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Lee KM Pallatina (951 KP) rated Scream (2022) in Movies
Aug 9, 2022
Scream..... Some more
Ok so scream was rebooted once again in what I can only describe after seeing this one, is not much more than a cash grab sequel that's just DYING to squeeze the life out of the remaining original characters.
Riffing on the original plot, which is constantly brought up in its own poor attempt at being meta by using the fictional movie stab which is based on the original movies events.... (hey you, ya still there? Are you keeping up?) and being used as a terrible guide book if you will...
The only good thing about this movie is the return/inclusion of the original cast...
Honestly, this movie just kinda fell flat quickly and had its moments throughout its run but its nothing to brag about.
Seriously....
Riffing on the original plot, which is constantly brought up in its own poor attempt at being meta by using the fictional movie stab which is based on the original movies events.... (hey you, ya still there? Are you keeping up?) and being used as a terrible guide book if you will...
The only good thing about this movie is the return/inclusion of the original cast...
Honestly, this movie just kinda fell flat quickly and had its moments throughout its run but its nothing to brag about.
Seriously....
David McK (3562 KP) rated Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024) in Movies
Apr 1, 2024
Who ya gonna call? The Spengler family.
Sequel to 2021s 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife', which moves the action away from the small town setting of the latter and back to the New York City of the original 1980s films.
(As an aside, I'm not sure whether to count this as #5 or #4 in the series, what with the atrocious Paul Feig 2016 version!)
(Aside to my aside: and what about the 2008 videogame?).
Anyway, this follows pretty much the same core cast as in Afterlife, although - personally - I found James Acaster to be rather an off-putting presence, as they struggle to find their fight and face down a new supernatural foe.
Lacks the magic of the original, I felt, maybe on par with Afterlife bit no better or worse.
(As an aside, I'm not sure whether to count this as #5 or #4 in the series, what with the atrocious Paul Feig 2016 version!)
(Aside to my aside: and what about the 2008 videogame?).
Anyway, this follows pretty much the same core cast as in Afterlife, although - personally - I found James Acaster to be rather an off-putting presence, as they struggle to find their fight and face down a new supernatural foe.
Lacks the magic of the original, I felt, maybe on par with Afterlife bit no better or worse.
Jayme (18 KP) rated Turtles All The Way Down in Books
Apr 15, 2018 (Updated Apr 15, 2018)
Characters (3 more)
Plot
Accurate depiciton of mental illness
Didn't have an "easy" or cliche "fairytale" ending
I’ve been meaning to pick up a John Green book for a very long time, but it wasn’t until I heard good reviews of this book that I finally did. My initial thought after finishing the book is this: I now understand all the hype.
I read a great deal of YA fiction, but it is not very often that I finish the book feeling whole. Not because the ending was that of a fairy tale — John Green has a reputation for ensuring those endings don’t exist in his novels — but because the book was just so well-written. I feel as if many YA writers sit down to write books, but forget who their audience is. They are writing a much more washed out and juvenile version of what teenagers are actually like today. They are afraid to let their characters cuss or talk about sex, as if neither action actually exists among young adults. YA authors tend to stray away from the reality of teen behavior, but this book faced realities in a compelling way.
The novel follows Aza, a sixteen year old with an obsessive compulsive disorder, as she navigates the implications of her illness on her relationships with other people. Simultaneously, Aza and her best friend Daisy make it their mission to find Davis Pickett’s billionaire father wanted by the police, and it just so happens that Davis is an old friend of Aza’s from camp.
I appreciated the way the Aza, Daisy, and Davis (as well as the other secondary characters) were facing so many different conflicts (i.e. grief, financial classes, love, mental health, college decisions) at once, because that is exactly how the world works. Real teenagers do not fixate their lives on one specific conflict for extended periods of time, rather they balance several conflicts. I love the way this book was able to depict that struggle to maintain a balance in such a way that allowed readers to follow each plot line to the very end.
