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Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Gods & Monsters ( Book 1) in Books
Feb 12, 2023
16 of 235
Kindle
Gods & Monsters ( Book 1)
By Janie Marie
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Monsters are real, legends are truth—and the man who saves Jane's life is an immortal knight. But it will be her secret past with the Angel of Death that changes everything.
Gods & Monsters - Book One
When the plague of all plagues begins its destruction, it isn't a miracle cure by scientists or even our military that saves us.
No, our saviors are monsters.
Jane appears to be nothing special. In fact, she's a sad sight to behold. Afflicted by the sorrow of her tragic past and failing marriage, the young mother of two is as terrified as every other soul when humanity faces doom. Yet, when hope seems lost, Jane does something even her estranged husband fails to--she fights. And she's not alone.
David and his companions are what our world has dismissed as mere legend. Their duty to the human race brings them across the country, and they all know it is no coincidence when they cross paths with Jane.
As it happens, Jane is special. She's destined to rid the world of darkness.
With monsters from every nightmare seeking her out, a noble immortal knight showing her what love truly feels like, a secret past that even Jane can't remember, and even more powerful beings wagering the fate of her soul, Jane will embark on an epic journey to save her family and the world.
So what will happen when they realize she's the greatest monster of them all?
Gods✔️ monsters ✔️ Arthur and his nights as immortals ✔️ what’s not to love right? Well I’m stuck as I wanted to give it 4 stars but there were a few draw backs for me the main one being it felt rushed in some places and sometimes abit over explained and slightly cheesy! But I absolutely love all the gods and mythology and all at war. All on sides you don’t expect I was enjoying the book then bam Hades and yea I’m a sucker for the God of the underworld!
Warnings: Triggers for abuse, sa, mental health disorders. Heavy violence, horror, strong language, emotional and controversial themes, sex, rape(not praised), will have multiple loves for the heroine.
Kindle
Gods & Monsters ( Book 1)
By Janie Marie
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Monsters are real, legends are truth—and the man who saves Jane's life is an immortal knight. But it will be her secret past with the Angel of Death that changes everything.
Gods & Monsters - Book One
When the plague of all plagues begins its destruction, it isn't a miracle cure by scientists or even our military that saves us.
No, our saviors are monsters.
Jane appears to be nothing special. In fact, she's a sad sight to behold. Afflicted by the sorrow of her tragic past and failing marriage, the young mother of two is as terrified as every other soul when humanity faces doom. Yet, when hope seems lost, Jane does something even her estranged husband fails to--she fights. And she's not alone.
David and his companions are what our world has dismissed as mere legend. Their duty to the human race brings them across the country, and they all know it is no coincidence when they cross paths with Jane.
As it happens, Jane is special. She's destined to rid the world of darkness.
With monsters from every nightmare seeking her out, a noble immortal knight showing her what love truly feels like, a secret past that even Jane can't remember, and even more powerful beings wagering the fate of her soul, Jane will embark on an epic journey to save her family and the world.
So what will happen when they realize she's the greatest monster of them all?
Gods✔️ monsters ✔️ Arthur and his nights as immortals ✔️ what’s not to love right? Well I’m stuck as I wanted to give it 4 stars but there were a few draw backs for me the main one being it felt rushed in some places and sometimes abit over explained and slightly cheesy! But I absolutely love all the gods and mythology and all at war. All on sides you don’t expect I was enjoying the book then bam Hades and yea I’m a sucker for the God of the underworld!
Warnings: Triggers for abuse, sa, mental health disorders. Heavy violence, horror, strong language, emotional and controversial themes, sex, rape(not praised), will have multiple loves for the heroine.
Debbiereadsbook (1092 KP) rated Fox Tale (Sacred Emblems #0) in Books
Apr 27, 2024
great reading about Japan.
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Ava is in Japan, writing a travel article. Meeting Chase, with his wonderful tales of Japanese myths and legends, helps her write a different take. But she never expected to meet up with her ex, Rafe, who left her two years ago without a word. Both men are hiking things. Can Ava choose?
I don't read reviews before I read a book, not anymore, but I will read them AFTER I've read said book, but before I write my review for one reason only: did they feel the same about this book as I did.
In this case: nope. They all loved this book and I . . . didn't.
I'm not saying I didn't like this book, I just found it hard work.
It's almost all written from Ava's point of view, in the first person. Rafe gets two very small bits, not even a chapter, in the third. I needed more from Rafe, and Chase, to be fair, to offset Ava.
