, the world building continues in this book to an immense degree. A combination of the book's size and the various viewpoints has allowed Sarah J Maas to expand the world we have come to know. Erilea has been developed and we are able to see more pieces of Nehemia's homeland, Aelin's kingdom, and so much in between.
I still love this series and highly recommend it to young adult/teen readers who enjoy fantasy books.
Original Review:
These novels are so addicting, emotional and indescribable - but I'm going to try to do them justice. If you've not yet read up to Empire of Storms, please avoid this review as it has spoilers. I try to leave out the major plot points and just focus on the characters/world, but it's not free from them. Please read on only if you've read the series.
Our main cast of beloved and some tolerated, main/supporting characters grows throughout the series. Although we lose Nehemia, which I am still so sad about - we are introduced to the Fae. Their inclusion in the series brings the genre into high fantasy and makes it even more enjoyable. Prior to this series, I hadn't read many novels in which the supernatural creatures were the Fae but now I am obsessed. The world of the Fae isn't experienced or explained much, but I would love to see more of it. Their powers or abilities are so intriguing and well written. Just enough information is given that you can understand what is going on, then beautifully populate the world and battles in your mind.
Sarah J Maas makes you fall in love with each of the characters, whether you liked them when they were first introduced or not. One of the first perspective shifts we experience is when we are introduced to the bloodthirsty Manon Blackbeak. At first, you wish her scenes weren't there as they take away from time with our main characters but by the fifth novel she's one of the characters you're rooting for. Although she's a witch and over one hundred years old, she is given the ability to develop and change over the course of the novels. It takes time because she's learning that things she believed her entire life aren't true and don't need to affect how she views life.
Even characters that we were originally introduced to, like Lysandre are able to evolve and change over the course of the books. She and Celaena start off butting heads and competing, but that doesn't last. They join together and made a formidable pair (especially once magic is restored to the land). Lysandre grows into one of my favourite characters and her wholehearted commitment to the cause is inspiring.
Seeking more information about the Wyrdkeys, Celaena seeks knowledge from the Fae Queen Maeve. Unwilling to give her information away for nothing, Queen Maeve makes a deal that Celaena must train with and impress one of her trusted warriors, Rowan. Prince Rowan is able to manipulate ice and wind, whilst also transforming into a hawk. Her inner circle are sworn to her with a blood oath and a group of Fae warriors that include Rowan, Lorcan, Gavriel, Vaughen, Fenrys and Connall. Later on, this group is affectionately titled Rowan's cadre and some join our heroes on their journey.
Unsurprisingly, we discover that Celaena is actually the Princess (or Queen) of Terrasen and that revelation brings with it some people from her past. Her cousin, Aedion was forced for years to do the bidding of the King of Adarlan whilst secretly helping his people. He is a general and his legion of warriors called the Bane are loyal to him rather than the King. We also meet another person from Terrasen, the daughter of the woman who sacrificed herself to allow Aelin to escape as a child - Elide. She was mistreated by her Uncle for years, until Manon Blackbeak helped her escape. After only a few days, she crosses paths with Lorcan who is a member of Rowan's cadre and they begin to journey together.
Lorcan is not well liked by Rowan or Aelin when we first come across him in Rifthold. He is still bound to Queen Maeve and is seeking to find and destroy the Wyrdkeys. Throughout his journey across Erilea, he discovers that he has a soft spot for Elide and protects her. Some of the other cadre are viewed in a more favourable light by Aelin and her friends, as they attempt to delay their orders from Maeve to help on the quest.
Sarah J Maas writes the best pairings that fill your heart with so much feeling then she rips it out and stomps all over it. Rowan loves Aelin with his whole heart, every part, the good, the bad, the broken and beaten, the assassin, the Queen, the Fae and no one else has ever done that for her. Their love is true and enduring. Heartwrenching and pure. Even though they didn't start off on the best footing, after training her for a time and even breaking his blood oath to Maeve - Rowan is completely enamored. Plus, they're mates so there's nothing more important and bonding. Each relationship is authentic and pulls at your heartstrings.
Throughout the novels, you are able to experience more of the lands with Erilea from the dark, twisted towers of Morath to the Queen's home of Terrasen. They are welcome additions to our mental maps of the land and wonderfully illustrated through words.
This is one of my favourite series by far and is highly recommended to all - also specifically to young adult readers who enjoy well writen novels with developed characters, immersive world-building and fantasy.
JT (287 KP) rated Buried (2010) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
Shot with a low budget and entirely in one location (inside Paul’s coffin), Buried is a very intense and gripping movie, which plays on the age-old human fear of being buried alive and takes it to whole new levels.
Paul not only has to deal with thoughts of his almost imminent demise, but he also has to endure the psychological torment that comes with realising that your loved ones are in terrible danger and that the people whom your life depends upon don’t really care about your fate. This is the story of Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds), an American contractor working on an assignment in Iraq, who wakes up in something which looks like a makeshift wooden coffin, alone, and with no recollection of when and how he ended up there. All he remembers is that he and his colleagues were attacked by a group of Iraqi insurgents.