I loved the characterization, as they all felt tangible. Their mannerisms and tendancies were displayed through each appearance on the page. There was not a single moment in any interaction that made me feel as if the personalities of these characters were lost, not even in the dialogue (which was also incredible). This attention to detail is something that will drive me to pick up another John Green novel in the near future.
I read a great deal of YA fiction, but it is not very often that I finish the book feeling whole. Not because the ending was that of a fairy tale — John Green has a reputation for ensuring those endings don’t exist in his novels — but because the book was just so well-written. I feel as if many YA writers sit down to write books, but forget who their audience is. They are writing a much more washed out and juvenile version of what teenagers are actually like today. They are afraid to let their characters cuss or talk about sex, as if neither action actually exists among young adults. YA authors tend to stray away from the reality of teen behavior, but this book faced realities in a compelling way.
The novel follows Aza, a sixteen year old with an obsessive compulsive disorder, as she navigates the implications of her illness on her relationships with other people. Simultaneously, Aza and her best friend Daisy make it their mission to find Davis Pickett’s billionaire father wanted by the police, and it just so happens that Davis is an old friend of Aza’s from camp.
I appreciated the way the Aza, Daisy, and Davis (as well as the other secondary characters) were facing so many different conflicts (i.e. grief, financial classes, love, mental health, college decisions) at once, because that is exactly how the world works. Real teenagers do not fixate their lives on one specific conflict for extended periods of time, rather they balance several conflicts. I love the way this book was able to depict that struggle to maintain a balance in such a way that allowed readers to follow each plot line to the very end.
I loved the characterization, as they all felt tangible. Their mannerisms and tendancies were displayed through each appearance on the page. There was not a single moment in any interaction that made me feel as if the personalities of these characters were lost, not even in the dialogue (which was also incredible). This attention to detail is something that will drive me to pick up another John Green novel in the near future.
Shelle Perry (66 KP) rated Zombies for Everyone: A Jenna Sutton Supernatural Cozy Mystery in Books
Aug 10, 2021
The mystery was well-paced with plenty of clues.
YA Cozy is a new one for me, though I will say this book feels more like a paranormal adventure story than a cozy mystery. The mystery was well-paced with plenty of clues. It was easy to assume why the attacks were happening once it came up in conversation, and from there, very easy to pick out the big bad. Still, the story was an enjoyable one with lots of action and plenty of pop culture references, some of which I am certain are less applicable to the YA crowd than their parents, but fun nonetheless.
In this book we are introduced to Jenna and her partner Kieron, high school students with a little something extra. She is a Hunter. Her job is to investigate and hunt down things that go bump in the night. Kind of a cross between Dean Winchester and Buffy Summers. Kieron provides moral, tech, and info support. They are asked to track down the source of a zombie bite before it leads to a full-on outbreak. It becomes apparent that there is more going on than a simple zombie attack and with several great suspects, it moves at a fair clip.
Despite the extracurriculars they really are just typical seventeen-year-old kids worrying about dating, homework, and mean girls. That is a fun contrast to the uber adult nature of the work they do. Jenna’s mother is missing, presumed dead (a story point that I am certain will be prominent in upcoming books) Leaving Jenna with the job of caring for herself while staying under the radar of adults who would put her in the system.
The magic world built for this story is sound, though it will need some bolstering ahead as it went up fairly quickly. I think another 50 pages of story could have easily softened the info dump feel. There is a lot of information to process about magic and recurring characters, as well as The Consortium and The Covens, but at some point in this series, things are going to get really interesting and my sixth sense is tingling in anticipation. This is a great story for age 12-18 readers and really for anyone who enjoys YA and/or paranormal cozy.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I received an advance review copy for free through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
In this book we are introduced to Jenna and her partner Kieron, high school students with a little something extra. She is a Hunter. Her job is to investigate and hunt down things that go bump in the night. Kind of a cross between Dean Winchester and Buffy Summers. Kieron provides moral, tech, and info support. They are asked to track down the source of a zombie bite before it leads to a full-on outbreak. It becomes apparent that there is more going on than a simple zombie attack and with several great suspects, it moves at a fair clip.
