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Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated The Making of a Duchess (The Sons of the Revolution, #1) in Books
Apr 27, 2018
Sarah Smith is just a governess… but then her employer sends her off to spy on the French Duc de Valère, Julien. Sarah takes on an identity of someone who died years ago. Insecure and out of her comfort zone, she does her best to figure out if Julien is a traitor… but gets nearly swept away by him. Being discovered as a spy doesn't help her situation any, either. But Julien isn't going to turn her out on the streets. He's going to use her to keep himself safe from the men trying to catch him… and he might just marry her.
Julien knows it's his duty to ask Serafina Artoris to marry him, and after seeing her once and being astounded by her beauty, he's fully prepared to marry her—but she rejects him. He tries his best to keep his head on straight as he continues his search for his brothers, who he is convinced are alive. But he never counted on Serafina being so attractive, so unique, so different… and discovers that he is willing to give her a second chance.
Both Julien and Sarah struggle with their feelings about each other, but unite in a common cause: to prove that Julien is not a traitor to his country, by finding his brother who may or may not be alive, using information from a man who may or may not be luring them into a trap. But there are many mysteries and complications along the way, such as compromised reputations, jail breaks, at least three marriage proposals, and pirates… and a Duc madly in love with a governess.
The Making of a Duchess was romantic, exciting, and sweet. It kept me reading and sat in the forefront of my mind.
The plot was exciting near the end when the action took place, but there wasn't much happening through the rest besides a lot of sneaking and a lot of kissing. I figured out a key element of the story the second the hint was dropped, in one of the first chapters, and I was a little disappointed that the mystery didn't get unveiled later. And, again with the last-page love confession… is it a requirement for men in romance novels to put off saying "I love you" for as long as they can? It was the only thing that bugged me about Julien. He was such a bright man, but he didn't even tell her that he loved her. Not until it was quite obvious. At least he said it, though.
I liked the characters a lot: I felt really bad for poor Sarah—although her repetition of doubts did get annoying after a while—and I cared a lot for her happy ending. She had so many doubts about who she was, her family, what was right and what was wrong, and even whom she was loyal to. Julien was just one of those heroes that everyone wants but nobody can seem to get their hands on, so there was no way to not love him. He was brave, courageous, had his priorities set straight, a hard worker, and a romantic (and extremely good looking). Their relationship was a little fast paced, and it was hard to see what it was based off of at first. Sarah had a hard time figuring out what was desire, and what was love… but I think she got it right in the end.
Content/Recommendation: little language, some sex. Ages 18+
Julien knows it's his duty to ask Serafina Artoris to marry him, and after seeing her once and being astounded by her beauty, he's fully prepared to marry her—but she rejects him. He tries his best to keep his head on straight as he continues his search for his brothers, who he is convinced are alive. But he never counted on Serafina being so attractive, so unique, so different… and discovers that he is willing to give her a second chance.
Both Julien and Sarah struggle with their feelings about each other, but unite in a common cause: to prove that Julien is not a traitor to his country, by finding his brother who may or may not be alive, using information from a man who may or may not be luring them into a trap. But there are many mysteries and complications along the way, such as compromised reputations, jail breaks, at least three marriage proposals, and pirates… and a Duc madly in love with a governess.
The Making of a Duchess was romantic, exciting, and sweet. It kept me reading and sat in the forefront of my mind.
The plot was exciting near the end when the action took place, but there wasn't much happening through the rest besides a lot of sneaking and a lot of kissing. I figured out a key element of the story the second the hint was dropped, in one of the first chapters, and I was a little disappointed that the mystery didn't get unveiled later. And, again with the last-page love confession… is it a requirement for men in romance novels to put off saying "I love you" for as long as they can? It was the only thing that bugged me about Julien. He was such a bright man, but he didn't even tell her that he loved her. Not until it was quite obvious. At least he said it, though.
I liked the characters a lot: I felt really bad for poor Sarah—although her repetition of doubts did get annoying after a while—and I cared a lot for her happy ending. She had so many doubts about who she was, her family, what was right and what was wrong, and even whom she was loyal to. Julien was just one of those heroes that everyone wants but nobody can seem to get their hands on, so there was no way to not love him. He was brave, courageous, had his priorities set straight, a hard worker, and a romantic (and extremely good looking). Their relationship was a little fast paced, and it was hard to see what it was based off of at first. Sarah had a hard time figuring out what was desire, and what was love… but I think she got it right in the end.
Content/Recommendation: little language, some sex. Ages 18+
Debbiereadsbook (1197 KP) rated Hard To Let Go (Haven's Cove #1) in Books
Mar 6, 2018
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Jumping straight in, cos this is gonna be hard to write, so bare with me, okay??
Freaking LOVED this book! And if THIS class of writing is what a first time author can produce, I so very much want to be on the end of the next book!
Because, let me tell ya, there I was, merrily plodding along, reading away, thinking 4 stars, balancing across between 4 and 5, back to 4. Great book, extremely well written from both Owen and Brody's point of view.
