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graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Night Pleasures (Dark-Hunter, #1) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
Okay, before I start my review, I have a little pet peeve about Sherrilyn Kenyon's writing: She'll switch from one character to another without warning. There I am, happily reading along from Amanda's viewpoint, when all of a sudden it's Kyrian. Ugh! I know I've read other authors who do the same thing, but somehow it flows better and isn't like - what just happened?! Okay, end rant.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, but I did like Fantasy Lover more than this one. While I don't always think Ms. Kenyon is the best writer (it sometimes feels disjointed to me) her world is very imaginative and interesting. The creatures/characters are intriguing, and the story was just plain fun to read. Hey, there's a tortured hero, what more do you need? I was really into it close to 200 pages in, then I had to put it down. The next day I picked it up and it didn't grab me as much as the day before. Though towards the end it started to pick up for me, and of course I'm a big sap for happy endings. That's why I read romances more than anything else. I don't know about other romance readers, but I've had a hard life and I need a little lightness in it. That's where romances help. Now that I've bared my soul (no pun intended - hopefully you'll get it if you've read the book), I think I'll get back to the review. Now where was I? I know that Talon will be in the next book in the series, but I can't wait to read about Acheron. If he doesn't have a book out now, Ms. Kenyon needs to start writing his story. Well, as I said before (I think), it was a fast and fun read!
Please excuse me if my review is a little disjointed (haha), I can't quite put into words how to explain how I felt about the book. Ah, oh well; can't win them all!
Overall, I enjoyed this book, but I did like Fantasy Lover more than this one. While I don't always think Ms. Kenyon is the best writer (it sometimes feels disjointed to me) her world is very imaginative and interesting. The creatures/characters are intriguing, and the story was just plain fun to read. Hey, there's a tortured hero, what more do you need? I was really into it close to 200 pages in, then I had to put it down. The next day I picked it up and it didn't grab me as much as the day before. Though towards the end it started to pick up for me, and of course I'm a big sap for happy endings. That's why I read romances more than anything else. I don't know about other romance readers, but I've had a hard life and I need a little lightness in it. That's where romances help. Now that I've bared my soul (no pun intended - hopefully you'll get it if you've read the book), I think I'll get back to the review. Now where was I? I know that Talon will be in the next book in the series, but I can't wait to read about Acheron. If he doesn't have a book out now, Ms. Kenyon needs to start writing his story. Well, as I said before (I think), it was a fast and fun read!
Please excuse me if my review is a little disjointed (haha), I can't quite put into words how to explain how I felt about the book. Ah, oh well; can't win them all!
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Phantom Thread (2017) in Movies
Sep 29, 2021
“There’s an air of quiet death in this house”.
The alleged acting swan-song of Daniel Day-Lewis (“Lincoln“) sees him deliver a brilliantly intense portrayal of a maestro in his craft with all the quirks and egotistical faults that come with that position.
Reynolds Woodcock is the craftsman behind a world-renowned 1950’s fashion house, in demand from the elite classes and even royalty. He has a magnetic personality, is overtly self-confident, obsessive, a cruel bully and treats his girlfriends as chattels that he can tire of and dismiss from his life without a backward glance. Trying to keep the business and Reynolds on track, with ruthless efficiency, is his sister Cyril (Leslie Manville, “Maleficent“).
Looking for his next conquest during a trip to his seaside residence, he reels in blushing young waitress Alma (Vicky Krieps, “The Colony”). But he gets more than he bargains for.
This is a really exquisite and gentle film. Aside from some dubious fungi-related practices, there is no violence, no sex and – aside from about half a dozen well-chosen F-words – limited swearing (of which more below). This is a study of the developing relationship between the two protagonists, with little in the way of plot. Sounds dull? Far from it. This is two hours that flew by.
What it also features is (yet) another example of extremely strong women asserting their power. A scene (well trailed in Manville’s award snippets) where Cyril firmly puts Reynolds back in his box is brilliant: a real turning of tables with Woodcock meekly falling into line. And Alma makes for an incredibly rich and complicated character, one of the most interesting female roles I’ve seen this year so far.
It’s a stellar acting performance from Day-Lewis, and while Oldman fully deserves all of his award kudos for “Darkest Hour”, Day-Lewis delivers the goods without any of the make-up. It feels like Day-Lewis is a long way down the betting odds this year because “he always gets one”. He certainly gets my vote ahead of all of the other three nominees.
