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Christine A. (965 KP) rated After the Fire in Books

Nov 14, 2018

After the Fire

Will Hill | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, Young Adult (YA)

8.8

(5 Ratings)

Book Rating

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

"After the Fire" is a chilling look at a young adult's tale of growing up in and surviving a fictional cult. I have read from the perspective of an adult but this was through the eyes of a young girl, "Moonbeam". She lived for years in the fanatical religious cult with her mother and her "brothers" and "sisters". We are given a glimpse into her thought process, her true faith, and relationships with the other cult members.

By Will Hill selecting Moonbeam as his central character to tell the story of what happened before and after the fire, we are able to empathize with her and the other "family" members. As with any group, there are good and bad, young and old, male and female. We are able to see they are regular, every day people who believe they are following a prophet.

"After the Fire" was inspired by the 1993 Waco siege in which members of the Branch Davidian sect, including children, and government agents died in a fire fight. This story imagines what it was like to like in a similar base (Moonbeam does not like the word compound) and is told mostly through an interview and flashbacks.

Kudos

Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Insidious : The Last Key (2018) in Movies

Jul 8, 2019

Insidious : The Last Key (2018)

2018 | Horror, Mystery, Thriller

6.7

(51 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Dr. Elise Rainier was blessed with the ability to communicate with the dead, a gift that, at times, seemed more like a curse. In Insidious: The Last Key we see how the this gift was not always welcome for her growing up in New Mexico as it leads to the destruction of her family.

Years later, she is forced to return and face down the demons that scarred her and led to a complete estrangement from her family.
The film is very ambitious in hoping that audiences who are loyal to the franchise will return to the next installment. Unfortunately, fans will be sorely disappointed as this film seems to be nothing more than a fan-fiction version. The dialogue is pedestrian, at best. The storyline is shallow, predictable, and confusing.

There are elements of the story that seem out of place. Even the demon that appears onscreen us underwhelming. There is very little (other than a few moments that may have a few people in the audience jump) purpose to the film. It seems rushed. The film deserved to be nothing more than a backstory that could have been offered as part of Elise as part of conversation in a better-developed film.

Insidious: The Last Key is decent for those wishing to introduce themselves the Insidious franchise, but does little to offer any substantial foothold into the horror genre.