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Magpies & Mayhem (The Boundlands #2)
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What happens when you stumble upon your childhood crush, only to discover that he’s been turned...
Paranormal Romance Vampires
David McK (3562 KP) rated Impact Winter Season 3 in Books
Oct 26, 2024 (Updated Oct 26, 2024)
Season 3 of Travis Beacham's audible-only 'Impact Winter' audio drama, which I found to be a bit of a let-down from the previous two instalment, particularly where it concerns what happened to Darcy at the end of the previous entry (I wish they had been braver for the story, I mean).
Anyway, for those not in the know: these are set in the near future, after a comet has hit Earth with the resultant explosion throwing up debris into the sky and blocking out the sun - perfect for the 'creatures of the night' (aka vampires) to come out of their long hiding.
I most definitely would NOT advise anyone to pick up the series here - this is definitely an entry where you need to have read (well, listened to) the proceeding entries in order in order to understand just what is going on!
Anyway, for those not in the know: these are set in the near future, after a comet has hit Earth with the resultant explosion throwing up debris into the sky and blocking out the sun - perfect for the 'creatures of the night' (aka vampires) to come out of their long hiding.
I most definitely would NOT advise anyone to pick up the series here - this is definitely an entry where you need to have read (well, listened to) the proceeding entries in order in order to understand just what is going on!
Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated Let the Right One In in Books
May 16, 2018
Several years ago, I had the pleasure (I think?) of watching the American remake of the film, Let the Right One In, which was titled Let Me In. I don’t remember any of it -only that I had found it interesting at the time. Undoubtedly, it had something to do with the fact that, during those years, I had an obsession with vampires. In fact, I gobbled up the Twilight books around then, and yes I am ashamed to admit that. Let the Right One In never crossed my mind again after that, until I received a box of books for free and found a copy of the Thomas Dunne Books translation inside it. Remembering the movie vaguely, and knowing the original version is among my boyfriend’s favorite films, I decided to give it a read and, once again, I am not in the least bit disappointed. I’m not sure if it’s a difference in what Americans find to be taboo in comparison to Swedish folk or what, but between John Ajvide Lindqvist and Stieg Larsson, I think I’m ready to delve deeper into Scandinavian novels!
Lindqvist has created for readers a completely deplorable cast of characters, ranging from Eli, the child, to her caretaker, Håkan Bengtsson. These characters aren’t hate-worthy in the same manner as Gone Girl‘s Amy Dunne, but rather in the way that they simply are. I won’t go too much into the details behind why I find the cast of this book to be unsavory, because I feel that just about anything I could say about the characters would, in one form or another, spoil the book; these characters and their flaws, which are bountiful, provide the book with so many unexpected twists and turns that just about anything that could be said might reveal something vital to the plot. Except for my favorite character, which, oddly enough, is Gösta. This may or may not have something to do with the fact that, like Gösta, I adore cats and it is extremely difficult for me to not want to take a stray in. (My boyfriend and I have too many, and I love them more than the entire world!)
The plot takes place over the course of about three weeks, beginning near the last week of October and ending on Friday, November 13. For a book of about five-hundred pages, that’s quite a few days to cover and often, that expanse of time, when it is written as detailed as Lindqvist has penned it, can seem like it simply drags on – that is not the case here. As I read, it felt more like a few days than several weeks, largely because the plot is fast paced and constantly moving. Because there isn’t a lot of exposition, there isn’t really much to slow the story down. Told from alternating perspectives, readers are given several different points of view of what’s going on, and from there it is relatively easy to come to your own conclusions regarding the story’s events as well as the behaviors of the various characters. Those I loathed, others might feel pity for, and vice versa.
Let the Right One In is a vampire novel, as I’ve alluded to earlier in this review; however, Lindqvist does not approach the idea of vampires in the same method that many books do presently. These are not romanticized vampires, but rather monsters. Horrible, bloodthirsty creatures that will rip out your throat, not sparkle – that’s what Lindqvist’s vampires are. This fact alone scores extra points with me, because I prefer vampires as the terrors they are meant to be, rather than the glorified, dark lovers that plague most contemporary literature.
My only gripe with this translation of Let the Right One In deals largely with its flow. While the story itself is excellent and the characters dynamic, the translation seemed to be a bit on the rough side. I do not speak Swedish. If I did, I wouldn’t have a use for the translated version of the story. That said, I know absolutely nothing of the language. Given that my major is in Creative Writing and that I have taken Linguistic courses, I do know that some languages have no tense – at least, not in the way that those of us that speak English view it. That said, there are many times in the translation that I was reading where the tense seemed to switch randomly, and I do not know if this was intentional or not. It was not an issue that I encountered while reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo though, so it’s a bit hard for me to be forgiving about it.