Understandably, he begins to panic, frantically trying to escape before realising that he won’t be able to do it on his own. Whoever buried him left a mobile phone, a lighter, a knife, a torch and some glow sticks in the coffin, and such items quickly become Paul’s connection to the outside world and his only hope of survival.
This situation is so exceptional (thankfully) that the film’s real challenge is to try and represent it as realistically as possible. What would you do? Would you let the nerves get the better of you, or would your will to live step in instead, and make you stay focused in trying to save yourself?
Ryan Reynolds does an excellent job in this, his Paul Conroy is human, desperate, scared, with no superhero pretence. The direction, by Rodrigo Cortes, is vivid, realistic, and makes good use of the limited space that the coffin setting allows to show; anxious people should try watching this anyway because, while it is undoubtedly claustrophobic, Paul’s determination to stay alive and the pull of wanting to know what’s going on outside keeps the mind occupied.
The voice of Hostage Work Group operator Dan Brenner (Robert Paterson) is possibly a little too “staged” and “actorish”, making it sound somewhat fake but also sinister, going to heighten the feeling of dread. Buried manages to be scary, tense, and yet ironic in representing the ignorance, incompetence and cowardice behind the behaviours of people we are supposed to trust in dangerous situations.
The whole film maintains a focused and realistic eye on the suffering of the protagonist – because we are supposed to feel what he feels, to be there with him in his fight for life- except maybe in a few moments when it slips into “mainstream”, cheap stratagems to reiterate that Paul is a good man who doesn’t deserve his fate (for example, when he calls his ill, senile mother who lives in a home and can’t even remember him).
Definitely best watched in a cinema screen rather than on DVD, this is a film which is very well done, and interesting; you will want to see what happens of Paul but also how his story is told from the confines of his coffin buried underground.
Paul not only has to deal with thoughts of his almost imminent demise, but he also has to endure the psychological torment that comes with realising that your loved ones are in terrible danger and that the people whom your life depends upon don’t really care about your fate. This is the story of Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds), an American contractor working on an assignment in Iraq, who wakes up in something which looks like a makeshift wooden coffin, alone, and with no recollection of when and how he ended up there. All he remembers is that he and his colleagues were attacked by a group of Iraqi insurgents.
Understandably, he begins to panic, frantically trying to escape before realising that he won’t be able to do it on his own. Whoever buried him left a mobile phone, a lighter, a knife, a torch and some glow sticks in the coffin, and such items quickly become Paul’s connection to the outside world and his only hope of survival.
This situation is so exceptional (thankfully) that the film’s real challenge is to try and represent it as realistically as possible. What would you do? Would you let the nerves get the better of you, or would your will to live step in instead, and make you stay focused in trying to save yourself?
Ryan Reynolds does an excellent job in this, his Paul Conroy is human, desperate, scared, with no superhero pretence. The direction, by Rodrigo Cortes, is vivid, realistic, and makes good use of the limited space that the coffin setting allows to show; anxious people should try watching this anyway because, while it is undoubtedly claustrophobic, Paul’s determination to stay alive and the pull of wanting to know what’s going on outside keeps the mind occupied.
The voice of Hostage Work Group operator Dan Brenner (Robert Paterson) is possibly a little too “staged” and “actorish”, making it sound somewhat fake but also sinister, going to heighten the feeling of dread. Buried manages to be scary, tense, and yet ironic in representing the ignorance, incompetence and cowardice behind the behaviours of people we are supposed to trust in dangerous situations.
The whole film maintains a focused and realistic eye on the suffering of the protagonist – because we are supposed to feel what he feels, to be there with him in his fight for life- except maybe in a few moments when it slips into “mainstream”, cheap stratagems to reiterate that Paul is a good man who doesn’t deserve his fate (for example, when he calls his ill, senile mother who lives in a home and can’t even remember him).
Definitely best watched in a cinema screen rather than on DVD, this is a film which is very well done, and interesting; you will want to see what happens of Paul but also how his story is told from the confines of his coffin buried underground.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Rancher to the Rescue in Books
Jun 7, 2018
(This review will be on my blog, <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.com/">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a>, at the end of June).
Romances aren't usually my thing, but I like to get out of my comfort zone every now and again. I'm really glad I did though because Rancher to the Rescue by Jennifer Faye was such a sweet read.
Okay, I won't reiterate what the blurb says because it describes what the book is about perfectly (which is a rarity amongst books these days). Just now that with this book, what you see is what you get.
The title describes this book perfectly. It's about a rancher (Cash) saving a celebrity (Meghan). I couldn't think of a better title, so I think Ms. Faye did an excellent job coming up with the title Rancher to the Rescue.
The cover is alright. I've seen worse covers, but I've seen better ones as well. Personally, I would've liked to see more of a ranch scene behind the couple on the cover of the book especially since this takes place at a ranch.
The world building is fantastic. In fact, I don't think I can fault it. Every situation was explained excellently which left me with no questions whatsoever. Even when Meghan is running out on her wedding, I though the author did an excellent job of explaining how she avoided the paparazzi.