There is a huge amount of repeated wording. Mostly around how Ava feels and thinks about Chase. "Apart from his silver hair, he looks young" or words to that effect are the most common. It began to get a bit much. "Seven hundred and seventy *something*, next winter" is another. The same things about the fox stories from Japanese lore pop up time and again too.
Apart from that, I liked this book. I couldn't see where it was going, nor how it was getting there, so when it did all go down, I was surprised and I liked the way it all happened.
Although there is the repetition of the lore, I did enjoy reading about the Japanese traditions and myths and legends.
There are some difficult topics here: death of a spouse, suicide, mental health issues and readers do need to be aware. Things are not how they seem, however, but the warning still needs to be made.
This is the first I've read of this author, and I always ask myself, will I read more? Not at this time. I won't say no to reading something else at a later date though.
3 good stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Ava is in Japan, writing a travel article. Meeting Chase, with his wonderful tales of Japanese myths and legends, helps her write a different take. But she never expected to meet up with her ex, Rafe, who left her two years ago without a word. Both men are hiking things. Can Ava choose?
I don't read reviews before I read a book, not anymore, but I will read them AFTER I've read said book, but before I write my review for one reason only: did they feel the same about this book as I did.
In this case: nope. They all loved this book and I . . . didn't.
I'm not saying I didn't like this book, I just found it hard work.
It's almost all written from Ava's point of view, in the first person. Rafe gets two very small bits, not even a chapter, in the third. I needed more from Rafe, and Chase, to be fair, to offset Ava.
There is a huge amount of repeated wording. Mostly around how Ava feels and thinks about Chase. "Apart from his silver hair, he looks young" or words to that effect are the most common. It began to get a bit much. "Seven hundred and seventy *something*, next winter" is another. The same things about the fox stories from Japanese lore pop up time and again too.
Apart from that, I liked this book. I couldn't see where it was going, nor how it was getting there, so when it did all go down, I was surprised and I liked the way it all happened.
Although there is the repetition of the lore, I did enjoy reading about the Japanese traditions and myths and legends.
There are some difficult topics here: death of a spouse, suicide, mental health issues and readers do need to be aware. Things are not how they seem, however, but the warning still needs to be made.
This is the first I've read of this author, and I always ask myself, will I read more? Not at this time. I won't say no to reading something else at a later date though.
3 good stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
BookInspector (124 KP) rated Playing Nice in Books
Nov 9, 2020
The protagonists in this story were Pete and Maddie, and the story is told from their perspectives. Pete is unemployed/freelance journalist, who loves being the main carer of his son – Theo. Pete is very sweet and a true people pleaser. Maddie is working in advertising and has difficulty finding her motherly instinct when it comes to Theo. We also have Miles and Lucy, the real Theo’s parents, that are truly strange. The only character I really liked was Pete, he is just so sweet and innocent man. I did not like Maddie, I think she is an absolute hypocrite. However, I have to admit, her input in this book was intriguing. The author is an absolute expert when it comes to creating psychopaths in his novels. Every single book has one, and they are really well developed and delivered. In this book it was Miles. I really have nothing good to say about him at all, except that he is a master of deceit and nastiness.
The plot of this novel started pretty slow. It was a pity to see Pete struggling so much, but when the cruel twists came through, my blood just boiled for all the injustice happening in this book. It was like an avalanche of bad news hitting Pete and Maddie, and all that made me sad, angry and kind of annoyed. The topics discussed in this book were premature babies, mental health issues, infidelity, controlling and psychopathic partners and their behaviour, the legal system in the UK, family courts, challenging of “stay at home dad” stigma, and many more. I really liked how the author released the important information in this novel, some of it was thrown in like a bomb, but other important details were shared slowly throughout the book.
I really like the writing style, it is very well researched, truly personal and a challenging read. The book is set in London, and I really enjoy learning about different boroughs. The chapters are pretty short, and the book is so riveting and emotionally absorbing, that the pages just flew by to me. I really liked the ending of this book, it is very surprising but extremely satisfying, to say the least. 🙂
So, to conclude, I strongly recommend this novel to everyone who loves a good psychological thriller. I would love to see this book made into a film. The characters are all so different, unique and intriguing, and the plot is exceptionally well crafted, filled with so many emotions, that it is really hard to read this book without feeling something (in my case it was anger and pity).
The plot of this novel started pretty slow. It was a pity to see Pete struggling so much, but when the cruel twists came through, my blood just boiled for all the injustice happening in this book. It was like an avalanche of bad news hitting Pete and Maddie, and all that made me sad, angry and kind of annoyed. The topics discussed in this book were premature babies, mental health issues, infidelity, controlling and psychopathic partners and their behaviour, the legal system in the UK, family courts, challenging of “stay at home dad” stigma, and many more. I really liked how the author released the important information in this novel, some of it was thrown in like a bomb, but other important details were shared slowly throughout the book.