This book was definitely worth the read, and I’m hoping that I’ll get a chance to watch the original film adaptation in the future – my boyfriend might have it, actually. I should check!
Lindqvist has created for readers a completely deplorable cast of characters, ranging from Eli, the child, to her caretaker, Håkan Bengtsson. These characters aren’t hate-worthy in the same manner as Gone Girl‘s Amy Dunne, but rather in the way that they simply are. I won’t go too much into the details behind why I find the cast of this book to be unsavory, because I feel that just about anything I could say about the characters would, in one form or another, spoil the book; these characters and their flaws, which are bountiful, provide the book with so many unexpected twists and turns that just about anything that could be said might reveal something vital to the plot. Except for my favorite character, which, oddly enough, is Gösta. This may or may not have something to do with the fact that, like Gösta, I adore cats and it is extremely difficult for me to not want to take a stray in. (My boyfriend and I have too many, and I love them more than the entire world!)
The plot takes place over the course of about three weeks, beginning near the last week of October and ending on Friday, November 13. For a book of about five-hundred pages, that’s quite a few days to cover and often, that expanse of time, when it is written as detailed as Lindqvist has penned it, can seem like it simply drags on – that is not the case here. As I read, it felt more like a few days than several weeks, largely because the plot is fast paced and constantly moving. Because there isn’t a lot of exposition, there isn’t really much to slow the story down. Told from alternating perspectives, readers are given several different points of view of what’s going on, and from there it is relatively easy to come to your own conclusions regarding the story’s events as well as the behaviors of the various characters. Those I loathed, others might feel pity for, and vice versa.
Let the Right One In is a vampire novel, as I’ve alluded to earlier in this review; however, Lindqvist does not approach the idea of vampires in the same method that many books do presently. These are not romanticized vampires, but rather monsters. Horrible, bloodthirsty creatures that will rip out your throat, not sparkle – that’s what Lindqvist’s vampires are. This fact alone scores extra points with me, because I prefer vampires as the terrors they are meant to be, rather than the glorified, dark lovers that plague most contemporary literature.
My only gripe with this translation of Let the Right One In deals largely with its flow. While the story itself is excellent and the characters dynamic, the translation seemed to be a bit on the rough side. I do not speak Swedish. If I did, I wouldn’t have a use for the translated version of the story. That said, I know absolutely nothing of the language. Given that my major is in Creative Writing and that I have taken Linguistic courses, I do know that some languages have no tense – at least, not in the way that those of us that speak English view it. That said, there are many times in the translation that I was reading where the tense seemed to switch randomly, and I do not know if this was intentional or not. It was not an issue that I encountered while reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo though, so it’s a bit hard for me to be forgiving about it.
This book was definitely worth the read, and I’m hoping that I’ll get a chance to watch the original film adaptation in the future – my boyfriend might have it, actually. I should check!
Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated Let Me In in Books
May 16, 2018
Several years ago, I had the pleasure (I think?) of watching the American remake of the film, Let the Right One In, which was titled Let Me In. I don’t remember any of it -only that I had found it interesting at the time. Undoubtedly, it had something to do with the fact that, during those years, I had an obsession with vampires. In fact, I gobbled up the Twilight books around then, and yes I am ashamed to admit that. Let the Right One In never crossed my mind again after that, until I received a box of books for free and found a copy of the Thomas Dunne Books translation inside it. Remembering the movie vaguely, and knowing the original version is among my boyfriend’s favorite films, I decided to give it a read and, once again, I am not in the least bit disappointed. I’m not sure if it’s a difference in what Americans find to be taboo in comparison to Swedish folk or what, but between John Ajvide Lindqvist and Stieg Larsson, I think I’m ready to delve deeper into Scandinavian novels!
Lindqvist has created for readers a completely deplorable cast of characters, ranging from Eli, the child, to her caretaker, Håkan Bengtsson. These characters aren’t hate-worthy in the same manner as Gone Girl‘s Amy Dunne, but rather in the way that they simply are. I won’t go too much into the details behind why I find the cast of this book to be unsavory, because I feel that just about anything I could say about the characters would, in one form or another, spoil the book; these characters and their flaws, which are bountiful, provide the book with so many unexpected twists and turns that just about anything that could be said might reveal something vital to the plot. Except for my favorite character, which, oddly enough, is Gösta. This may or may not have something to do with the fact that, like Gösta, I adore cats and it is extremely difficult for me to not want to take a stray in. (My boyfriend and I have too many, and I love them more than the entire world!)