Despite the extracurriculars they really are just typical seventeen-year-old kids worrying about dating, homework, and mean girls. That is a fun contrast to the uber adult nature of the work they do. Jenna’s mother is missing, presumed dead (a story point that I am certain will be prominent in upcoming books) Leaving Jenna with the job of caring for herself while staying under the radar of adults who would put her in the system.
The magic world built for this story is sound, though it will need some bolstering ahead as it went up fairly quickly. I think another 50 pages of story could have easily softened the info dump feel. There is a lot of information to process about magic and recurring characters, as well as The Consortium and The Covens, but at some point in this series, things are going to get really interesting and my sixth sense is tingling in anticipation. This is a great story for age 12-18 readers and really for anyone who enjoys YA and/or paranormal cozy.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I received an advance review copy for free through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
Ali A (82 KP) rated Practice Girl in Books
May 24, 2022
Jo always seems to fall fast for boys - boys who, for some reason, don’t fall for her. One night at a party, she hears why - the boys who are on the wrestling team she manages, consider her a girl who’s good enough to hook up with, but not someone to date, aka, a “practice girl”.
After hearing those two words, Jo feels a lot of things - hurt, angry, ashamed, betrayed… but overall, she refuses to let those words define who she is. As she works on herself and her relationships, Jo begins to unpack and find out more uncomfortable truths about herself and her connections with all those around her. And in doing so, helps her understand her real worth.
I loved the authentic voice of Jo. I was a bit worried when I first started the book, not really knowing how a YA novel was going to handle the topic of sex. But, after reading the first few chapters, I was very interested in Jo’s story, and my mind changed.
My father was killed in a work accident when I was 12 (3 days into my 7th grade school year), and in the past, I have wondered what has done towards male relationships for me… This book had what I felt like an authentic take on a high school girl’s insecurities and vulnerabilities involving boys and relationships during that time. High school is hard enough as it is, a death of a parent sure doesn’t make it any easier.
I absolutely loved Jo’s rekindling with Leah and making friends with Jen and Amber. The talk those four had about boys and relationships while sitting around in a circle was exactly what Jo needed and allowed for multiple viewpoints that I don’t feel like are seen or heard about often in YA (like a lot of stuff, it’s getting more and more common though!)
I’m also super proud of Jo for her stance in her relationship with Sam at the end of the book. They both had stuff they needed to figure out and kudos for her to kind of force him to acknowledge that.
Overall, I enjoyed this YA novel about reputation, double standards, relationships, and empowerment. I recommend it to those who like contemporary novels that have a strong female lead, who learns lessons that I believe are important for young girls to hear.
*Thank you Bookish First and Viking Penguin for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
After hearing those two words, Jo feels a lot of things - hurt, angry, ashamed, betrayed… but overall, she refuses to let those words define who she is. As she works on herself and her relationships, Jo begins to unpack and find out more uncomfortable truths about herself and her connections with all those around her. And in doing so, helps her understand her real worth.
I loved the authentic voice of Jo. I was a bit worried when I first started the book, not really knowing how a YA novel was going to handle the topic of sex. But, after reading the first few chapters, I was very interested in Jo’s story, and my mind changed.
My father was killed in a work accident when I was 12 (3 days into my 7th grade school year), and in the past, I have wondered what has done towards male relationships for me… This book had what I felt like an authentic take on a high school girl’s insecurities and vulnerabilities involving boys and relationships during that time. High school is hard enough as it is, a death of a parent sure doesn’t make it any easier.
I absolutely loved Jo’s rekindling with Leah and making friends with Jen and Amber. The talk those four had about boys and relationships while sitting around in a circle was exactly what Jo needed and allowed for multiple viewpoints that I don’t feel like are seen or heard about often in YA (like a lot of stuff, it’s getting more and more common though!)