Some sexy parts, some emotional parts, even a few funny ones, with Owen's female family members. A good book, just not quite hitting THAT spot yet, you know??
And then it hits, FULL in the face, just why Brody is back in town. I mean, I READ why he was there, I KNEW why he was there, but for some reason it didn't really sink in, you know?? Am I making sense?? Probably not, but I read the words, and then shit got real. And I was faced with a sledgehammer upside the head and I sobbed my bloody socks off. Because I've been there, where Brody was, that dark place, waiting, waiting. You know what's coming, there ain't nothing you can do to stop that freight train, but Lord you wish you could. Just one more day, one more hug. Just one MORE, you know? And its been 11 years, ELEVEN years since I had to sit through that and still, here I am, sobbing while writing this.
I've read two, very different, emotionally heavy books that connected to me on a very personal level. I had two very fluffy romance books before them, and stoopid me wrote the fluffy reviews before tackling these two heavier ones. So I've spent most of this afternoon in tears!
So, when you've read a book that you CANNOT fault, a book that grabs your heart, chews it up, and spits it out again, a book that does that to its characters too. A book that is FLAWLESS in its delivery, its flow. A book that lays out, very nicely, thank you very much, a view of the second book: a window into what's to come, and please Lord let me get the chance to read it, because Gabe and Nate have a story to tell that I really wanna read.
A book such as that can only get.....
5 full stars! Outstanding debut novel from Ms Quinn!
Jumping straight in, cos this is gonna be hard to write, so bare with me, okay??
Freaking LOVED this book! And if THIS class of writing is what a first time author can produce, I so very much want to be on the end of the next book!
Because, let me tell ya, there I was, merrily plodding along, reading away, thinking 4 stars, balancing across between 4 and 5, back to 4. Great book, extremely well written from both Owen and Brody's point of view.
Some sexy parts, some emotional parts, even a few funny ones, with Owen's female family members. A good book, just not quite hitting THAT spot yet, you know??
And then it hits, FULL in the face, just why Brody is back in town. I mean, I READ why he was there, I KNEW why he was there, but for some reason it didn't really sink in, you know?? Am I making sense?? Probably not, but I read the words, and then shit got real. And I was faced with a sledgehammer upside the head and I sobbed my bloody socks off. Because I've been there, where Brody was, that dark place, waiting, waiting. You know what's coming, there ain't nothing you can do to stop that freight train, but Lord you wish you could. Just one more day, one more hug. Just one MORE, you know? And its been 11 years, ELEVEN years since I had to sit through that and still, here I am, sobbing while writing this.
I've read two, very different, emotionally heavy books that connected to me on a very personal level. I had two very fluffy romance books before them, and stoopid me wrote the fluffy reviews before tackling these two heavier ones. So I've spent most of this afternoon in tears!
So, when you've read a book that you CANNOT fault, a book that grabs your heart, chews it up, and spits it out again, a book that does that to its characters too. A book that is FLAWLESS in its delivery, its flow. A book that lays out, very nicely, thank you very much, a view of the second book: a window into what's to come, and please Lord let me get the chance to read it, because Gabe and Nate have a story to tell that I really wanna read.
A book such as that can only get.....
5 full stars! Outstanding debut novel from Ms Quinn!
Bookapotamus (289 KP) rated No Less Days in Books
May 29, 2018
I won a copy of this book and I didn't know it was Christian Fiction. Definitely not something I would grab for myself to read. I was not turned off by the religious aspects of it though, as most are subtle and not in your face. I tended to glaze over them, which makes me believe this book would have been just as good without them. I won't say they didn't add anything as that's not my place to judge, but I won't judge the book either on parts that I wasn't particularly interested in. I wouldn't judge a mystery on it being mysterious, or a romance for being romantic. So now that we're past that...
The premise of this story is really cool. I admit, it reminded me of that Blake Lively move, Age of Adeline, but WAY better. There was thought here, and it drew me in the second I started reading.
The main focus of the story is that David Galloway cannot die. It should have happened, many times. But nope. Still here... 100 some odd years later and still looking every bit a healthy 35 year old man. We learn a lot of David's history, as well as his present situation, and we wonder: How did he become this way? Are there others like him? Will he ever die? How does he live live without ever aging?
I read this book really fast as I honestly wanted to find out what would happen. Page after page, it kept me riveted. I would give it 5 Stars, but I had some issues with parts of the story. Particularly all the themes going on - some felt really unnecessary. There was a lot of mystery, racial stuff, domestic abuse, love stories, historical references, religion, murders, celebrity, books.... I'm probably missing more. I felt like too much was happening and a lot could be toned down or eliminated. And it's very obviously set up for a sequel, but the way this "strange character" just showed up and then left... felt really disjointed and out of place.
I'm also not a big Speculative Fiction reader as well as the Christian Fiction genre. I would have never bought this book and read it on my own. But that is how you lose certain generalizations about things, and find some of the best stories. I took a chance, and I won :)
I'm happy to have read this book. And I'm pretty sure this is a sequel in the works, and I'll most likely seek that one out to read!
