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Doctor Sleep (2019)
Doctor Sleep (2019)
2019 | Horror
A bigger look at the Shining universe (0 more)
Some recreation scenes of the original (0 more)
Shine on
So I recently watched The Shining again to prepare for this. I've not read the book so can't compare it to that. It's mainly set some 30 years after the events of The Shining with Danny now a grown man and struggling in life. He finally finds a calling and seems to settle in a small town where he can use his Shine in a positive way. He discovers a new child with a great power and also of a group who want to hunt her down exploit her power.
For a long film it did whizz by as the story was very interesting. It's a different type of horror film to the original. Although it's still dark and disturbing in its content. We learn more about those with this power and the evil group who hunt down those with the power. It's good to see the overlook hotel again but in some ways this film didn't really need visit the old location. I guess it does give it more of a connection to the original. Although a couple of scenes there really would have been better cut out.
Overall it's a very interesting, entertaining film that might not be scary as such. It is very dark and menacing. A great expansion on the Shining universe.
  
Remnants of Ash (Reign of Fae #1)
Remnants of Ash (Reign of Fae #1)
C K Dawn | 2019 | Dystopia, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Mere mortal. Fae hunter. Oh, and the apocalypse? Yeah, that happened!

She’s an unstoppable human. He’s an immovable beast. But the Fae have scorched the earth, thrusting it into unending darkness, and humans are next...

Through her research, University of Washington student Chloe Etain stumbled into an ancient war between the Light and Dark Fae that has culminated in her world being thrown into pre-industrial chaos. Dark Fae scum now roam free, feeding on unsuspecting humans. Chloe knows the truth though and, possibly, how to stop it. But as a mere mortal, what can she do?

That’s when the fates step in. Bram Tice, a fae hunting his own kind, vows to help Chloe. But he won’t say which Court demands his allegiance. Together, they set out to right the imbalance plaguing her world and save humanity before they turn into nothing more than remnants of ash.



This has been in my tbr pile for a while so I was looking forward to getting stuck in.
I can't really say I enjoyed it it wasn't a bad read but something was missing for me.

The storyline seemed to have a few holes and it was quite jumpy in parts (not the scary jumpy either 🤣 )
I will continue with book 2 as I don't like to give up on any series.

⭐⭐⭐
  
Tormented
Tormented
Lee Mountford | 2021 | Fiction & Poetry, Horror
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
49 of 250
Kindle
Tormented
By Lee Mountford

Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments

Insidious experiments are being carried out at Arlington Asylum, and the only way the inmates ever leave is inside a body bag.
 
Adrian is a prisoner here. And he is next on the list to receive the strange medicine that is being administered. Medicine that causes certain... changes... to those who take it.

If he is to survive, Adrian must find his self-worth and start fighting for his life while chaos erupts in the asylum around him.

Because these experiments open up a gateway to a place worse than hell. And the nightmarish inhabitants of that place break through and intend to tear our world apart.

Can Adrian stand against impossible odds and end this threat before it's too late?

Buy Tormented now, because you will love this violent and gruesome tale filled with horror, monsters, and buckets of gore. Not for the faint of heart.

I bloody loved it! This was some crazy bloody violent creature feature!! It would make a really good gory film! The monsters are so vividly written you can actually visualise them clearly! It isn’t normally my type of horror I usually get a little bored but this left no prisoners and gave no happy ending which is why I loved it!
  
40x40

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2275 KP) rated Much Ado About Nauticaling in Books

Jul 30, 2021 (Updated Jul 30, 2021)  
Much Ado About Nauticaling
Much Ado About Nauticaling
Gabby Allan | 2021 | Mystery
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I Really Was Hoping to Like This Debut
Whitney “Whit” Dagner and her brother Nick have relocated to Catalina Island. They visited their grandparents out there every summer, and now they are taking over their grandparents’ glass bottom boat business. Additionally, Whit is opening a souvenir shop in the harbor. She is enjoying her new life until she finds the body of Jules Tisdale, the recently named Person of the Year on Catalina. When the police decide that Nick is the killer, Whit jumps in to prove her brother’s innocence. Can she do it?

