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BookInspector (124 KP) rated The Waking Land (The Waking Land, #1) in Books

Sep 24, 2020

The Waking Land (The Waking Land, #1)

Callie Bates | 2017 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)

8.0

(5 Ratings)

Book Rating

The blurb of this novel tells pretty much all the necessary information. Elanna was kept away from her parents for fourteen years, in a different country, with a different culture and different way of living. She always wanted to be a botanist, because she loved plants. She was accused of King’s murder, so the only chance she had was to run. While on the run, she finds out, that she has a great gift and she supposed to be the one, who leads her country to independence.

This book has a great variety of characters to choose from. I loved their bravery and strong personalities. My favourite ones were El and Jahan. I loved their kindness and all the adventures which they had together in this novel. El is a very confused young woman, who is trying to make the right choice, even though it breaks her heart. She is emotionally torn between two countries who are at war because she has ties with both of them, it is hard for her to make the decisions, and this whole process was very interesting to watch for me.

I liked the plot of this book, but I found some of the parts quite repetitive. There is quite a bit of action going on in this novel, so that was what kept me going. I liked the adventure parts of it, filled with some really lovely and subtle romance. I think that author used her love for music and nature really well in this novel, I loved the overall setting of this book. It has some sex and violence in this novel, but it is not overwhelming, and I am really great full to the author, for keeping this novel quite elegant, when it used to come to violence.

The writing style is pleasant to read, but I don’t understand, why fantasy books have such complicated names in them. For me, it makes these books more difficult to read and it doesn’t add any charm at all. The chapters were quite long, but they were divided into smaller chunks, so it was quite easy to read it. I really liked the ending of this book, I think it rounded up the story really nicely, and there will be a second part published this year, so I am quite curious to see what it has to offer. So, to conclude, I think this book has all the right attributes necessary for this type of novel, it has magic, brave heroine who is kind and sweet, political disputes and the right amount of romance. Please do give this book a try and I hope you will enjoy it 🙂

Kudos

BookInspector (124 KP) rated The Other Side of the Street in Books

Sep 24, 2020

The Other Side of the Street

Helen Carey | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry

10.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

This was a first H. Carey’s book which I read, and definitely not the last one. This novel is fifth in Lavender Road series, and I will read rest of them as soon as will be able to.

In the blurb, Carey highlights two characters – Louise and Jen, but they are not the only ones this book is about. There a lot of characters to choose from, and all of them are incredibly appealing, charismatic, and you need all of them, in order to enjoy this story. I absolutely loved how the author included every single of them in this novel, not leaving out any. I couldn’t decide which one I loved the most, they all have their strengths and qualities, which made this book richer, more interesting and relatable. Another thing which I absolutely loved, was multiple perspectives. I really enjoyed reading, how different characters reacted to some of the situations. I loved getting to know every single character, their problems and achievements, I think that’s why this book simply absorbed me. It was like watching a TV series unfold throughout the pages.

It is quite hard for me to describe the narrative of this book. Through different perspectives, there were a lot of life stories unfolded and told, so the narrative always changed, throwing in different characters feelings and thoughts. Which I found truly fascinating. Carey didn’t leave me bored even for a second, she creatively added turns and twists to the stories, which made me turn page after page. I really liked, that author was addressing difficulties which women were facing during that period, and I enjoyed the way Louise was breaking the stereotypes.

The writing style of this book was very pleasant, easy to read and enjoyable. One thing what I found inconvenient for me was ENSA/ RADA/ ATS etc. I grew up abroad, so I have no idea what they mean, and I am too lazy to google it, so I would have liked a little explanation page at the back, however, not knowing it, didn’t ruin my reading experience at all. The chapters of this book are quite long, but it did not drag to me, because there were a lot of things happening in every chapter, so they flew quite quickly. I really liked the way Carey ended this book, it was unexpected, satisfying, and I will be waiting to find out, what will happen next to all the characters. So, to conclude, I really enjoyed this novel, it has well rounded, exciting, fun characters, and the narrative always keeps changing, that left me hooked and interested till the last page. I really hope Netflix or BBC will make a TV series from Lavender Road books in a near future 🙂

Kudos

Darren (1599 KP) rated Drag Me to Hell (2009) in Movies

Oct 14, 2019

Drag Me to Hell (2009)

2009 | Comedy, Horror

6.9

(27 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

“I beg you and you shame me? ” – Mrs. Ganush

Number of Times Seen – Twice (28 Jun 2009 and 2 Oct 2019)

Brief Synopsis – A young ambitious loan officer rejects an extension on a loan form an old woman and has a demonic curse placed on her.

My Take on it – As a film lover who is not a big fan of horror films, this was a hard month for me to choose what movies to watch for this series.

This is actually a movie that I recalled going to see on a date over a decade ago because the girl was a horror fan and I decided to indulge her wishes to see it.

I even recall inquiring why she loves horror genre so much and her response was “because it is so unpredictable and anything can happen at any point in time.”

This film actually has an intriguing plot that works most of the time and stays entertaining.

Unfortunately, it probably could have been a bit more impactful, but still manages to get across what it attempts to.

The story remains unpredictable throughout and finds ways to keep surprising as things move along and the story unfolds.

Allison Lohman is an interesting choice as the lead especially since she feels so miscast in the role yet excels in every scene she is given.

As expected from a Sam Raimi horror film, this movie has a fair amount of blood and gore that might seem a bit excessive yet helps make this even more horrific along the way.

The film has lost of twists and turns along the way that helps keep it feeling fresh and interesting as the story gets more and more intriguing especially given the fact that we never truly know where things are heading.

Bottom Line – Interesting idea that works most of the time, but fails to really be more impactful. The way that the story remains unpredictable is done quite well and keeps things surprising as the story unfolds. Lohman is quite good in the lead because she seems so miscast and that helps keep things intriguing as the plot thickens. The amount of blood and gore is on par with what one should expect from Raimi even if at some points if feels excessive. The story stays full of twists and turns that helps keep it enjoyable throughout. Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – In the movie, Shaun San Dena (Adriana Barraza) mentions her late husband Sander, a reference to both Sam Raimi’s older sibling, Sander Raimi, who died in a swimming accident at age fifteen while on a trip to Israel, and his oldest nephew, Sander Rubin. (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy (7/10)