The plot takes place over the course of about three weeks, beginning near the last week of October and ending on Friday, November 13. For a book of about five-hundred pages, that’s quite a few days to cover and often, that expanse of time, when it is written as detailed as Lindqvist has penned it, can seem like it simply drags on – that is not the case here. As I read, it felt more like a few days than several weeks, largely because the plot is fast paced and constantly moving. Because there isn’t a lot of exposition, there isn’t really much to slow the story down. Told from alternating perspectives, readers are given several different points of view of what’s going on, and from there it is relatively easy to come to your own conclusions regarding the story’s events as well as the behaviors of the various characters. Those I loathed, others might feel pity for, and vice versa.
Let the Right One In is a vampire novel, as I’ve alluded to earlier in this review; however, Lindqvist does not approach the idea of vampires in the same method that many books do presently. These are not romanticized vampires, but rather monsters. Horrible, bloodthirsty creatures that will rip out your throat, not sparkle – that’s what Lindqvist’s vampires are. This fact alone scores extra points with me, because I prefer vampires as the terrors they are meant to be, rather than the glorified, dark lovers that plague most contemporary literature.
My only gripe with this translation of Let the Right One In deals largely with its flow. While the story itself is excellent and the characters dynamic, the translation seemed to be a bit on the rough side. I do not speak Swedish. If I did, I wouldn’t have a use for the translated version of the story. That said, I know absolutely nothing of the language. Given that my major is in Creative Writing and that I have taken Linguistic courses, I do know that some languages have no tense – at least, not in the way that those of us that speak English view it. That said, there are many times in the translation that I was reading where the tense seemed to switch randomly, and I do not know if this was intentional or not. It was not an issue that I encountered while reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo though, so it’s a bit hard for me to be forgiving about it.
This book was definitely worth the read, and I’m hoping that I’ll get a chance to watch the original film adaptation in the future – my boyfriend might have it, actually. I should check!
Lindqvist has created for readers a completely deplorable cast of characters, ranging from Eli, the child, to her caretaker, Håkan Bengtsson. These characters aren’t hate-worthy in the same manner as Gone Girl‘s Amy Dunne, but rather in the way that they simply are. I won’t go too much into the details behind why I find the cast of this book to be unsavory, because I feel that just about anything I could say about the characters would, in one form or another, spoil the book; these characters and their flaws, which are bountiful, provide the book with so many unexpected twists and turns that just about anything that could be said might reveal something vital to the plot. Except for my favorite character, which, oddly enough, is Gösta. This may or may not have something to do with the fact that, like Gösta, I adore cats and it is extremely difficult for me to not want to take a stray in. (My boyfriend and I have too many, and I love them more than the entire world!)
The plot takes place over the course of about three weeks, beginning near the last week of October and ending on Friday, November 13. For a book of about five-hundred pages, that’s quite a few days to cover and often, that expanse of time, when it is written as detailed as Lindqvist has penned it, can seem like it simply drags on – that is not the case here. As I read, it felt more like a few days than several weeks, largely because the plot is fast paced and constantly moving. Because there isn’t a lot of exposition, there isn’t really much to slow the story down. Told from alternating perspectives, readers are given several different points of view of what’s going on, and from there it is relatively easy to come to your own conclusions regarding the story’s events as well as the behaviors of the various characters. Those I loathed, others might feel pity for, and vice versa.
Let the Right One In is a vampire novel, as I’ve alluded to earlier in this review; however, Lindqvist does not approach the idea of vampires in the same method that many books do presently. These are not romanticized vampires, but rather monsters. Horrible, bloodthirsty creatures that will rip out your throat, not sparkle – that’s what Lindqvist’s vampires are. This fact alone scores extra points with me, because I prefer vampires as the terrors they are meant to be, rather than the glorified, dark lovers that plague most contemporary literature.
My only gripe with this translation of Let the Right One In deals largely with its flow. While the story itself is excellent and the characters dynamic, the translation seemed to be a bit on the rough side. I do not speak Swedish. If I did, I wouldn’t have a use for the translated version of the story. That said, I know absolutely nothing of the language. Given that my major is in Creative Writing and that I have taken Linguistic courses, I do know that some languages have no tense – at least, not in the way that those of us that speak English view it. That said, there are many times in the translation that I was reading where the tense seemed to switch randomly, and I do not know if this was intentional or not. It was not an issue that I encountered while reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo though, so it’s a bit hard for me to be forgiving about it.