Kreips – not an actress I know – also brilliantly holds her own, and if it wasn’t such a strong female field this year she could well have been nominated.
Also worthy of note is the pervasive piano score by (suprisingly) Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood. It’s really lovely and counterpoints the rest of the classical score nicely. Its BAFTA and Oscar nominations are both well deserved (though I would expect the Oscar to follow the BAFTA steer with “The Shape of Water“).
All in all, this is a real tour de force by writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson (“Inherent Vice”, “There Will Be Blood”). How much I enjoyed this film was a surprise to me, since I have no interest in the “fashion industry” (as my family will no doubt be quick to point out!) and I went to see this more out of ‘duty’ based on its Oscar buzz than because I really wanted to see it.
The big curiosity is why exactly the BBFC decided that this film was worthy of a 15 certificate rather than a 12A. Their comments on the film say “There is strong language (‘f**k’), as well as milder terms including ‘bloody’ and ‘hell’. Other issues include mild sex references and scenes of emotional upset. In one scene, a woman’s nipples are visible through her slip while she is measured for a dress.” For a 12A, the board say “The use of strong language (for example, ‘f***’) must be infrequent”. I didn’t count the f-words… but as I said I don’t think it amounts to more than a half-dozen. Is that “frequent”? And – SHOCK, HORROR… visible covered nipples you say?! Lock up your teenagers! When you look at the gentleness of this film versus the violence within “Black Panther”, you have to question this disparity.
Reynolds Woodcock is the craftsman behind a world-renowned 1950’s fashion house, in demand from the elite classes and even royalty. He has a magnetic personality, is overtly self-confident, obsessive, a cruel bully and treats his girlfriends as chattels that he can tire of and dismiss from his life without a backward glance. Trying to keep the business and Reynolds on track, with ruthless efficiency, is his sister Cyril (Leslie Manville, “Maleficent“).
Looking for his next conquest during a trip to his seaside residence, he reels in blushing young waitress Alma (Vicky Krieps, “The Colony”). But he gets more than he bargains for.
This is a really exquisite and gentle film. Aside from some dubious fungi-related practices, there is no violence, no sex and – aside from about half a dozen well-chosen F-words – limited swearing (of which more below). This is a study of the developing relationship between the two protagonists, with little in the way of plot. Sounds dull? Far from it. This is two hours that flew by.
What it also features is (yet) another example of extremely strong women asserting their power. A scene (well trailed in Manville’s award snippets) where Cyril firmly puts Reynolds back in his box is brilliant: a real turning of tables with Woodcock meekly falling into line. And Alma makes for an incredibly rich and complicated character, one of the most interesting female roles I’ve seen this year so far.
It’s a stellar acting performance from Day-Lewis, and while Oldman fully deserves all of his award kudos for “Darkest Hour”, Day-Lewis delivers the goods without any of the make-up. It feels like Day-Lewis is a long way down the betting odds this year because “he always gets one”. He certainly gets my vote ahead of all of the other three nominees.
Kreips – not an actress I know – also brilliantly holds her own, and if it wasn’t such a strong female field this year she could well have been nominated.
Also worthy of note is the pervasive piano score by (suprisingly) Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood. It’s really lovely and counterpoints the rest of the classical score nicely. Its BAFTA and Oscar nominations are both well deserved (though I would expect the Oscar to follow the BAFTA steer with “The Shape of Water“).
All in all, this is a real tour de force by writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson (“Inherent Vice”, “There Will Be Blood”). How much I enjoyed this film was a surprise to me, since I have no interest in the “fashion industry” (as my family will no doubt be quick to point out!) and I went to see this more out of ‘duty’ based on its Oscar buzz than because I really wanted to see it.
The big curiosity is why exactly the BBFC decided that this film was worthy of a 15 certificate rather than a 12A. Their comments on the film say “There is strong language (‘f**k’), as well as milder terms including ‘bloody’ and ‘hell’. Other issues include mild sex references and scenes of emotional upset. In one scene, a woman’s nipples are visible through her slip while she is measured for a dress.” For a 12A, the board say “The use of strong language (for example, ‘f***’) must be infrequent”. I didn’t count the f-words… but as I said I don’t think it amounts to more than a half-dozen. Is that “frequent”? And – SHOCK, HORROR… visible covered nipples you say?! Lock up your teenagers! When you look at the gentleness of this film versus the violence within “Black Panther”, you have to question this disparity.
