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Someone Is Watching
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Bailey Carpenter is a successful private investigator for a large law firm in Miami. While still reeling from the deaths of both of her parents, her life is fairly benign, until she is attacked one night while investigating a client.

Suddenly, Bailey's life is turned upside down. She's unable to sleep, eat, or work. She spends her days (and nights) trapped inside her condo, suffering from crippling anxiety and nightmares, and wracked with guilt from the attack. She starts watching her neighbor in the building across the street using binoculars, but things get even more out of control when she realizes he may be watching her, too.

First of all, a definite trigger warning that this book depicts a pretty brutal rape. It's tough to read about, and I would hate for anyone to pick up this novel without realizing its subject. I do applaud Fielding for trying to cover such a hard subject, though I'm not sure it's always accurately portrayed.

The book gets off to a slow start - I almost put it down. It's a hard subject to read about, and Bailey is a little hard to like and understand at first. The storyline gets a bit incredulous, but it certainly picked up, and I tore through the second half of the book. It ties up a little easily - and I'm not sure I buy Bailey going from completely devastated to seemingly okay, but I appreciate Fielding trying to show how much rape can hurt and leave its victims feeling powerless.

Overall, it's an interesting read and Bailey's niece, Jade, is a fun character. It would be great to see the two of them appear together again.

<i>Note: I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.</i>
  
True Romance (1993)
True Romance (1993)
1993 | Action, Drama, Mystery
Original Romantic Action Film
An unlikely pair fall in love and find themselves on the run with a luggage full of cocaine.

Acting: 10
True Romance is littered with star power and each of them deliver. With a who's who of Hollywood actors and actresses it's no surprise that even the supporting roles left you with something to remember. The late James Gandolfini was my personal favorite playing the role of Virgil. He's a brooding gangster who looks like he's about to snap in every single scene that he's in. You hate him, yet you appreciate his ruthlessness at the same time.

Beginning: 10
The film gets off to a very intriguing start in its first ten minutes. Clarence Worley (Christian Slater) and Alabama Whitman (Patricia Arquette) get off to a fast start that ultimately sets the tone for the rest of the film. You're given a small taste of what's to come which makes you want more.

Characters: 10

Cinematography/Visuals: 7

Conflict: 10

Genre: 10

Memorability: 9

Pace: 10

Plot: 10

Resolution: 10
My wife and I went back and forth on this. She thought the ending was improbable. I thought that, considering the rest of the movie as a whole, the ending was exactly what it needed to be. Their entire relationship was improbable so the insanity of how the movie concludes was the improbable cherry on top. Well done.

Overall: 96
True Romance is one of those films you don't expect to like, then you end up loving it. The awesome gun battle at the end is not only absolute bedlam, but it one of those scenes you remember for a long time. You won't forget it, nor will you forget Christopher Walken's intense interrogation scene. I can see now why this film made an all-time Top 100 list.
  
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Katie (868 KP) May 30, 2018

One of my favorite films. Great review!

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Phillip McSween (751 KP) May 30, 2018

Thanks!

The Orville
The Orville
2017 | Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi
A great homage to The Next Generation for a new generation (0 more)
Some of the comedy is a little forced (0 more)
Star Trek for a modern audience
When trailers for The Orville and for Star Trek Discovery first did the rounds, I was more excited the The Orville than STD.
The Orville captures a feel for Star Trek that STD just doesn't. It shows a hopeful future that has its problems but tries to deal with them in a diplomatic/peaceful way but isn't afraid to show its teeth if cornered.
As with many new series, The Orville struggles to find its feet and find its balance between sci-fi and comedy. This is oh so evident in the first few episodes, which aim for humour a little too much and miss the mark. By later episodes, the balance is a little better. As the crew grows into their roles, the humour is better and more focused. Instead of gags thrown in it becomes more natural like crew playing practical jokes on each other, people mentioning foibles of other crew (which is funnier if you've SEEN said foibles in an earlier episode), elevator music, love/hate relationships and some seriously great cameos and appearances from A-list stars (even some Star Trek alum). The fact that The Orville has such great pedigree in the form of so many writers, actors and directors from various Star Trek series on board shines through with every new episode
I like all the characters on the ship, and their interactions are building a family on this little ship which makes me want to watch more.
The Orville has some of the best features of a Star Trek series, great ships, uniforms, aliens and stories with some humour thrown in. I cannot wait for a season 2 and would recommend this over STD all day long.
  
HT
Hunt the Moon (Cassandra Palmer, #5)
Karen Chance | 2011 | Paranormal, Romance
Chance must have thought readers were bored with the Cassandra/Mircea match, because much of this book is spent with Cassie falling for Pritkin without really being aware that she's getting into dangerous territory.

Palmer isn't one of my favorite characters. She isn't an ass-kicker, but she's probably somewhat more realistic than most paranormal heroines for that fact. She's coming into her own by standing up to Mircea more in this volume, but she does it in childish ways. I find her annoying partially because I'd hate to try protecting her from herself, much less anyone else.

