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Unsane (2018)
Unsane (2018)
2018 | Drama, Horror, Thriller
A young woman is involuntarily committed to a mental institution, where she is confronted by her greatest fear--but is it real or a product of her delusion?



I really was torn about going to see this one. Part of me thought that I would come out entirely paranoid with ideas racing around my head that every one was out to get me. But I needn't have worried. I actually came out rather bored. My Fitbit agreed and actually registered me as asleep for an hour of it

First off, Claire Foy did do an amazing job. Regardless of how I found the movie itself she was probably the reason I managed to stay through it.

I was surprised how much I wanted to leave. I was creating shopping lists in my head. Wondering how on earth you move to another state to escape your stalker, but don't change your name. I was trying to fathom how Sawyer would willingly throw away another human life, even of a woman who had been tormenting her. I wondered a lot of things during, and about, this film.

Some films make me jumpy. While debating whether to attend the showing I was considering the fact that I'd be jumping out of my seat and scaring the life out of the person next to me. In the end this wasn't something that I even had to consider. I was left a little amazed that the trailer had managed to create this feeling of fear in me, yet the whole film left me feeling... nothing.

What disappoints me about this movie the most is that the story line left me so cold that I really felt that the ingenuity of filming it on an iPhone was completely lost. While the occasional Blair Witch-esque movements annoyed me you wouldn't have known that what you were watching was anything other than a "traditionally" filmed movie. At this point I think I'd be more excited about seeing a documentary about how it was made than how I felt about the actual film.
  
TC
The Crown's Game (The Crown's Game, #1)
8
8.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
This review, like all others before it, will have spoilers in it. Read at your own risk.

This book was pretty cool! It is not like a lot of the other fantasy novels I read because it is set in Russia in 1825 and has some actual historical people and ideas in it. By the way, that is one of my favorite parts of this book. The fact that it is able to mix fact and fiction together so well is a feat not many can do, so I applaud Ms. Skye for doing just that.

The world felt so real and very well developed. I got the feeling that a lot of research went into creating this book and I am glad she did because it feels authentic and inhabited which is often a problem in fantasy novels such as this. Though she draws on history and fact, she understands she is able to pull in here own creative licenses because she has to make a world that will fit her story. I enjoyed those facts a lot and I am excited to see what else we will get to see in the next book (which I still need to buy).

Now onto characters, then plot.

The main character Vika is a very strong female lead, which I love in any story, not just in fantasy. She is powerful and she knows it. While this can lead to arrogance and a little too much self-esteem, but she is brought to be humbled quite a bit throughout the book, which is actually nice. It grounds her. While she is a strong character, this fact gets her into trouble sometimes because she thinks too much of herself. This arrogance is inevitably what kills her father. She is blinded by the strength she now has and, instead of questioning why she all of the sudden got so much stronger, she just rolls on without a care in the world.

I love Nikolai. In my humble opinion, he is so much better than Pasha because he opens himself up to being hurt but doesn't get angry or act like a spoiled brat when people do something wrong. Nikolai is a dreamer, something I appreciate a lot. He has his heads in the clouds sometimes and needs someone to bring him back down. While he is competitive, just like Vika, he is also very thoughtful. He could have done many things with his magic, but each time, he did something for the people, whether to bring them joy or to restore the magic of what they once knew, he does it for people other than himself. MAJOR SPOILER IS COMING UP NEXT: In his final act of the book, he gives his life to save Vika and if that isn't selfless, I don't know what is. He is caring and kind and I just wished he could have been completely happy. He loved Vika and he deserved so much more than he got. Also, that plot twist that he is the tsar's son, holy crap, I did not see that coming at all.