I’m also super proud of Jo for her stance in her relationship with Sam at the end of the book. They both had stuff they needed to figure out and kudos for her to kind of force him to acknowledge that.
Overall, I enjoyed this YA novel about reputation, double standards, relationships, and empowerment. I recommend it to those who like contemporary novels that have a strong female lead, who learns lessons that I believe are important for young girls to hear.
*Thank you Bookish First and Viking Penguin for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Solo in Books
May 10, 2018
Blade Morrison has reached a pivotal point in his life. He's graduating from high school, about to turn eighteen and has his whole life in front of him But with a famous father who is always in the media and a girlfriend whose parents can't stand you, it's hard to find your place. When Blade discovers something about his past, it will change his future forever. Set on two continents, inspired by rock and roll, and written in poetic verse Solo is one of the best books I have read this year.
Thank you to Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess, and Blink YA for the opportunity to read and review this book and be a part of the Solo Launch Team.
This is the first book I have read by Kwame Alexander or Mary Rand Hess and I have already picked up another at the library. This book was built on a love of music. Every character has a connection to music in some way shape or form.
Blade is yourtypical teenage boy, but for the fact that he has a famous father, Rutherford Morrison who is a rock and roll star who has fallen from grace. Often in the media because of an incident involving drugs or alcohol, Blade is tired of being there to pick up pieces that eventually fall apart again. After the loss of his mother Sunny, the family was never the same. When Blade discovers something about his past and given a letter his mother wrote to him for his 18th birthday, he sets out on a quest to find out where he really belongs.
Full of love, loss, addiction and music, Solo, although written for the YA crowd is a book people of all ages can enjoy.
Thank you to Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess, and Blink YA for the opportunity to read and review this book and be a part of the Solo Launch Team.
This is the first book I have read by Kwame Alexander or Mary Rand Hess and I have already picked up another at the library. This book was built on a love of music. Every character has a connection to music in some way shape or form.
Blade is yourtypical teenage boy, but for the fact that he has a famous father, Rutherford Morrison who is a rock and roll star who has fallen from grace. Often in the media because of an incident involving drugs or alcohol, Blade is tired of being there to pick up pieces that eventually fall apart again. After the loss of his mother Sunny, the family was never the same. When Blade discovers something about his past and given a letter his mother wrote to him for his 18th birthday, he sets out on a quest to find out where he really belongs.
Full of love, loss, addiction and music, Solo, although written for the YA crowd is a book people of all ages can enjoy.
Sam (74 KP) rated How Do You Like Me Now? in Books
Mar 27, 2019
Okay, so I think I’m the only person left who hasn’t read anything by Holly Bourne before this point. I didn’t even realise she was a YA author before checking out her twitter, and I’m definitely going to get some of her YA novels now.
Tori is an author of a self-help novel about how to survive your twenties. Now in her thirties, she’s lost, unhappy, and worried about where her life is going. On top of that, she has got another inspirational book about how brilliant and perfect her life is waiting to be written.
Only her life isn’t perfect. She’s falling out of love with ‘The One’, constantly worried about looking too old and not seeming perfect enough on social media for her fans, and she feels unsuccessful.
It was really nice to read an honest book for once that shows that someone’s persona on social media is not who they really are. Tori is constantly posting on social media about how perfect her relationship is and how successful she is, when really, her life is the exact opposite.
The novel focused on Tori trying to find her happiness again without hurting people around her, and trying to write her next novel that thousands of people are desparate for.
The whole book was a nice surprise, as it was brutally honest and still an entertaining read. I devoured it in a couple of days, never wanting to put it down.
I did feel that the plot was lacking a bit. It did just seem like the whole thing was a bit of a sub-plot, but that did make it a nice, easy, and quick read.
I will definitely be checking out more of Holly Bourne’s books now.