I don't honestly understand why Mircea and Pritkin are attracted to her, either, but part of the romance formula is the heroine has to be irresistible to at least one, preferably more than one man. I do find Mircea and Pritkin interesting (they just have bad taste in women), so they and the plots hold my interest.

To be fair, Cassie seems to be growing up a little bit. Not entirely, but she's growing a little. She does vehemently claim to care about whether or not other people get hurt trying to protect her.

This book also serves as backstory time for Mircea and Pritkin, as we learn a lot more about their pasts. Things drag a bit while they relate their stories, and in fact there seems to be little point in what we hear from Mircea (readers of the series already know a lot about his family and history).

Altogether, I wouldn't have read it if I weren't already so far into the series. I do wish Chance would switch focus to another character. (I'm aware of the Dorina Basarab series set in the same universe, and consider them to be better books in general). I suppose that's unlikely, seeing as it's the Cassandra Palmer series.
  
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Louise (64 KP) rated Horrorstör in Books

Jul 2, 2018  
Horrorstör
Horrorstör
Grady Hendrix | 2014 | Horror
6
7.6 (13 Ratings)
Book Rating
I was super excited about reading this book, when I first read the synopsis of a haunted Ikea style superstore I was instantly intrigued and couldn’t wait to pick it up. I showed my friend the book and she too wanted to read this book on the synopsis alone. There is something quite thrilling about a superstore being haunted especially as I have an Ikea around the corner from where I live.

Lets talk about the design of this book first of all, when I picked it up it looked and felt just like a shopping catalogue,the book also had french flaps and on the inside of the cover there was a layout of the store and list of areas, such as kitchens, bedrooms, wardrobes etc etc. Every chapter had a product advertisement that become more and more sinister throughout the book.

This book was definitely intense and got very creepy and definitely scary in parts but I didn’t feel any connection with the characters, This could be that it was told from a third person perspective or that none of them had personalities.All of the characters were just boring. The reason why it was haunted was quite interesting and I really liked that aspect of the story. The ending, I think is a bit 50/50 you are either going to love it or hate it and I didn’t like it.When I finished this book there was one question on my mind WHY? This book is described as a parody/humor which I found wasn’t the case at all and I perhaps sniggered once.

Overall I enjoyed the book and loved the aesthetic side of it but it just didn’t blow me away. I recommend this for people who want a quick read with elements of horror.

I rated this 2.5 out of 5 stars
  
WP
Worst. Person. Ever.
4
3.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Raymond Gunt is the Worst. Person. Ever! Raymond is a foul-mouthed man that speaks his mind without any regards to be peoples feelings. Ray who is behind on his rent decides to see his ex wife (Fiona) for a job as a B cameraman, luckily for him she gives him the opportunity to turn his life around and hires him, only the job is in Kiribati for a show called Survival(Pretty much I'm a celebrity get me out of here!)
A homeless guy, Neal, in which Ray started a fight with in the street is employed as his assistant and a friendship is born. Unfortunatley for Ray, life goes from worse to worse and Neal's just keeps getting better.
Things start going downhill from London airport where he gets caught up in all sorts of dramas such dropping an atomic bomb on the Pacific trash vortex!
I am really not sure about this book and how really to rate it, Coupland did a really good job in making me hate the vile-mouthed, sexist, homophobe that is Gunt. I also enjoyed how his life started going down hill but only because of what a horrible human being he is. The other characters in the book such as Fiona (Fi)is just the female version of Raymond and very unlikeable. My favourite character was Neal as he seemed the most genuine out of them all. I found the plot of this book, disasters and characters rather far-fetched.
Every couple of chapters there are subtexts with factual information with regards to the scenario's at the time.
This is Douglas Couplands fourteenth novel, and have to say that I am a bit apprehensive about reading any of his other works.
  
Whisper Me This
Whisper Me This
Kerry Anne King | 2018 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Mystery
7
7.6 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
Tackles delicate issues well (0 more)
2nd half loses its pace (0 more)
Captivating story that loses its pace
I want to start by saying i liked this story. The first half was very captivating, and will definitely keep you engaged. The author tackled a very delicate issue about abuse and the characters were very believable.

 I enjoyed the mystery surrounding the parents but if you read the sypnosis you can kind of see what's going to happen. I hate they put in a big spoiler in a typical sypnosis. It did lose some of its mystery but was still engaging. This mystery was all reveled halfway through the book and this is when it started to lose its pace and I lost my interest sadly but this is probably because this genre in general has never interested me.


I loved the characters and felt very connected to them. They were believable and you could relate to them.

Because of the big spoiler the story became too predictable which left me very disappointed. The fact I stick with this story despite it not being my kind of book shows that it was still engaging though and I would recommend. Just don't read the story sypnosis first.

I still think the story overcomes the shortcomings, and also think it is an important story to read. It is intense and the author did well telling such a complex story.