I really like the writing style, it is very well researched, truly personal and a challenging read. The book is set in London, and I really enjoy learning about different boroughs. The chapters are pretty short, and the book is so riveting and emotionally absorbing, that the pages just flew by to me. I really liked the ending of this book, it is very surprising but extremely satisfying, to say the least. 🙂
So, to conclude, I strongly recommend this novel to everyone who loves a good psychological thriller. I would love to see this book made into a film. The characters are all so different, unique and intriguing, and the plot is exceptionally well crafted, filled with so many emotions, that it is really hard to read this book without feeling something (in my case it was anger and pity).
BookInspector (124 KP) rated Because of you in Books
Nov 9, 2020
This novel has multiple protagonists, and I think they all are equally important in this story. The most influential characters would be Julius and Anna, Hope and Minnie. My heart truly fell for Anna, her husband Julius is a self-centred psychopath and she was left on her own to deal with all the events that were happening to her. I simply do not justify Hope’s actions in this book in any way or format. She had no right to behave the way she did, it does not matter how she felt, jut there is no justification to her actions! Minnie is a true personality, as well as a teenager with all her moods and behaviour. I think this novel is very character-driven, allowing the reader to see the events from different perspectives.
The narrative was an absolute emotional roller-coaster for me. I was angry most of the times, because of Hope and Julius, I was sad, pity but proud of Anna and I was kind of excited for Minnie. This novel discusses a lot of important topics such as stillbirth, toxic marriages, teenage pregnancy, motherly love, loss, mental health issues, sacrifice, self esteem, and many many more. The plot is so full of events, that it is quite difficult not to spoil it. 🙂 One thing I understand, that this is Hate it or Love it kind of book, and I can see why it might happen. 🙂
The writing style of this novel is absolutely magnificent! It was my first novel by Dawn French, and I am impressed to the core. Her ability to develop the character is excellent. I have to warn the readers, that this novel is a very emotionally challenging read, it might trigger PTSD to people who had bad luck with pregnancies or any kind of loss of a child (death, kidnappings, murders, anything…), please proceed with caution. The chapters have a decent length, and this book had me gripped from the first chapter. Even though I was angry most of the time throughout this book, the ending left me weeping like a baby. It is beautifully and heartbreakingly concluded.
So, to conclude, the book that brought so much emotion and left me scarred can be nothing but BRILLIANT. The whole story has absorbed me with its injustice, character’s feelings and all the nuances of the plot. If you have a chance to listen to the audiobook, please do, the author is a brilliant storyteller, and her personality shines through in her narration of this novel.
The narrative was an absolute emotional roller-coaster for me. I was angry most of the times, because of Hope and Julius, I was sad, pity but proud of Anna and I was kind of excited for Minnie. This novel discusses a lot of important topics such as stillbirth, toxic marriages, teenage pregnancy, motherly love, loss, mental health issues, sacrifice, self esteem, and many many more. The plot is so full of events, that it is quite difficult not to spoil it. 🙂 One thing I understand, that this is Hate it or Love it kind of book, and I can see why it might happen. 🙂
The writing style of this novel is absolutely magnificent! It was my first novel by Dawn French, and I am impressed to the core. Her ability to develop the character is excellent. I have to warn the readers, that this novel is a very emotionally challenging read, it might trigger PTSD to people who had bad luck with pregnancies or any kind of loss of a child (death, kidnappings, murders, anything…), please proceed with caution. The chapters have a decent length, and this book had me gripped from the first chapter. Even though I was angry most of the time throughout this book, the ending left me weeping like a baby. It is beautifully and heartbreakingly concluded.
So, to conclude, the book that brought so much emotion and left me scarred can be nothing but BRILLIANT. The whole story has absorbed me with its injustice, character’s feelings and all the nuances of the plot. If you have a chance to listen to the audiobook, please do, the author is a brilliant storyteller, and her personality shines through in her narration of this novel.
BookInspector (124 KP) rated The Art of Death in Books
Jul 1, 2021
The main character in this novel is DI Grace Archer, she is a leading investigator in a series of very bizarre and very cruel murders. There is a very wide variety of diverse and intriguing characters in this novel, and this book is told from multiple perspectives, including the victims and the killer as well. DI Archer is a very complex character, her childhood had its horrors, and she is an outsider in her new police station. But I really admired her strength, sharp mind and complexity. This book allows me to delve deeper into the characters, especially the victims, I think all the victims were suffering from one thing or another, and it was interesting to read about their lives.