AliExpress Shopping App
Shopping and Lifestyle
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Ever wanted to shop everything in one place, at one time? We’ve created just the app for you! With...
Neilson Plays
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In the 1990s playwright Anthony Neilson garnered a reputation for hard-hitting, morally disturbing...
Oxford Botanic Garden & Arboretum: A Brief History
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Oxford Botanic Garden is the oldest surviving botanic garden in Britain and has occupied its site in...
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Deceived in Books
Aug 18, 2019
Contains spoilers, click to show
They say a soul is the immaterial essence, the animating principal, the actuating cause of an individual life.
But what if you had to share yours with the one person you hated the most?
The soul mate principal states that for every one soul there is another that will recognize its match, hence creating the perfect union.
But what if you had two soul mates, which would you choose?
What if your choices had eternal ramification?
Deceived, the debut novel in the Soul Keeper Series, is a modern day love story about the implications of having more than one soul mate, and having to choose between the two of them. The decisions of the gods has left the next generation, their heirs, torn between fate and reality, and the balance of the future hangs in anticipation of what's to come.
<strong>Brilliant</strong>
Absolutely loved this book. I love anything with stories based around Greek mythology the stories are just always so interesting. This may be a little teeny for some at first but I highly recommend sticking with it. Following Dan and Julie so closely I actually found myself crying at Julia's death, not something I do very often must have caught me at a weak point haha. Definitely recommend it you liked Fallen by Lauren Kate.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

But what if you had to share yours with the one person you hated the most?
The soul mate principal states that for every one soul there is another that will recognize its match, hence creating the perfect union.
But what if you had two soul mates, which would you choose?
What if your choices had eternal ramification?
Deceived, the debut novel in the Soul Keeper Series, is a modern day love story about the implications of having more than one soul mate, and having to choose between the two of them. The decisions of the gods has left the next generation, their heirs, torn between fate and reality, and the balance of the future hangs in anticipation of what's to come.
<strong>Brilliant</strong>
Absolutely loved this book. I love anything with stories based around Greek mythology the stories are just always so interesting. This may be a little teeny for some at first but I highly recommend sticking with it. Following Dan and Julie so closely I actually found myself crying at Julia's death, not something I do very often must have caught me at a weak point haha. Definitely recommend it you liked Fallen by Lauren Kate.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Monster of Farewell (Blacklighters #1)
9.0
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Mercury Havenworth My mother always told me I had nothing. No place in civilized society. No moral...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2346 KP) rated The House Guest in Books
Jul 29, 2023
Will Helping a House Guest Hurt Alyssa?
Alyssa Macallan’s life is turned upside down when her husband walks out of their house one day. Facing a divorce she never expected, she finds herself drinking at a bar one Friday night, where she meets Bree Lorrance, who is also down on her luck. The two hit it off, and Alyssa invites Bree to move into her guest house. Helping Bree lets Alyssa forget her own problems, until her own problems heat back up. Will the two be able to help each other? Or do they have secret agendas?
I was hooked early on, although the book does take a little while to build up to the full plot. Once it does, I couldn’t wait to see how things would resolve for the characters. I appreciated the fact that no one seemed overly whiney here, although they could have repeated things less, giving the book more time to flesh out some of the late breaking twists. While knowing I couldn’t fully trust Alyssa and Bree, I really did like them both and hoped things would work out well for them. We get the book completely from Alyssa’s third person point of view which makes us question just what anyone else was thinking. Even with the pacing issues with the plot, I enjoyed this book overall.
I was hooked early on, although the book does take a little while to build up to the full plot. Once it does, I couldn’t wait to see how things would resolve for the characters. I appreciated the fact that no one seemed overly whiney here, although they could have repeated things less, giving the book more time to flesh out some of the late breaking twists. While knowing I couldn’t fully trust Alyssa and Bree, I really did like them both and hoped things would work out well for them. We get the book completely from Alyssa’s third person point of view which makes us question just what anyone else was thinking. Even with the pacing issues with the plot, I enjoyed this book overall.