This book was definitely worth the read, and I’m hoping that I’ll get a chance to watch the original film adaptation in the future – my boyfriend might have it, actually. I should check!
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated Awakened (Vampire Awakenings #1) in Books
Sep 13, 2018
www.diaryofdifference.com
Awakened is the first book from the Vampire Awakening Series and it is written by USA Today bestselling author Brenda K. Davies. This is a book where a guy meets a girl. Girl has a secret and tells it on their first date. Boy is a vampire, but we are 80% in the book until it’s mentioned (even though title clearly states it, and you keep expecting it to happen). When secret is told - boy gives girl a choice to escape. Girls chooses to stay, and boy becomes possessive because he wants her too much. Then he does something to her, kind of against her will. And then they live happily ever after.
If I was a few years younger, I would have loved this book, probably because I wouldn’t have noticed all the glitches in it. But right here, right now - I didn’t enjoy it as much I wanted too.
Strong, sexual language and sex scenes can be found throughout the book. This was a book from my sister Tea’s Wishlist Challenge - and I was embarrassed to tell her I am reading this book - because I knew what kind of scenes she has read…
Apart from that - the characters were unrealistic. And unlikable. I liked their friends and their enemies more than I liked the main characters.
Sera - a girl that doesn’t talk to men, and has her own opinion on things, suddenly meets this guy, and he becomes possessive of her, and her character development stops right here. She keeps nodding at him, and obeys his every command. Not much of a heroine, is she?
Liam - a guy that is actually a vampire, but doesn’t tell Sera until things get really serious. He lies to her, is possessive, wants to kill everyone that touches her, and loves her and wants her so much that he has to turn her into a vampire, otherwise he’ll kill her. Really?
Now, if we take the fact that this is a vampire book - firstly, we don’t get to read about vampires until the book is almost finished. And when we do, it is unfinished, and barely even described. I don’t know anything about the way they become vampires, how they survive in the world, how they feed, how they die, but apparently, they can have children, so I guess the author covered everything. Oh, and, also - vampires can walk into the sun, but the more they kill, the more the sun hurts them. So believable - and FAIR.
The only thing that I liked was the ending - the point about how children are possible seemed to have worked out well. Not believable, but it was nice to see that as a theory. And it was also a great layout for the next story to come - which I will be reading, just to see if this writing will improve.
What is your favorite vampire book?
Awakened is the first book from the Vampire Awakening Series and it is written by USA Today bestselling author Brenda K. Davies. This is a book where a guy meets a girl. Girl has a secret and tells it on their first date. Boy is a vampire, but we are 80% in the book until it’s mentioned (even though title clearly states it, and you keep expecting it to happen). When secret is told - boy gives girl a choice to escape. Girls chooses to stay, and boy becomes possessive because he wants her too much. Then he does something to her, kind of against her will. And then they live happily ever after.
If I was a few years younger, I would have loved this book, probably because I wouldn’t have noticed all the glitches in it. But right here, right now - I didn’t enjoy it as much I wanted too.
Strong, sexual language and sex scenes can be found throughout the book. This was a book from my sister Tea’s Wishlist Challenge - and I was embarrassed to tell her I am reading this book - because I knew what kind of scenes she has read…
Apart from that - the characters were unrealistic. And unlikable. I liked their friends and their enemies more than I liked the main characters.
Sera - a girl that doesn’t talk to men, and has her own opinion on things, suddenly meets this guy, and he becomes possessive of her, and her character development stops right here. She keeps nodding at him, and obeys his every command. Not much of a heroine, is she?
Liam - a guy that is actually a vampire, but doesn’t tell Sera until things get really serious. He lies to her, is possessive, wants to kill everyone that touches her, and loves her and wants her so much that he has to turn her into a vampire, otherwise he’ll kill her. Really?
Now, if we take the fact that this is a vampire book - firstly, we don’t get to read about vampires until the book is almost finished. And when we do, it is unfinished, and barely even described. I don’t know anything about the way they become vampires, how they survive in the world, how they feed, how they die, but apparently, they can have children, so I guess the author covered everything. Oh, and, also - vampires can walk into the sun, but the more they kill, the more the sun hurts them. So believable - and FAIR.