The narrative of this book always changes, from the investigation it jumps to new abductions, to personal character’s lives. All these things made the book very fast-paced and enjoyable for me. Even though it is a debut novel, I felt like this book is a part of a series because of the way the author incorporated the details from DI Archer’s past. I felt like I missed the investigations that happened in the past. 😀 I found the plot very multi-dimensional, absorbing and creepy. The topics discussed in this book were grief and loss, traumatic experiences, workplace discrimination, many mental health issues, drug use, domestic and other violence and many many more.
The writing style is very easy to read and enjoyable, but at the same time, it felt unusual, different. (I can’t describe how though 😀 ) The author has experience in cybersecurity, and it was interesting to see, how he highlights the mistakes people do in their daily lives when it comes to our social media and online presence. There are a lot of gory murder scenes in this book, so it might not be suitable for sensitive readers. The atmosphere and the setting of the novel constantly change, depending on the perspective, and I really enjoyed it. The chapters are pretty short, and the whole novel was a page-turner for me. I really loved the ending, it left me very intrigued, and I can’t wait for another book. 🙂
So, to conclude, it is a very rich novel, full of layered and diverse characters as well as a plot that is fast-paced and always changing. I really enjoyed this book, it highlights so many various topics and social issues, you just need to find it.
The narrative of this book always changes, from the investigation it jumps to new abductions, to personal character’s lives. All these things made the book very fast-paced and enjoyable for me. Even though it is a debut novel, I felt like this book is a part of a series because of the way the author incorporated the details from DI Archer’s past. I felt like I missed the investigations that happened in the past. 😀 I found the plot very multi-dimensional, absorbing and creepy. The topics discussed in this book were grief and loss, traumatic experiences, workplace discrimination, many mental health issues, drug use, domestic and other violence and many many more.
The writing style is very easy to read and enjoyable, but at the same time, it felt unusual, different. (I can’t describe how though 😀 ) The author has experience in cybersecurity, and it was interesting to see, how he highlights the mistakes people do in their daily lives when it comes to our social media and online presence. There are a lot of gory murder scenes in this book, so it might not be suitable for sensitive readers. The atmosphere and the setting of the novel constantly change, depending on the perspective, and I really enjoyed it. The chapters are pretty short, and the whole novel was a page-turner for me. I really loved the ending, it left me very intrigued, and I can’t wait for another book. 🙂
So, to conclude, it is a very rich novel, full of layered and diverse characters as well as a plot that is fast-paced and always changing. I really enjoyed this book, it highlights so many various topics and social issues, you just need to find it.
BookInspector (124 KP) rated Circus Maximus: Race to the Death in Books
Jul 1, 2021
The protagonist in this book is Dido, a twelve-year-old girl in ancient Rome, and this story is told from her perspective. Dido was raised with horses and chariot racers, and her dream was to become a racer herself. After her father gets murdered, she has to flee Rome to survive. But she left a lot behind, and she will need to return to claim what was hers. I really liked Dido, she is so stubborn and not scared of hard work. I also really admired her self confidence and bravery in a very male-dominated environment. I had a love-hate relationship with some of the characters, I loved the ones that supported Dido, and hated all of those who were cruel to the horses. I really liked the sheer amount of horses in this book, their different personalities and their ability to work so well as a team. They are truly impressive animals. 🙂
The narrative of this book was very fast-paced and very intriguing. There were plenty of turns and unexpected surprises, that I thoroughly enjoyed. This book talks about four factions/teams: Green (everyone’s favourite), Blue (biggest Green’s competitor), White and Red (these teams were the least mentioned in this book). I have to say, that I am a supporter of the Blue faction. 🙂 There are plenty of reasons but if I will tell, it will spoil the reading experience. The topics discussed in this book are chariot racing, cheating in sports, gender power playing, mental health issues, very slight romance, animal cruelty and many more.
I was a little scared to read this book because when I saw the character listing at the beginning of the book, I thought that there will be a very wide variety of characters and I will have difficulty knowing who is who. But I was very wrong indeed. This book is beautifully written and very easy to read. The chapters have medium length, but they just flew by for me, I was very absorbed with this story. I have to throw in a warning, that this book contains animal cruelty, so if anyone is like me, tears and anger will be happening while reading. The ending of this novel rounded this story very nicely, and I can not wait for the next book in this series.