Now onto Pasha. I am not really a fan of Pasha, to be completely honest. He thinks he is so worthless in comparison to Nikolai even though he is going to be the tsar of Russia. Why is he making everything into a pissing match with his best friend after he finds out Nikolai also loves Vika? Seriously, he could have anyone he wanted, but no. He just has to have an enchantress. He is very selfish and does not think about how his actions will always have consequences and that is a little too reckless for me. Even though he knows he is going to become the tsar, he doesn't take his responsibility seriously at all. I am just not a fan of him. I hope he does not end up with Vika because she deserves so much more than him.

What I love most about these characters is that they have faults and issues that they have to overcome and deal with before they can move on to the next stages of their lives (well, some of them at least).

Onto the plot!

I thought this story was very well structured. I enjoyed the pacing and the flow of everything as well. It felt like it was an actual competition to see who could get my attention the most. (It was Vika and Nikolai as my top two, the others were kinda annoying at times).

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I am excited to pick up the next one! If you have not already, give this book a read and tell me what you think!
  
The Neighbor
The Neighbor
London Clarke | 2021 | Horror, Paranormal
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I can not get enough of London Clarke's books. I have not read a bad one yet, so when I saw that she had released a new book entitled The Neighbor, I knew I had to read it. To say I was blown away is an understatement. The Neighbor has now become my favorite London Clarke book so far.

The plot of The Neighbor was definitely frightening. However, I could not put this book down. I kept trying to find opportunities when I had free time to read it. I was terrified for Claire and her four girls. I found myself wanting to protect them from whatever evil had invaded their house. I loved how the supernatural element of the story did not feel forced or cheesy. It was very believable so much so that I kept having to check for shadows as I read this book! The pacing was done perfectly. Although there are some parts of the story that are a bit predictable with how they will play out, I felt that it didn't take away from the narrative at all. I will say all the demon encounters were the spookiest though! However, London Clarke writes them in a way that won't leave you too scared to continue reading. She writes them in a way that will leave you wanting to know more. By the end of the book, all loose ends had been tied up, and there were no cliff hangers.

All of the characters in The Neighbor were fleshed out perfectly even the supporting characters. I really connected with Claire the most, not because she was the main character, but because we are both mothers. While I have two boys instead of four girls, my youngest, funnily enough named Levi (if you read The Neighbor, you'll find out why I find it funny), is the same age as Claire's youngest daughter named Paris. My oldest isn't much older than Claire's oldest daughter Annalen. Plus, Claire and myself are very close in age. I was behind Claire 100 percent, and it annoyed me when her ex-husband, Gunnar, thought she was just losing her mind instead of trying to help her out. I found Clair to be a very strong female character, and I felt so much admiration for her for what she chose to go through for her girls. (I know that most parents would have done the same though.) I also felt bad for Claire that one decision is what caused this whole supernatural mess. Steel was a definitely an interesting character that I did not trust from the very beginning. He is written perfectly, and even though I didn't trust him very much, he was still fun to read about. I found myself trying to figure him out all the time! Whitney was another character that I liked but didn't trust. It was so weird how her life seemed to mimic Claire's.

Trigger warnings for The Neighbor include profanity, violence, murder, death, suicide, alcohol, pedophilia (though not graphic), sex scenes (not very graphic), demons, and the occult.

Overall, The Neighbor is one heck of a rollercoaster ride, so be sure to strap yourself in tight. With it's terrifying plot and interesting characters, this book sucks you in from the very first page and won't spit you back out until it's had its wicked way with you. This is one book that needs to be made into a movie now. I would definitely recommend The Neighbor by London Clarke to those aged 18+ who love their spooky novels with a big helping of terrifying on the side. You will not be disappointed, that's for sure!
  
I was super excited to partake in this blog tour and read this new Amish novel by a new to me author. It sounded like an intriguing read. However, upon receiving it and reading it, I found it to be a little slack in the gripping department. It was a bit of a slow start and took me a few tries to get into the book. But, that said, once I did get past the first several chapters, I was pleased to be able to enjoy the story line and make friends with the characters! 