The only thing that I liked was the ending - the point about how children are possible seemed to have worked out well. Not believable, but it was nice to see that as a theory. And it was also a great layout for the next story to come - which I will be reading, just to see if this writing will improve.
What is your favorite vampire book?
Darren (1599 KP) rated From Dusk Till Dawn: Texas Blood Money (1999) in Movies
Sep 2, 2019
Thoughts on From Dusk till Dawn 2 Blood Money
Characters – Buck is a thieve that has claimed to have gone clean after his recent stint in prison, the cops do still watch him, only now he gets a chance at a new job which will see him put his crew together, he has a way to work with his men, well that is about it, his character doesn’t have much more to him, Sheriff Otis Lawson has been waiting for Buck to make a mistake for years now, using the latest former member of his crew as hope that he could catch him in the act once again. Luther is the one that brings the job to Buck, only on his way back to the crew, he ends up at the Titty Twister grabbing the attention of the vampires, looking for spread the curse to a new selection of victims. C.W. is another member of the crew and just like the rest they don’t get much to make them stand out.
Performances – Robert Patrick does try to make the most of his character only he doesn’t get anything to work with here. This is the big problem for the rest of the cast, nobody gets a chance to make anything from their characters who all end up being painful bland.
Story – The story follows a group of criminals that are looking to head to Mexico for their latest job, only to attract the attention of the vampires using the Titty Twister becoming the latest target, can they survive the night? The story here is very weak, we get five criminals with little to no character development, not making us care about what is happening. We get thrown into another direction with the story which doesn’t help because we know what is happening, while certain members of the crew don’t, this does against what we learnt about the vampires in the first film. this story just feels like a forced sequel nobody really asked for.
Crime/Horror – The crime side of this horror comes from seeing just how the crew is operating, how they plan to get the job done, the horror comes from the vampire side of the film, it does have darker moments, only it still doesn’t feel like a scarier film.
Settings – The film is set between Mexico and Texas, no location involved does make us feel like we are in iconic location the first one did.
Special Effects – The effects in the film are not at the same standard either, with most of the attacks being from bats which seem to be extreme close ups that just feel too difficult to watch.
Scene of the Movie – A helping hand?
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The lack of interest around the characters.
Final Thoughts – This is a disappoint sequel that pulls the quality level right down to just a basic sequel that just so happens to visit the same bar, having no connection to the previous film.
Overall: Bland sequel.
Characters – Buck is a thieve that has claimed to have gone clean after his recent stint in prison, the cops do still watch him, only now he gets a chance at a new job which will see him put his crew together, he has a way to work with his men, well that is about it, his character doesn’t have much more to him, Sheriff Otis Lawson has been waiting for Buck to make a mistake for years now, using the latest former member of his crew as hope that he could catch him in the act once again. Luther is the one that brings the job to Buck, only on his way back to the crew, he ends up at the Titty Twister grabbing the attention of the vampires, looking for spread the curse to a new selection of victims. C.W. is another member of the crew and just like the rest they don’t get much to make them stand out.
Performances – Robert Patrick does try to make the most of his character only he doesn’t get anything to work with here. This is the big problem for the rest of the cast, nobody gets a chance to make anything from their characters who all end up being painful bland.
Story – The story follows a group of criminals that are looking to head to Mexico for their latest job, only to attract the attention of the vampires using the Titty Twister becoming the latest target, can they survive the night? The story here is very weak, we get five criminals with little to no character development, not making us care about what is happening. We get thrown into another direction with the story which doesn’t help because we know what is happening, while certain members of the crew don’t, this does against what we learnt about the vampires in the first film. this story just feels like a forced sequel nobody really asked for.
Crime/Horror – The crime side of this horror comes from seeing just how the crew is operating, how they plan to get the job done, the horror comes from the vampire side of the film, it does have darker moments, only it still doesn’t feel like a scarier film.
Settings – The film is set between Mexico and Texas, no location involved does make us feel like we are in iconic location the first one did.
Special Effects – The effects in the film are not at the same standard either, with most of the attacks being from bats which seem to be extreme close ups that just feel too difficult to watch.
Scene of the Movie – A helping hand?
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The lack of interest around the characters.
Final Thoughts – This is a disappoint sequel that pulls the quality level right down to just a basic sequel that just so happens to visit the same bar, having no connection to the previous film.
Overall: Bland sequel.