So, to conclude, the protagonist of this story is very likeable, and I was cheering her all the way till the end. All the characters in this book are very well crafted and delivered, and the plot of this book is fast-paced and absorbing.
The narrative of this book was very fast-paced and very intriguing. There were plenty of turns and unexpected surprises, that I thoroughly enjoyed. This book talks about four factions/teams: Green (everyone’s favourite), Blue (biggest Green’s competitor), White and Red (these teams were the least mentioned in this book). I have to say, that I am a supporter of the Blue faction. 🙂 There are plenty of reasons but if I will tell, it will spoil the reading experience. The topics discussed in this book are chariot racing, cheating in sports, gender power playing, mental health issues, very slight romance, animal cruelty and many more.
I was a little scared to read this book because when I saw the character listing at the beginning of the book, I thought that there will be a very wide variety of characters and I will have difficulty knowing who is who. But I was very wrong indeed. This book is beautifully written and very easy to read. The chapters have medium length, but they just flew by for me, I was very absorbed with this story. I have to throw in a warning, that this book contains animal cruelty, so if anyone is like me, tears and anger will be happening while reading. The ending of this novel rounded this story very nicely, and I can not wait for the next book in this series.
So, to conclude, the protagonist of this story is very likeable, and I was cheering her all the way till the end. All the characters in this book are very well crafted and delivered, and the plot of this book is fast-paced and absorbing.
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated The Rest of Us Just Live Here in Books
Jun 24, 2019
This is the second book I've read by Patrick Ness, the first being More Than This which I adored. So I was really looking forward to The Rest of Us Just Live Here, and I was not disappointed!
The theme of this novel was basically what if you're not the Chosen One? As in, what if you aren't the one who slays the vampires, or exorcises all the demons? What if you don't fall in love with a Goddess or an angel? What if you're just a regular kid, like Mike?
At the start of each chapter, there's a short summary of what's happening in the "main story" - the indie kids fighting the Immortals, saving the world and that kinda thing. But that's all we get of their story; the rest is dedicated to Mike and his friends and family, struggling to lead happy, normal lives.
Each character is so unique and realistic. This is the important bit. There are characters with OCD, alcoholic parents, eating disorders. All of them are so well developed and relatable (expect perhaps Jared, who happens to be 1/4 God of Cats). I just love how their lives are normal lives, and how that doesn't mean they don't get a book written about them. Okay, Henna and Mikey nearly die, Jared can heal people and they encounter blue-eyed creatures a few times, but for the most part they aren't the heroes. They are just people.
I loved how you could compare the normal lives of the gang to what's happening with the indie kids. You can see how certain things affect each group of people differently, and how everything changes what they do. Such as the ending with Finn #2, which decides Jared's fate and alters the indie kids' story completely.
The writing is sometimes a little simplistic, like the kind of thing you read when you're a pre-teen or something. But it's easy to read, and really does draw you in. I have a few other Ness books I'd like to read, and I really am loving his work so far.
As you may or may not know, I'm a sucker for books featuring mental health problems. Anxiety, OCD, anorexia... They need to be addressed! It's great seeing how Mike and his sister get on with their lives despite the problems they're facing, and how they get involved without being judged based on their issues. Like I said, this is a really honest book, which we really need! I'd say 4 stars for this; I love it, but it's not quite in my favourites.
The theme of this novel was basically what if you're not the Chosen One? As in, what if you aren't the one who slays the vampires, or exorcises all the demons? What if you don't fall in love with a Goddess or an angel? What if you're just a regular kid, like Mike?
At the start of each chapter, there's a short summary of what's happening in the "main story" - the indie kids fighting the Immortals, saving the world and that kinda thing. But that's all we get of their story; the rest is dedicated to Mike and his friends and family, struggling to lead happy, normal lives.
Each character is so unique and realistic. This is the important bit. There are characters with OCD, alcoholic parents, eating disorders. All of them are so well developed and relatable (expect perhaps Jared, who happens to be 1/4 God of Cats). I just love how their lives are normal lives, and how that doesn't mean they don't get a book written about them. Okay, Henna and Mikey nearly die, Jared can heal people and they encounter blue-eyed creatures a few times, but for the most part they aren't the heroes. They are just people.
I loved how you could compare the normal lives of the gang to what's happening with the indie kids. You can see how certain things affect each group of people differently, and how everything changes what they do. Such as the ending with Finn #2, which decides Jared's fate and alters the indie kids' story completely.
The writing is sometimes a little simplistic, like the kind of thing you read when you're a pre-teen or something. But it's easy to read, and really does draw you in. I have a few other Ness books I'd like to read, and I really am loving his work so far.