The characters within this story all look forward to one thing: moving on. This story consists of two widowed souls who, after a time, are ready to seek God's will and new love. I've suffered the loss of my mother so I really felt for Leah! Though I'm older, I still often feel I need my mother here with me, so I can see why a mother was needed for Leah. And as a remarried woman, I can see the struggles that Samuel had with wanting to introduce his new frau to his family.

In the end, I did like the story. The book has some great messages of being patient and accepting what God has planned for you. It's worthy of 3.5 stars and I do recommend this book to those who enjoy Amish. Despite myself not being able to get into the story quickly, perhaps others won't have that trouble. I will also be giving book 2 in the series a try, as not every book by the authors will be the same. <a href="http://cafinatedreads.com/sg-publishing-blog-tour-review-a-mother-for-leah-by-rachel-miller/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Cafinated Reads</a>
  
**I received this via Netgalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review**

I really don't know what I read! The one word that comes to mind is bizarre. Now I am not by any means a person that reads a lot of poetry as there are always deeper meanings and sometimes I don't think my intelligence stretches that far. However, I wanted to start reading a bit more and this one instantly caught my attention. I have a crude sense of humour and not one to shy away from foul language or sexual references but this just left me flummoxed.

First of all the Victorian artwork just did not work with the crudeness of the poetry. The title is very accurate and gets ruder and cruder throughout. The book is split into five sections: Cradle, Maiden, Lady Ku, Ku of the crone and The Holy one. The cover of the book and the artwork inside is beautiful and would be worth it just for the pictures. It did get several guffaws from me but that's all. I really wanted to like this but I felt it didn't really work, was there supposed to be a meaning to the pictures or is it just the authors sense of humour. Writing poems out of 17 syllables and getting a message across is an amazing feat and applaud Tanager for her efforts as I know I certainly wouldn't be able to produce anything.

    Sniff, dab and wipe. Sniff, dab and wipe. Sniff. I wish they just made nose tampons.

If you are a fan of poetry and not easily offended then I would check this out

Overall I rated this 2.5 out of 5 stars.
  
The Mountains Wild
The Mountains Wild
Sarah Stewart Taylor | 2020 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Mystery from the Past; Race Against Time in the Present
In 1993, Maggie D’Arcy’s cousin Erin vanished while living in Ireland. Maggie went over for a couple of months trying to figure out what happened, but the mystery was never solved. It did have a profound impact on her life since after returning home, Maggie become a cop herself on Long Island. Now, another young woman has vanished. In the search for her, a skeleton has been found, and buried with the skeleton is Erin’s scarf. Has Erin been found after all these years? Where is the new woman who has vanished? Are the cases connected?

It’s been years since Sarah Stewart Taylor released a book, but I was thrilled to pick up something from her again. I’d forgotten just how atmospheric her writing is, but I was soon back under her spell. The pacing was off near the beginning since Maggie doesn’t have any jurisdiction in Ireland, but eventually she found a way into the case and we started getting the twists that lead us to the climax. The book takes place in 1993, the present, and even further in the past as Maggie and Erin are growing up. All of these time periods are easy to follow. They also allow us to see how characters have matured over the years, which I enjoyed. This is Maggie’s story, and I couldn’t help but feel for her as the book progressed and the story unfolded. The story also switches from past to present tense depending on which time period we are reading about. It took my brain a bit of time to adjust to this, but I did rather quickly. This is more serious than the cozies I often read, but if you keep that in mind, you’ll enjoy this book as well.
  