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated Ignite (Midnight Fire, #1) in Books
Oct 2, 2020
Kira Dawson has the power to burn vampires to a crisp. The problem is, she doesn't know it yet. The even bigger problem is, she's dating one.
When Kira Dawson moves to South Carolina, she meets Luke, a blond goofball who quickly becomes her best friend, and Tristan, a mysterious bad boy who sends shivers down her spine. Kira knows they're keeping secrets, but when she discovers Tristan's lust for blood and her own dormant mystical powers, Kira is forced to fight for her life and make the heart-breaking decision between the familiar comfort of friendship and the fiery passion of love.
Ignite was another book from Tea's Wishlist challenge. I did enjoy this book, even though I found it slow at first. We have a familiar setting of a girl that moves to a new place, makes friends and enemies right away, and discovers secrets. And, it turns out the boy she loves is a vampire.
The first though I have in the first chapters, and I believe you did too, was - Twilight much? But, no. Once you get to read further into the book, you realise that Kira is nothing like Bella. And Tristan is nothing like Edward either...
This book is so different, and somewhat refreshing from all vampire books I have read so far. It isn't even a book about vampires. It's a book about this girl that can mirror the sun's light and heat from her hands, and is able to hurt only vampires. With her friend, Luke, Kira will discover that she has this ability, and so much more, she will discover secrets about her past that will change her life forever, and she will have to choose between her best friend or the love of her life.
I thought that this book might have used more action, as I felt a bit bored, especially at the beginning, and sometimes during some parts of the book.
I loved Kira's character - she is the typical girl that moves and tries her best to fit in.
I loved Tristan - he proves that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, and sometimes people aren't what everyone thinks they are, and your environment doesn't define you as a person.
I didn't like Luke - I know he was there with a mission to tell Kira her secrets and protect her - but what friend would make you feel guilty about every single choice you have to make in your life. He is like, the very attached and overprotective boyfriend, that isn't her boyfriend.
Overall, it was a great refreshing read, and I look forward to reading the rest of the series. If you love vampire high-school stories, women that discover they have powers, a lot of forbidden love and paranormal fantasy - you will really enjoy this book. Solid 4 stars from me!
When Kira Dawson moves to South Carolina, she meets Luke, a blond goofball who quickly becomes her best friend, and Tristan, a mysterious bad boy who sends shivers down her spine. Kira knows they're keeping secrets, but when she discovers Tristan's lust for blood and her own dormant mystical powers, Kira is forced to fight for her life and make the heart-breaking decision between the familiar comfort of friendship and the fiery passion of love.
Ignite was another book from Tea's Wishlist challenge. I did enjoy this book, even though I found it slow at first. We have a familiar setting of a girl that moves to a new place, makes friends and enemies right away, and discovers secrets. And, it turns out the boy she loves is a vampire.
The first though I have in the first chapters, and I believe you did too, was - Twilight much? But, no. Once you get to read further into the book, you realise that Kira is nothing like Bella. And Tristan is nothing like Edward either...
This book is so different, and somewhat refreshing from all vampire books I have read so far. It isn't even a book about vampires. It's a book about this girl that can mirror the sun's light and heat from her hands, and is able to hurt only vampires. With her friend, Luke, Kira will discover that she has this ability, and so much more, she will discover secrets about her past that will change her life forever, and she will have to choose between her best friend or the love of her life.
I thought that this book might have used more action, as I felt a bit bored, especially at the beginning, and sometimes during some parts of the book.
I loved Kira's character - she is the typical girl that moves and tries her best to fit in.
I loved Tristan - he proves that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, and sometimes people aren't what everyone thinks they are, and your environment doesn't define you as a person.
I didn't like Luke - I know he was there with a mission to tell Kira her secrets and protect her - but what friend would make you feel guilty about every single choice you have to make in your life. He is like, the very attached and overprotective boyfriend, that isn't her boyfriend.
Overall, it was a great refreshing read, and I look forward to reading the rest of the series. If you love vampire high-school stories, women that discover they have powers, a lot of forbidden love and paranormal fantasy - you will really enjoy this book. Solid 4 stars from me!
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated What We Do In The Shadows (2014) in Movies
Jun 2, 2020
I don't think I ever really knew what this was before seeing it, but then I genuinely think it would be difficult to conceive this in your brain accurately from the description.
Viago, Deacon, Vladislav and Petyr live together in Wellington, New Zealand. There's nothing too odd about a group of men living together, they do all the usual things, argue over the chores, have guests for dinner, clean blood out of their new second-hand clothing... oh right, yes, and they're vampires. Life is fine until Nick comes into their lives. He's young and hip and starts to show them what the modern world has to offer. We watch the story of these ordinary vampires as their night to night lives unfold.