The pacing is a bit hit and miss throughout the book. Sometimes, I would devour whole chapters just to be bored with the next. This could just be a personal thing though since I'm not used to reading romance books, but to me, in some parts, it was just too slow. But don't let that put you off reading this book.
As with most romance stories, the plot is predictable, but I found it to be well written and very sweet. The plot questions were if Meghan and Cash escape the ever watchful eye of the paparazzi, would Cash ever get over his past, and would Cash still want Meghan even though she was pregnant with another man's baby. All those questions do get answered by the way.
I thought the characters were written fabulously. I found Meghan to be vulnerable at times, but she was such a brave girl with everything that was going on. I loved her maternal instinct when it came to her pregnancy as well as how she was very wary to trust after what Harold did to her. I loved Cash as well. I liked how at first, he didn't want to get involved with Meghan due to his past history. I enjoyed watching him open up to Meghan, and eventually, what lengths he went to in order to protect Meghan. My favorite character though was Cash's grandmother. I don't know how to describe her other then to say that she was very grandmotherly! I loved how sweet she was to Meghan and how she'd always volunteer Cash to do things (this had me chuckling). She wanted everyone to be happy. I just wish she didn't have to leave about a quarter through the story because I was really enjoying reading about her.
The dialogue never came across as forced. Yes, in some parts the pacing was slow, but this wasn't due to the dialogue. I enjoyed the dialogue the most whenever Cash's grandmother was around. She was just so sweet!!! One thing that did annoy me was the fact that over and over again, the book kept mentioning how Meghan wasn't a skinny woman. Yes, I got the point that she wasn't skinny the first few times I read it. However, it just seems to be pointed out a lot.
Overall, Rancher to the Rescue is a short and sweet story that would be excellent to read during the summer, on vacation or just any time really. Despite the pacing being a bit mixed up, I did enjoy this book.
I'd recommend this book to those aged 17+ who are looking for a something sweet in their lives.
I'd give Rancher to the Rescue by Jennifer Faye a 3.75 out of 5.
(I was given a free paperback copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest and fair review).
Romances aren't usually my thing, but I like to get out of my comfort zone every now and again. I'm really glad I did though because Rancher to the Rescue by Jennifer Faye was such a sweet read.
Okay, I won't reiterate what the blurb says because it describes what the book is about perfectly (which is a rarity amongst books these days). Just now that with this book, what you see is what you get.
The title describes this book perfectly. It's about a rancher (Cash) saving a celebrity (Meghan). I couldn't think of a better title, so I think Ms. Faye did an excellent job coming up with the title Rancher to the Rescue.
The cover is alright. I've seen worse covers, but I've seen better ones as well. Personally, I would've liked to see more of a ranch scene behind the couple on the cover of the book especially since this takes place at a ranch.
The world building is fantastic. In fact, I don't think I can fault it. Every situation was explained excellently which left me with no questions whatsoever. Even when Meghan is running out on her wedding, I though the author did an excellent job of explaining how she avoided the paparazzi.
The pacing is a bit hit and miss throughout the book. Sometimes, I would devour whole chapters just to be bored with the next. This could just be a personal thing though since I'm not used to reading romance books, but to me, in some parts, it was just too slow. But don't let that put you off reading this book.
As with most romance stories, the plot is predictable, but I found it to be well written and very sweet. The plot questions were if Meghan and Cash escape the ever watchful eye of the paparazzi, would Cash ever get over his past, and would Cash still want Meghan even though she was pregnant with another man's baby. All those questions do get answered by the way.
I thought the characters were written fabulously. I found Meghan to be vulnerable at times, but she was such a brave girl with everything that was going on. I loved her maternal instinct when it came to her pregnancy as well as how she was very wary to trust after what Harold did to her. I loved Cash as well. I liked how at first, he didn't want to get involved with Meghan due to his past history. I enjoyed watching him open up to Meghan, and eventually, what lengths he went to in order to protect Meghan. My favorite character though was Cash's grandmother. I don't know how to describe her other then to say that she was very grandmotherly! I loved how sweet she was to Meghan and how she'd always volunteer Cash to do things (this had me chuckling). She wanted everyone to be happy. I just wish she didn't have to leave about a quarter through the story because I was really enjoying reading about her.
The dialogue never came across as forced. Yes, in some parts the pacing was slow, but this wasn't due to the dialogue. I enjoyed the dialogue the most whenever Cash's grandmother was around. She was just so sweet!!! One thing that did annoy me was the fact that over and over again, the book kept mentioning how Meghan wasn't a skinny woman. Yes, I got the point that she wasn't skinny the first few times I read it. However, it just seems to be pointed out a lot.
Overall, Rancher to the Rescue is a short and sweet story that would be excellent to read during the summer, on vacation or just any time really. Despite the pacing being a bit mixed up, I did enjoy this book.
I'd recommend this book to those aged 17+ who are looking for a something sweet in their lives.
I'd give Rancher to the Rescue by Jennifer Faye a 3.75 out of 5.
(I was given a free paperback copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest and fair review).