I'll give you the spoiler free sypnosis here : Single mother Maisey has always fallen short of her own mother's expectations but she is rushed back home when she hears here mother is in a coma and her father is facing charges of abuse and neglect.
She must make a life and death decision. Her confused father is destroying can't records including her mother's final wishes. What is the big mystery?
  
The Grinch (2018)
The Grinch (2018)
2018 | Animation, Family, Sci-Fi
Festive fun but could have been better
I was hoping this version would go back to the book as its sole reference point, and ignore Jim Carrey's version (although I love it, I didn't just want to see an animated version of it). I think they must have started out like that but ended up creating something fairly similar to the previous film.
Everything is toned down a little here, the Grinch isn't some hideous monster to be feared (he has a decent bit of awkward banter with his neighbour and pops to the shops for example), and he doesn't hate Christmas anywhere near as much as the story has it.
Cindy-Lou is back, but is significantly less annoying than Taylor Momsen's portrayal, and rather than herself feeling anti-festive and Grinchy she just wants her mum to be happy.
I enjoyed the Wallace and Gromit-esque moments, where Max uses a number of contraptions to make The Grinch a coffee etc.
The film doesn't overdo the festive spirit so, while we were left feeling Christmassy (or at least Christmassy enough for early November!) it wasn't ad nauseum.
The soundtrack became quite grating - I think the same singer as in the Despicable Me films - and the re-mastered version of "You're a Mean One..." did not work.
Few lines of the book (which I know pretty much off by heart now) are used in the film, and when they are used they stand out as a little jarring or are changed and just don't seem to work. While I am no fan of Dr Seuss' poetry and lazy rhyming this seemed to be a step down even from there. I felt they should either have stuck with it or ditched it altogether.
All in all, a decent, funny festive film for all the family.
  
Europe is war torn and broken. But there is hope among the dust and ashes.

Tricia Goyer approaches World War II in a new light (for me at least). Beginning with the end of the war in Europe, we see the repercussions of the last 6 years of fighting.

Our three main characters include an American Sergeant, a wife of an SS guard, and a prisoner freed from the concentration camp Gusen. Sergeant Peter Scott is with the group of soldiers that liberated Gusen and the main camp Mauthausen. He finds friends and love in the least likely of places. Helen is struggling to make up for the wrongs her husband committed as a guard at the camp. Can she bring herself to forgive him for what he did? Michaela is on the road to recovery after spending years in the camps. Although it would seem that she has every right to hold on to bitterness and hate for all that she has been through, she chooses to trust in the Lord and forgive those that did her wrong.

I could not put this book down! This is by far one of the best books I have ever read. Tricia Goyer captured me from the minute I started reading. She is very vivid in her descriptions of the horrors found when the camps were liberated. I highly recommend this book, especially to anyone interested in WWII history. It sheds a whole new light on the war in Europe.

From Dust and Ashes is a beautiful story about forgiveness and the liberation that you receive in your spirit when you are lead by the Lord and forgiveness.

I purchased a copy of From Dust and Ashes for my personal library. I was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
  
Star Wars: Aftermath: Empire&#039;s End
Star Wars: Aftermath: Empire's End
Chuck Wendig | 2017 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
6
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Final part of [a:Chuck Wendig|17152|Chuck Wendig|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1294919586p2/17152.jpg]'s Aftermath trilogy of novel (starting with [b:Aftermath|25131600|Aftermath (Star Wars Aftermath, #1)|Chuck Wendig|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1426620007s/25131600.jpg|44828548] and continuing with [b:Aftermath: Life Debt|26895161|Aftermath Life Debt (Star Wars Aftermath, #2)|Chuck Wendig|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1449268300s/26895161.jpg|47250982] before finishing with this) that kicked off Disney's 'new' Extended Universe Star Wars novels, this also fixes many of the problem with the earlier entries - [b:Aftermath|25131600|Aftermath (Star Wars Aftermath, #1)|Chuck Wendig|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1426620007s/25131600.jpg|44828548], in particular, just did not do it for me.

[b:Aftermath: Life Debt|26895161|Aftermath Life Debt (Star Wars Aftermath, #2)|Chuck Wendig|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1449268300s/26895161.jpg|47250982] was better, but not brilliant: this, I felt, was better again.

All three novels are set during the period between the end of 'Return of the Jedi' and the start of 'The Force Awakens', taking in many of the key characters from the original films and furhter expanding their universe and personalities - in particular, Mon Mothma has a larger role to play in this than ever before.

The trilogy also introduces a new set of characters, and even manages to make the Battle Droids from the prequel trilogy seem dangerous once more.

For my money, however (and I hate to say this), it's still not a patch on [a:Timothy Zahn|12479|Timothy Zahn|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1215545810p2/12479.jpg]'s [b:Heir to the Empire|216443|Heir to the Empire (Star Wars The Thrawn Trilogy #1)|Timothy Zahn|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1398253847s/216443.jpg|1133995] trilogy (sorry).