The documentary style is always an interesting idea, it's not even something that actual documentaries get right all the time so a fictionalised version was intriguing and they really staked it through the heart with this one. We cut between interview and footage styles and it really does help to give you that real-life documentary feel as well as a sense of each individual character. The addition of historical photographs and illustrations was a fun way to get bits of their backstory and I thought they were created really well.
There is a brilliant casual nature about all the acting and being able to just be yourself means it does all feel a lot more real. While I like all the characters my favourite is definitely Viago played by Taika Waititi. There's a wonderful innocence to him and a kind nature that is really at odds with the whole vampire thing. He's keen for everyone to get along and he's got a very positive outlook on death. Waititi gives Viago that bouncy energy that always makes me smile, so many of his moments genuinely made me smile.
Everyone brings that bit of supernatural fun, the rivalry with the werewolves, meeting with other vampires on the street, and the vampire "tricks" that lead to one of my favourite pieces in the whole film... the police officers. Their reactions to everything were priceless.
I've watched it a few times recently and honestly, each watch is just as entertaining as the first. It might not have the high production values of other films but it really has a wonderful presence. There are some days when you need this sort of amusement (with a tiny bit of devastation thrown in), this is the antidote to so many of the world's troubles.
If you haven't already done so then check out these episodes of At The Flicks (Mega Shark In Lockdown) and MovieDrone (Episode 91) where I talking with all your favourite movie men about What We Do In The Shadows.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/06/what-we-do-in-shadows-movie-review.html
Viago, Deacon, Vladislav and Petyr live together in Wellington, New Zealand. There's nothing too odd about a group of men living together, they do all the usual things, argue over the chores, have guests for dinner, clean blood out of their new second-hand clothing... oh right, yes, and they're vampires. Life is fine until Nick comes into their lives. He's young and hip and starts to show them what the modern world has to offer. We watch the story of these ordinary vampires as their night to night lives unfold.
The documentary style is always an interesting idea, it's not even something that actual documentaries get right all the time so a fictionalised version was intriguing and they really staked it through the heart with this one. We cut between interview and footage styles and it really does help to give you that real-life documentary feel as well as a sense of each individual character. The addition of historical photographs and illustrations was a fun way to get bits of their backstory and I thought they were created really well.
There is a brilliant casual nature about all the acting and being able to just be yourself means it does all feel a lot more real. While I like all the characters my favourite is definitely Viago played by Taika Waititi. There's a wonderful innocence to him and a kind nature that is really at odds with the whole vampire thing. He's keen for everyone to get along and he's got a very positive outlook on death. Waititi gives Viago that bouncy energy that always makes me smile, so many of his moments genuinely made me smile.
Everyone brings that bit of supernatural fun, the rivalry with the werewolves, meeting with other vampires on the street, and the vampire "tricks" that lead to one of my favourite pieces in the whole film... the police officers. Their reactions to everything were priceless.
I've watched it a few times recently and honestly, each watch is just as entertaining as the first. It might not have the high production values of other films but it really has a wonderful presence. There are some days when you need this sort of amusement (with a tiny bit of devastation thrown in), this is the antidote to so many of the world's troubles.
If you haven't already done so then check out these episodes of At The Flicks (Mega Shark In Lockdown) and MovieDrone (Episode 91) where I talking with all your favourite movie men about What We Do In The Shadows.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/06/what-we-do-in-shadows-movie-review.html
Rachel King (13 KP) rated Glass Houses (The Morganville Vampires, #1) in Books
Feb 11, 2019
I found this book to be a nice change from the typical high school setting that so many Young Adult books take place in - with good reason, of course. So what if she's still only 16, she's in college! Unfortunately, she still has not outgrown the evil female clique syndrome that plague so many stories. Some elements of the story remind me of my own days in university, but the book takes them all to the extreme. On a side note, it's a good thing she's so dang smart, because from my experience, skipping classes like she does throughout the text should, in reality, result in failing grades. I guess that's the beauty of fantasy literature - you can skip all the drudgery and go straight for the exciting bits of life.
The part I did not really understand - and I am still waiting for an explanation after finishing the book - is how the psychotic Monica seems to get away with more than the resident vampires do. I mean, if the vamps both built and run the town of Morganville, it makes more sense that they would want to appear more nefarious than the lowly humans.