As soon as I heard about this book, I knew I had to read it. I always love Southern California settings, although it’s been years since I visited Catalina. I certainly did enjoy the setting. Overall, the book was too frenetic, however. It was trying to be funny, but much of the humor didn’t work for me. I did laugh a few times, but overall, it was too much. This effected some of the characters, too, although I did enjoy others. Despite finding the body early on, the pace was uneven, getting better the further we got into the book. While I followed the killer and motive, the ending was rushed and left some questions about earlier twists in the book. I was hoping to love this debut, but it turned out to be average.
  
4.5 stars.

It took me a while to get into this, maybe it was the fact we didn't get the answer to the question from the last book straight away or because of the lack of anything sexual happening between Reyes and Charley in the first few chapters.

It quickly got back to it's usual level of crazy Charley plots and heated exchanges between her and her "nigh fiancé". Add in all the usual P.I./police/FBI stuff and once again it was another great book in the series.

I loved the car sex scene.
<a href="http://s216.photobucket.com/user/leannecrab/media/tumblr_ms31u5aQtU1rgff3fo1_500.gif.html"; target="_blank"><img src="http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc19/leannecrab/tumblr_ms31u5aQtU1rgff3fo1_500.gif"; border="0" alt=" photo tumblr_ms31u5aQtU1rgff3fo1_500.gif"/></a>
That might sound a little strange but add Reyes, rain, a car bonnet and nakedness and you'll understand that was one hell of a hot scene. Especially if you've read the rest of the books in the series.

I'm happy about a lot of things that happened in this book but the ending has thrown me a little. I wasn't expecting it, anyway, and I'm intrigued as to where the ret of the series will go now and how many books there are going to be all together.

I'll definitely be keeping my eyes open for the 7th book in October :D
  
Devil&#039;s Bargain
Devil's Bargain
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
3.5 stars.

I&#039;ve read a lot of Rachel Caine books: 13 of 15 of her Morganville Vampires series, all of her Weather Warden books and 2 of 3 in her Revivalist series.
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This and it&#039;s sequel, Devil&#039;s Due which I&#039;ll start any minute,&nbsp;are nothing like what I&#039;ve come to expect, but they were written several years earlier than the books mentioned above. This wasn&#039;t as paranormal as I was expecting, what with the name of the book but even so I wasn&#039;t disappointed with the story at all.
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It centres on two females who&#039;ve never met but are brought together to form a detective agency and given jobs by a lawyers firm. Only things aren&#039;t as straight forward as they appear.
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I really enjoyed the romance between Jazz and (James) Borden. It was drawn out but it was constant throughout the book and I think I have to blame Jazz for nothing happening sooner, she was a little prickly where James was concerned simply because she found him attractive, while James never hid his attraction to Jazz.
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As I mentioned above, I&#039;m going straight onto Devil&#039;s Due now to find out how it all ends.
  
The Woman Who Wanted More
The Woman Who Wanted More
Vicky Zimmerman | 2019 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Food & Drink, Romance
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I'm glad I got to review it. I wanted more
When this was sent to me I thought, why the hell has this been sent to me, ME, to review. A book most definitely in that category of 'Clit Lit'. It's a book about women and love and stuff, so again, why me? Well it does have two things I really like in it; food and old people. So I gave it a go and did I like it? Well yes actually. This is a dear little book full of real charm and that rare delight of real feeling when you read it. Kate, a nearly forty, very likeable character is in a decentish job with a boyfriend she is head over heals for but whose friends wish she was just over for. Enter Cecily, a grumpy old git who you can tell as soon as she opens her nasty little mouth and sharpens her wit, that you are going to love her and you do. These two ladies are delightful characters and you do want to spend time with them so this bloke right here did keep reading and looking forward to the next spare half an hour to continue their journey. This is a book about food ultimately but its about food as a metaphor and food as an accomplishment for life. And like some foods there is something just very comforting reading this novel, it is warm and charming even in the sad and tender moments. I really enjoyed this book and am now hoping they turn it into one of those great British rom coms that you shouldn't like but do.
  