As you may or may not know, I'm a sucker for books featuring mental health problems. Anxiety, OCD, anorexia... They need to be addressed! It's great seeing how Mike and his sister get on with their lives despite the problems they're facing, and how they get involved without being judged based on their issues. Like I said, this is a really honest book, which we really need! I'd say 4 stars for this; I love it, but it's not quite in my favourites.
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated Man Down (2016) in Movies
Jul 12, 2019
This Dito Montiel (Fighting, The Son of No One) directed film is a look at mental health and how soldiers returning from war can be affected by the tragedy of war and life.
This film tries to put us inside the mind of a soldier and they lead up to his deployment to war, the trauma that can be suffered at war and the result of seeing things that can’t be unseen. It begins with U.S. Marine Gabriel Drummer (Shia LaBeouf) searching for his son, Johnathan (Charlie Shotwell), and wife, Natalie (Kate Mara), in a post-apocalyptic America.
His only company is his best friend and fellow war veteran Devin Roberts (Jai Courtney). We then flash back to a counseling session between Gabriel and Counselor Peyton (Gary Oldman). They are recounting an incident that happened while Gabriel and Devin were in the field as well as talk about the relationship between the two brothers in arms. Peyton probes Gabriel for answers to what happened in the field and what his life at home will be like when he returns. The story takes us through Gabriel’s journey from boot camp to his search to be reunited with his wife and child.
The beginning of the film is so scattered with flash backs and flash forwards it is not the easiest story to follow. Montiel tries to tie the story all together at the end but it really done quickly and sloppily. There was no really good flow to the film.
The message at the end was really powerful but there execution to get there really didn’t work for me. The cast individual performances were good but I thought that as a whole there was not cohesion.
The relationships between all the characters seemed forced and it was hard to get emotionally invested in what should have been and emotionally compelling story. LaBeouf does commit and his performance I would say the bright spot. I think the intention was that the end of the movie should be a surprise or twist but the ending for me was never really in doubt.
There were points when the film seemed to have momentum but that was stopped by a flash back or forward that would take you out of the moment. All trying to set up a conclusion that seemed inevitable.
The idea of bringing awareness to a real issue in our country, of returning veterans suffering from PTSD, is a noble one and I applaud them for trying. I just wish the execution would have been better overall.
This film tries to put us inside the mind of a soldier and they lead up to his deployment to war, the trauma that can be suffered at war and the result of seeing things that can’t be unseen. It begins with U.S. Marine Gabriel Drummer (Shia LaBeouf) searching for his son, Johnathan (Charlie Shotwell), and wife, Natalie (Kate Mara), in a post-apocalyptic America.
His only company is his best friend and fellow war veteran Devin Roberts (Jai Courtney). We then flash back to a counseling session between Gabriel and Counselor Peyton (Gary Oldman). They are recounting an incident that happened while Gabriel and Devin were in the field as well as talk about the relationship between the two brothers in arms. Peyton probes Gabriel for answers to what happened in the field and what his life at home will be like when he returns. The story takes us through Gabriel’s journey from boot camp to his search to be reunited with his wife and child.
The beginning of the film is so scattered with flash backs and flash forwards it is not the easiest story to follow. Montiel tries to tie the story all together at the end but it really done quickly and sloppily. There was no really good flow to the film.
The message at the end was really powerful but there execution to get there really didn’t work for me. The cast individual performances were good but I thought that as a whole there was not cohesion.
The relationships between all the characters seemed forced and it was hard to get emotionally invested in what should have been and emotionally compelling story. LaBeouf does commit and his performance I would say the bright spot. I think the intention was that the end of the movie should be a surprise or twist but the ending for me was never really in doubt.
There were points when the film seemed to have momentum but that was stopped by a flash back or forward that would take you out of the moment. All trying to set up a conclusion that seemed inevitable.
The idea of bringing awareness to a real issue in our country, of returning veterans suffering from PTSD, is a noble one and I applaud them for trying. I just wish the execution would have been better overall.
"As far as I’m concerned, I came out of the womb spouting cynicism and wishing for rain."
"As far as I’m concerned, I came out of the womb spouting cynicism and wishing for rain."
A while back, I read an online comic strip by the same author, Heartstopper Volume 1. I found it by chance and I literally flew through it. I adored it and I went ahead and TBR’d some of her other books. I found this one on Scribd and come to find this was her baby. This was her debut novel. The story was pretty good, it is NOT a love story, but I sometimes found myself getting frustrated with the main character. Reasons why are listed below.