Tori is an author of a self-help novel about how to survive your twenties. Now in her thirties, she’s lost, unhappy, and worried about where her life is going. On top of that, she has got another inspirational book about how brilliant and perfect her life is waiting to be written.
Only her life isn’t perfect. She’s falling out of love with ‘The One’, constantly worried about looking too old and not seeming perfect enough on social media for her fans, and she feels unsuccessful.
It was really nice to read an honest book for once that shows that someone’s persona on social media is not who they really are. Tori is constantly posting on social media about how perfect her relationship is and how successful she is, when really, her life is the exact opposite.
The novel focused on Tori trying to find her happiness again without hurting people around her, and trying to write her next novel that thousands of people are desparate for.
The whole book was a nice surprise, as it was brutally honest and still an entertaining read. I devoured it in a couple of days, never wanting to put it down.
I did feel that the plot was lacking a bit. It did just seem like the whole thing was a bit of a sub-plot, but that did make it a nice, easy, and quick read.
I will definitely be checking out more of Holly Bourne’s books now.
ClareR (5906 KP) rated The Quiet at the End of the World in Books
May 29, 2019
A gentle end to humankind.
Another YA book, where I don’t honestly know why it has been labelled YA. Perhaps unless there’s rampant sex and violence in a book, only children will want to read it. Except I’m 45 (for now!). I love a bit of sex and violence as much as the next Science Fiction/ Fantasy reader, but I also acknowledge that a book can be a damn good read without those things - and this IS a damn good read.
It’s a ‘soft apocalypse’. A drift into the end of human kind. An exploration into what it is to be human, and ultimately: would the earth be better off without us on it? We all know the answer to that really, don’t we?
Lowrie and Shen are the two youngest and last born humans on Earth. A seemingly harmless virus rendered the entire human race infertile, although some already fertilised embryos remained. Lowrie and Shen are the last two babies born from those embryos. And there has been no cure discovered for the virus.
I really enjoyed this book. It was a refreshingly gentle take on apocalypse - no one is killed, no cannibalism, there are no murderous dictators. In fact everyone gets along and works together as a community.
There are some great characters other than the main ones: Mitch, the lifeguard robot who communicates using flashing colours is one in particular. I loved the records of Lowrie and Shen’s found objects at the start of each chapter as well. A real mix of the ancient (to the reader as well) and the modern (to the reader alone!).
A very thought provoking read in these times of climate crisis, and told in a way that makes it accessible to both young and old.
It’s a ‘soft apocalypse’. A drift into the end of human kind. An exploration into what it is to be human, and ultimately: would the earth be better off without us on it? We all know the answer to that really, don’t we?
Lowrie and Shen are the two youngest and last born humans on Earth. A seemingly harmless virus rendered the entire human race infertile, although some already fertilised embryos remained. Lowrie and Shen are the last two babies born from those embryos. And there has been no cure discovered for the virus.
I really enjoyed this book. It was a refreshingly gentle take on apocalypse - no one is killed, no cannibalism, there are no murderous dictators. In fact everyone gets along and works together as a community.
There are some great characters other than the main ones: Mitch, the lifeguard robot who communicates using flashing colours is one in particular. I loved the records of Lowrie and Shen’s found objects at the start of each chapter as well. A real mix of the ancient (to the reader as well) and the modern (to the reader alone!).
A very thought provoking read in these times of climate crisis, and told in a way that makes it accessible to both young and old.
KatieLouCreate (162 KP) rated Three Dark Crowns in Books
Oct 11, 2018
pacing (1 more)
story
Great Read
I bought this book probably over a year ago while browsing some books in my local supermarket. The cover pulled me in, but the blurb made me buy the book. It was a promising premise of the book and I knew I just had to buy it and find out what happens.
Overall, I love the book. It is such a refreshing read from the stock, cliche, ya books you usually read. This has originality in it. The characters are fully developed and interesting. The story does feel like it is going too slowly or too quickly unless it is needed. It is a well written book and well worth the read if you want something different to you traditional YA reads.