The Ministry of Time
The Ministry of Time
Kaliane Bradley | 2024 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Thriller
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book is everything I love about reading. I read to escape (mainly, but not solely!), and so science fiction/ fantasy has always appealed to me. Now I’ve discovered speculative fiction, and it seems to be like both of these things wrapped up in a package with a label saying: “This Seems Plausible”.

The Ministry of Time is a clever book - it uses time travel and science fiction, with a touch of history that actually happened, and mixes it up with a hefty dose of romance, thriller and literary fiction. It doesn’t sound like it will work, but I’m here to say that it really DOES!

Ok, so a quick, yet vague, synopsis: the British Government has come into possession of a device that can go back in time and find particular people in the past. It’s been decided that the people they take are all in life-threatening situations. Those plucked from their time are placed with a “Bridge”; someone who will facilitate their integration into modern society.

The main pair is that of Graham Gore, a Polar explorer from the Erebus expedition, and his Bridge, a woman whose mother escaped the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. Not an easy adjustment for a Victorian man. This Bridge is the narrator.

Graham Gore adjusts quickly to modern life, but is modern life willing to accept him? And what affect does it have on him and his fellow time travellers, to be so out of time?

There was so much to think about whilst reading this - I was completely immersed, and it ended FAR too quickly!
  
Come Sundown
Come Sundown
Nora Roberts | 2018 | Mystery
9
9.5 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Great Author, another bestseller right here (0 more)
Contains scenes of rape and abuse (0 more)
Brilliant but a harrowing read!
I am a big fan of Nora Roberts, and this book undoubtedly shows just why she has become such a top seller. Romantic suspense or crime thrillers aren't usually my thing but this author has a way of dragging me, and I know whatever I read will be worth it.

This book was very hard to read in places and extremely dark, some of the subject matters were hard hitting and I had to put the book down and walk away for a for a while. I am surprised it didn't come with a bit more of a warning to readers.

The story centres around the Bodine family who have a ranch resort in Montana. Like all her books it is based on family values and the healing powers of friendships formed. The story centres around Bodine Longbow manager of the resort side, which her family have had for generations. Due to circumstances out of her control she is in need of a horseman, and it just so happens here brothers best friend is back in town after a stint in Hollywood with his show horse Sundown. She has had a crush on him since they were at school and it is very sweet to watch the romance blossom between the two.

Alongside of this in true Nora style, there is another darker, more sinister story developing. One member of the Bodine family Alice, has be gone for years, expected of being a run away and giving up on the family as she was always strong willed and somewhat of a free spirit, was actually kidnapped whilst making her way home and has been in confinement in a room for years, being brutally beaten and raped repeatedly by a religious nut, who believes women are for bearing children and doing as their husbands tell them. Most of these scenes reduced me to tears.

<i>“He told her she was his property now. Though she’d clearly been a whore before he’d saved her on the side of the road, she was his responsibility now. And his to do with as he pleased.
He suggested she read the Bible, as it was written a woman was to be under a man’s dominance, how God had created woman from Adam’s rib to serve as his helpmate and to bear his children.”</i>

These scenes and many like them, within the book are very graphic, and there are a lot of triggers. As mentioned earlier in my review I had to put the book down and go do other things to get my mind off what was happening. Time and time again Nora shows how the love of family and friends can mend almost anything.

There are lots of parallel story lines running throughout the book, which all come together towards the end, making the darker parts more bearable. Another brilliant book by the author, the only reason I didn't give it five stars is because of how much I struggled with parts of the brutality and abuse.