The story is told from a teenager named Victoria ‘Tori’ Spring. She has two younger brothers and she is quite…indifferent. She has one best friend, and honestly one friend only, and she’s very much the pessimist. I can’t fully fault her for that, but some things that I just CANNOT tolerate. I found myself gasping and GLARING at the words as I read them.
She hates books. Yes, she said she hates books (-1 point). She knows the name of each book and the author who wrote them, but she won’t actually read them.
Though she loves film so I’ll give the point back to her (0).
"When you watch a film, you’re sort of an outsider looking in. With a book – you’re right there. You are inside. You are the main character."
She thinks Pride and Prejudice is ridiculous and boring…she gets positive points for that (+2) – I’m sorry I’m in the minority. I do not care for Jane Austen and find her so called romance novels dull and boring. Not sorry!
She despises Disney because the movies are total fake and unrealistic. WELL NO SHIT! It’s DISNEY! (-200) – I’m a Disney nerd and while I don’t agree with sugar coating the original fair tales, I still LOVE Disney. You can’t fault me for that!
Anyway…
Tori is highly cynical and while I can appreciate that in her, sometimes she made my favorite cartoon character, Daria, seem like a sweetheart. Two guys come into Tori’s life. One was an old childhood friend, Lucas, and the other is someone she met before, Michael. At the same time, a blog group called ‘Solitaire’ starts making trouble…almost in Tori’s honor.
I won’t go into great detail, mostly because I would definitely give more away than I want to. I breezed through this story quickly, but there are just some things in the story that just didn’t sit well with me.
This guy Lucas was so sketchy that he nearly drove Tori crazy with his change in personality.
Her parents…they literally do not seem to care. Her mother most of all. She is mostly on her computer and seems to kind of be absent, mentally, as a parental figure. That never gets resolved, and I don’t know if that’s a good thing or bad thing. In the end, it really bothered me at how disinterested her parents really were. I get that perhaps it’s something you do when you’re bringing up teenagers, but damn!!
"I swear to God I’m a freak! I mean it. One day I’m going to forget how to wake up."
You’re probably thinking that this really doesn’t seem like it would be in the mental health genre. It is. Tori goes through an awful lot in this story, not to mention the mental strain with her brother, Charlie. I will say there are some MILD trigger warnings regarding implied self harm.
I was kind of left with mixed emotions with this book. I have great respect for this author and this being her first story. I know it’s near and dear to her heart. I wouldn’t say that this was at the top of my list, but it’s not at the bottom either. I definitely appreciated it NOT BEING a love story. Although it seemed like it would, despite the subtitle of the book, but I’m glad it wasn’t.
A while back, I read an online comic strip by the same author, Heartstopper Volume 1. I found it by chance and I literally flew through it. I adored it and I went ahead and TBR’d some of her other books. I found this one on Scribd and come to find this was her baby. This was her debut novel. The story was pretty good, it is NOT a love story, but I sometimes found myself getting frustrated with the main character. Reasons why are listed below.
The story is told from a teenager named Victoria ‘Tori’ Spring. She has two younger brothers and she is quite…indifferent. She has one best friend, and honestly one friend only, and she’s very much the pessimist. I can’t fully fault her for that, but some things that I just CANNOT tolerate. I found myself gasping and GLARING at the words as I read them.
She hates books. Yes, she said she hates books (-1 point). She knows the name of each book and the author who wrote them, but she won’t actually read them.
Though she loves film so I’ll give the point back to her (0).
"When you watch a film, you’re sort of an outsider looking in. With a book – you’re right there. You are inside. You are the main character."
She thinks Pride and Prejudice is ridiculous and boring…she gets positive points for that (+2) – I’m sorry I’m in the minority. I do not care for Jane Austen and find her so called romance novels dull and boring. Not sorry!
She despises Disney because the movies are total fake and unrealistic. WELL NO SHIT! It’s DISNEY! (-200) – I’m a Disney nerd and while I don’t agree with sugar coating the original fair tales, I still LOVE Disney. You can’t fault me for that!
Anyway…
Tori is highly cynical and while I can appreciate that in her, sometimes she made my favorite cartoon character, Daria, seem like a sweetheart. Two guys come into Tori’s life. One was an old childhood friend, Lucas, and the other is someone she met before, Michael. At the same time, a blog group called ‘Solitaire’ starts making trouble…almost in Tori’s honor.
I won’t go into great detail, mostly because I would definitely give more away than I want to. I breezed through this story quickly, but there are just some things in the story that just didn’t sit well with me.