My only woe with this book is the somewhat lack of world building. Usually it would be enough if the book was not a fantasy. But I feel all fantasy books, especially those not based on our world, in our time, needs a lot of world building to it. Sure, there is a map, and you can some world building and traditions/ceremonies. But I am still unsure of what the whole island looks like as a whole. Is it a hot country? Cold? Is it mountainous or flat? Is it a large island or small? Do they have electricity or not? It is just simple things like this, and to be honest, I'm just nit-picking here because I did rather enjoy the whole story.
Now if you need me, I will be reading the second book, One Dark Throne because that cliff-hanger at the end was so juicy I need to find out more...
Overall, I love the book. It is such a refreshing read from the stock, cliche, ya books you usually read. This has originality in it. The characters are fully developed and interesting. The story does feel like it is going too slowly or too quickly unless it is needed. It is a well written book and well worth the read if you want something different to you traditional YA reads.
My only woe with this book is the somewhat lack of world building. Usually it would be enough if the book was not a fantasy. But I feel all fantasy books, especially those not based on our world, in our time, needs a lot of world building to it. Sure, there is a map, and you can some world building and traditions/ceremonies. But I am still unsure of what the whole island looks like as a whole. Is it a hot country? Cold? Is it mountainous or flat? Is it a large island or small? Do they have electricity or not? It is just simple things like this, and to be honest, I'm just nit-picking here because I did rather enjoy the whole story.
Now if you need me, I will be reading the second book, One Dark Throne because that cliff-hanger at the end was so juicy I need to find out more...
Marylegs (44 KP) rated Fallen (Fallen, #1) in Books
Aug 14, 2019
So, Fallen. What do I think? Well I’ll start with the phrase, “I’ve read worse.” But not many.
Whilst that doesn’t seem like a good place to start it’s pretty much all I have for this book. A story based around ‘star-crossed lovers’, fallen angels, slight love triangles, blah, blah, blah, your get the picture. So the story centers on Luce, a girl who has been sent to a reform school and goes through her first couple of weeks there. The love element starts pretty quickly but in my opinion never really goes anywhere. He blows hot and cold and then there is a big realisation of love. It feels like a rehash of every other YA romance/para going.
The author has tried really hard to make it a different type of YA book. But seemed to lack the ability to structure the book in a way of you coming to realisations on your own as a reader. There were often times a Luce would be in a conversation, and then ‘think’ so far ahead of the story you felt push to that conclusion, or that it had been handed to you on a plate rather than having a light bulb type moment due to good writing.
I know there are others in this series, so it may be hard to judge this as a stand-alone book as the story seems to go somewhere within the last two chapters. But I honestly don’t think I liked it enough to bother with the rest. It felt like a chore to read and I don’t think it’s even worth reading to form your own opinion of it. Pretty disappointing on the whole.
Whilst that doesn’t seem like a good place to start it’s pretty much all I have for this book. A story based around ‘star-crossed lovers’, fallen angels, slight love triangles, blah, blah, blah, your get the picture. So the story centers on Luce, a girl who has been sent to a reform school and goes through her first couple of weeks there. The love element starts pretty quickly but in my opinion never really goes anywhere. He blows hot and cold and then there is a big realisation of love. It feels like a rehash of every other YA romance/para going.
The author has tried really hard to make it a different type of YA book. But seemed to lack the ability to structure the book in a way of you coming to realisations on your own as a reader. There were often times a Luce would be in a conversation, and then ‘think’ so far ahead of the story you felt push to that conclusion, or that it had been handed to you on a plate rather than having a light bulb type moment due to good writing.
I know there are others in this series, so it may be hard to judge this as a stand-alone book as the story seems to go somewhere within the last two chapters. But I honestly don’t think I liked it enough to bother with the rest. It felt like a chore to read and I don’t think it’s even worth reading to form your own opinion of it. Pretty disappointing on the whole.