I also found it strangely refreshing that the vampires were wholely and completely the bad guys - no human-vampire romantic happenings, and no, Miranda the vision-plagued goth and her undead boyfriend Charles do not count. But I did find the head vampire Amelie very intriguing, since she seems less interested in bloody deaths and widespread property damage and more interested in maintaining power and protecting her assets, a trait that no other vampire in the novel seemed to exhibit.
I can not wait to get my hands on the next novel in the series, The Dead Girls' Dance, since Michael's state of ghost / not-ghost / Glass House incarnate has not been resolved enough for me at all!
The part I did not really understand - and I am still waiting for an explanation after finishing the book - is how the psychotic Monica seems to get away with more than the resident vampires do. I mean, if the vamps both built and run the town of Morganville, it makes more sense that they would want to appear more nefarious than the lowly humans.
I also found it strangely refreshing that the vampires were wholely and completely the bad guys - no human-vampire romantic happenings, and no, Miranda the vision-plagued goth and her undead boyfriend Charles do not count. But I did find the head vampire Amelie very intriguing, since she seems less interested in bloody deaths and widespread property damage and more interested in maintaining power and protecting her assets, a trait that no other vampire in the novel seemed to exhibit.
I can not wait to get my hands on the next novel in the series, The Dead Girls' Dance, since Michael's state of ghost / not-ghost / Glass House incarnate has not been resolved enough for me at all!
Rachel King (13 KP) rated Insatiable (Insatiable, #1) in Books
Feb 11, 2019
I normally try to avoid Meg Cabot, simply because I've found some of her writing too teeny-bopper for me, but this book was written for adults and features an all-adult cast list. Now this is a book that could be made into a movie.
The book starts out as an anti-vampire book, and makes fun of the over-saturation in pop culture through Meena Harper's character. I love Meena's character right away, with her writing skills and passion for a decades-old soap opera, she is someone I can relate to. Her ability to predict others' deaths only makes her more intriguing. I also find it fittingly ironic when more and more of the people around Meena turn out to be vampires, as she eventually acknowledges herself.
Even though the book is written for adults, Meg Cabot still keeps the writing clean, skipping through the intimate bedroom scenes with only the smallest of hints at the sordid details. She also leaves many of the gruesome aspects of the plot up to the imagination of the readers, which I prefer.
Because this book is all about tongue-in-cheek irony, it is only fitting that the state of Meena's mind -- the jumbled mess of a writer -- attracts the prince of all vampires, Lucien, who happens to be a Romanian history professor when he isn't attending to his princely duties. I get the feeling that there is more to Lucien and Meena's attraction to each other than what Meg Cabot is telling the reader, but by the end of the book, this is still a mystery. Plus, a good-looking vampire slayer suffering from too much micromanagement and even less communication skills causes some interesting conflicts and obstacles for Meena and Lucien. His attraction to Meena is like water to a sponge, but Meena is less drawn to Alaric.
I wasn't crazy by how the book ended, but it made sense for Meena's independence. Still, I'm hoping Meena's choices will change in the next book, Overbite.
The book starts out as an anti-vampire book, and makes fun of the over-saturation in pop culture through Meena Harper's character. I love Meena's character right away, with her writing skills and passion for a decades-old soap opera, she is someone I can relate to. Her ability to predict others' deaths only makes her more intriguing. I also find it fittingly ironic when more and more of the people around Meena turn out to be vampires, as she eventually acknowledges herself.
Even though the book is written for adults, Meg Cabot still keeps the writing clean, skipping through the intimate bedroom scenes with only the smallest of hints at the sordid details. She also leaves many of the gruesome aspects of the plot up to the imagination of the readers, which I prefer.
Because this book is all about tongue-in-cheek irony, it is only fitting that the state of Meena's mind -- the jumbled mess of a writer -- attracts the prince of all vampires, Lucien, who happens to be a Romanian history professor when he isn't attending to his princely duties. I get the feeling that there is more to Lucien and Meena's attraction to each other than what Meg Cabot is telling the reader, but by the end of the book, this is still a mystery. Plus, a good-looking vampire slayer suffering from too much micromanagement and even less communication skills causes some interesting conflicts and obstacles for Meena and Lucien. His attraction to Meena is like water to a sponge, but Meena is less drawn to Alaric.
I wasn't crazy by how the book ended, but it made sense for Meena's independence. Still, I'm hoping Meena's choices will change in the next book, Overbite.