40x40

Anand Wilder recommended Nuff' Said! by Nina Simone in Music (curated)

 
Nuff&#039; Said! by Nina Simone
Nuff' Said! by Nina Simone
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"She takes that song 'Ain't Got No, I Got Life' and makes it so much more than a silly musical song [from Hair], she gives it emotional depth. That's the great thing about Nina Simone - she did so many Bee Gees songs - and the Bee Gees are this agreed-upon joke. I think the Bee Gees are amazing geniuses - they are just so prolific and the fact that they were able to make all these changes and keep going. They did this Beatles-esque psychedelic thing which I think is awesome and went onto becoming the kings of disco, and wrote that Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton song, 'Islands In The Stream'. Nina Simone hears a Bee Gees song or someone suggests it to her and she goes, ""That's such a sweet song - those guys have no soul at all, but I'm gonna make this song sound awesome."" What I love about that album is that it's mostly all recorded live - there's real space to it because of that. That's something we tried to do for the musical - record it live, we wanted to record it in the same room, but because there were so many elements we had to put in it was impossible. The album was recorded four days after Martin Luther King's death. I don't know how big Nina Simone really was in her lifetime, but it feels like we are lacking in politicised chanteuses right now. I think now [there's] this real era of Christian rock - people just want to be uplifted. It's kind of that dynamic thing that the critic criticises Cat Stevens for; you can probably criticise Coldplay or Mumford & Sons for the same kind of thing. Like, ""Oh you're just toying with me, you're starting all small and then making it huge, of course I have a religious feeling right now!""

Source
  
The Omega Merger: A Reverse Harem Omegaverse
The Omega Merger: A Reverse Harem Omegaverse
Roxy Collins | 2023 | Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
THE OMEGA MERGER is a Reverse Harem Omegaverse with MM and MF elements and is the first book in the Billionaires in Heat series

I enjoyed the story and the different characters although I did have some issues with it too. It was one of those books that absolutely drew me in whilst I was reading it but, after I had finished, questions and reactions started coming to light.

For example, Alain after he drops a bombshell at dinner when he comments about Maddie and Kel checking in with their boss because he keeps them on a tight leash. He was just being an a$$hole, there was no reason for that. No wonder Maddie didn't think he liked her!

In one respect, the book was actually true to life. After all, things happen every day that don't move our stories forward, and that's what happened here with the bomb threats and stuff about Maddie coming out. It made for fun reading but I don't really know why it was in there. If you take it out, you're not missing anything. Or with Finn Viser or the Lyall Brothers too. It makes me wonder if things will tie together when their stories come out.

I really feel as though Lucas got the short straw. He was the one alpha I was interested in and he got the least amount of page space.

This was an omegaverse with a twist that I did enjoy and would definitely read more in this world.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
May 6, 2023
  
Curveball (Barlow Sisters #1)
Curveball (Barlow Sisters #1)
Jordan Ford | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, Young Adult (YA)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Curveball (Barlow Sisters #1) by Jordan Ford
Curveball is the first book in a new series called Barlow Sisters. As you might gather, this trilogy involves three sisters - not triplets like they get mistaken for. Instead, Max and Maddie are twins, with Chloe being a bit younger. They have been uprooted and driven across the country, but they are still there for each other. Their relationship is as close as you could want - sisters before misters. However, a spanner gets thrown in the works in the shape of Holden Carter. Not only does Chloe fall instantly in love with him, but he infuriates Maddie to the nth degree. She has a few words to say to him, which hurt him. So he decides to show her he isn't what she accused him of being. Throw in some robberies, a bit of sport, friendship, sisterhood, and you've got yourself another winner by Jordan Ford.

I love reading Jordan Ford books because I am always surprised by something that is going on within those pages. The characters, and situations, leap off the page before you, drawing you into their world, so you feel all their pain, their heartache, their joy. One part that really got me, was when Holden took Maddie to Cresthill, and she spent time with his grandpa. Lump, meet throat - you're going to become very acquainted with each other right now. I thought I had the bad guy figured out, and I did (yey me!), but somehow I still ended up feeling sorry for him. Every character in this book was believable, and therefore relate-able.

With no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow, this book flowed from start to finish. It was completely engrossing, and I can't wait to read the other sisters' stories, especially as I have them paired up already! Highly recommended by me.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!