This guy Lucas was so sketchy that he nearly drove Tori crazy with his change in personality.
Her parents…they literally do not seem to care. Her mother most of all. She is mostly on her computer and seems to kind of be absent, mentally, as a parental figure. That never gets resolved, and I don’t know if that’s a good thing or bad thing. In the end, it really bothered me at how disinterested her parents really were. I get that perhaps it’s something you do when you’re bringing up teenagers, but damn!!
"I swear to God I’m a freak! I mean it. One day I’m going to forget how to wake up."
You’re probably thinking that this really doesn’t seem like it would be in the mental health genre. It is. Tori goes through an awful lot in this story, not to mention the mental strain with her brother, Charlie. I will say there are some MILD trigger warnings regarding implied self harm.
I was kind of left with mixed emotions with this book. I have great respect for this author and this being her first story. I know it’s near and dear to her heart. I wouldn’t say that this was at the top of my list, but it’s not at the bottom either. I definitely appreciated it NOT BEING a love story. Although it seemed like it would, despite the subtitle of the book, but I’m glad it wasn’t.
Rachel King (13 KP) rated Finding the Light of Jesus in Books
Feb 11, 2019
When I first started to read this book, I realized very quickly how simply written this book is. The first ten chapters read as if I were sitting in a therapy session with the author and she were talking to me. They are written without much emphasis on detail, and seemed to focus largely on how a person feels in regards to stress and depression. Though the author writes extensively on the light of Jesus, she does not quote a single Bible verse, though she attempts to paraphrase a few - without citations. The beginning and end of each of these ten chapters also contain a poem she wrote and calls prayers, though the poetry is badly written and has little resemblance to an actual prayer, in my opinion. Also scattered through the chapters are activities that the author recommends for the reader, such as journaling and answering questions.
The final chapter is actually a collection of prayers and reflections that the reader is supposed to follow over the course of seven days. This is followed by a section of "Conversations With Jesus" that focus on different topics such as anger, jealousy, being overwhelmed, and fear. This is followed by five pages in which she quotes a scripture from the New American Bible, and leaves a blank space for the reader to journal the answers to her questions about the scripture verse. This is followed by more of her prayers and a further 30 days of prayer and reflection.
Overall, the author presents a Jesus that is only concerned about a person's feelings, whom the author seems to believe that everyone has inside of him or her from birth. She further indicates that everyone goes to heaven, and Jesus' strongest quality is being a "light." No mention is made of the basic precepts of Bible-based Christianity, such as sin, salvation, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Instead she writes things that seem to contradict parts of scripture, such as stating that Jesus does not judge us and that we are the "light," as well as what I previously mentioned about everyone going to heaven. In the context of that paragraph, I almost expected the author to write that we are all Jesus. I also noticed while reading that nowhere does she ever refer to Him as Jesus Christ either. The entire book has a vague New Age feel, as many of the things Tuttle writes mimic the doctrine of a New Age Jesus.
The author, Cindy Tuttle, has a background of working in the mental health industry for more than twenty-five years. Based on what I have read in this book, I have no doubt that she is good at her job and finds great success with her patients, but I do not find this book of the same calibur.
The final chapter is actually a collection of prayers and reflections that the reader is supposed to follow over the course of seven days. This is followed by a section of "Conversations With Jesus" that focus on different topics such as anger, jealousy, being overwhelmed, and fear. This is followed by five pages in which she quotes a scripture from the New American Bible, and leaves a blank space for the reader to journal the answers to her questions about the scripture verse. This is followed by more of her prayers and a further 30 days of prayer and reflection.
Overall, the author presents a Jesus that is only concerned about a person's feelings, whom the author seems to believe that everyone has inside of him or her from birth. She further indicates that everyone goes to heaven, and Jesus' strongest quality is being a "light." No mention is made of the basic precepts of Bible-based Christianity, such as sin, salvation, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Instead she writes things that seem to contradict parts of scripture, such as stating that Jesus does not judge us and that we are the "light," as well as what I previously mentioned about everyone going to heaven. In the context of that paragraph, I almost expected the author to write that we are all Jesus. I also noticed while reading that nowhere does she ever refer to Him as Jesus Christ either. The entire book has a vague New Age feel, as many of the things Tuttle writes mimic the doctrine of a New Age Jesus.
The author, Cindy Tuttle, has a background of working in the mental health industry for more than twenty-five years. Based on what I have read in this book, I have no doubt that she is good at her job and finds great success with her patients, but I do not find this book of the same calibur.