The premise of this story is really cool. I admit, it reminded me of that Blake Lively move, Age of Adeline, but WAY better. There was thought here, and it drew me in the second I started reading.
The main focus of the story is that David Galloway cannot die. It should have happened, many times. But nope. Still here... 100 some odd years later and still looking every bit a healthy 35 year old man. We learn a lot of David's history, as well as his present situation, and we wonder: How did he become this way? Are there others like him? Will he ever die? How does he live live without ever aging?
I read this book really fast as I honestly wanted to find out what would happen. Page after page, it kept me riveted. I would give it 5 Stars, but I had some issues with parts of the story. Particularly all the themes going on - some felt really unnecessary. There was a lot of mystery, racial stuff, domestic abuse, love stories, historical references, religion, murders, celebrity, books.... I'm probably missing more. I felt like too much was happening and a lot could be toned down or eliminated. And it's very obviously set up for a sequel, but the way this "strange character" just showed up and then left... felt really disjointed and out of place.
I'm also not a big Speculative Fiction reader as well as the Christian Fiction genre. I would have never bought this book and read it on my own. But that is how you lose certain generalizations about things, and find some of the best stories. I took a chance, and I won :)
I'm happy to have read this book. And I'm pretty sure this is a sequel in the works, and I'll most likely seek that one out to read!
Hazel (1853 KP) rated But Then I Came Back in Books
Dec 14, 2018
<i>This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review </i>
Estelle Laure’s second Young Adult novel is due for publication with promises of a unique storyline. <i>But Then I Came Back</i> is about life after a near death experience, and the ways it alters your view of the world. Eden was lucky to wake up from a month long coma after being involved in a terrible accident. However, life cannot immediately go back to the way things were. With a mountain of therapy sessions ahead of her to relearn how to swallow and walk, Eden feels her ballet career is over before it even had a chance to start. And, graduating from high school does not seem likely either.
In the hospital, there is another girl in a coma who has not been as lucky as Eden. Not knowing whether she will ever wake up, Eden becomes obsessed with Jasmine, especially as she is certain she saw her in a dream-like state whilst she was unconscious. Eden also becomes fascinated with Jasmine’s only visitor, Joe, and for his sake is desperate to help wake Jasmine up.
Bordering on paranormal, Eden and Joe experiment with ways of reaching Jasmine, wherever she may be. As their relationship blossoms, Jasmine deteriorates, and soon Joe must make a decision: let Jasmine go, or keep trying, knowing she will not be the same person if she wakes.
Eden’s personality will resonate with book lovers as she is forever quoting from literature. On the other hand, her behaviour is initially antagonistic, which makes it hard for the reader to give her any sympathy. As a result, it takes some time to get into the story.
When Eden wakes up, she is obviously confused and unwell, which affects the way she behaves. I did not like her as a person, and therefore was not that interested in the book. It was also difficult to pin point the key theme of the novel. Was the paranormal theme the main concept, or Eden’s recovery and relationship with Joe? Neither of these was explored deeply. There was scope for so much more, especially the prospect of an in between – a limbo between life and death.
<i>But Then I Came Back</i> is a little disappointing; the blurb promises something special, but all we are given is a teen romance, and not a very interesting one. Estelle Laure is a good writer; nevertheless her storyline was underdeveloped.
Estelle Laure’s second Young Adult novel is due for publication with promises of a unique storyline. <i>But Then I Came Back</i> is about life after a near death experience, and the ways it alters your view of the world. Eden was lucky to wake up from a month long coma after being involved in a terrible accident. However, life cannot immediately go back to the way things were. With a mountain of therapy sessions ahead of her to relearn how to swallow and walk, Eden feels her ballet career is over before it even had a chance to start. And, graduating from high school does not seem likely either.
In the hospital, there is another girl in a coma who has not been as lucky as Eden. Not knowing whether she will ever wake up, Eden becomes obsessed with Jasmine, especially as she is certain she saw her in a dream-like state whilst she was unconscious. Eden also becomes fascinated with Jasmine’s only visitor, Joe, and for his sake is desperate to help wake Jasmine up.
Bordering on paranormal, Eden and Joe experiment with ways of reaching Jasmine, wherever she may be. As their relationship blossoms, Jasmine deteriorates, and soon Joe must make a decision: let Jasmine go, or keep trying, knowing she will not be the same person if she wakes.
Eden’s personality will resonate with book lovers as she is forever quoting from literature. On the other hand, her behaviour is initially antagonistic, which makes it hard for the reader to give her any sympathy. As a result, it takes some time to get into the story.
When Eden wakes up, she is obviously confused and unwell, which affects the way she behaves. I did not like her as a person, and therefore was not that interested in the book. It was also difficult to pin point the key theme of the novel. Was the paranormal theme the main concept, or Eden’s recovery and relationship with Joe? Neither of these was explored deeply. There was scope for so much more, especially the prospect of an in between – a limbo between life and death.
<i>But Then I Came Back</i> is a little disappointing; the blurb promises something special, but all we are given is a teen romance, and not a very interesting one. Estelle Laure is a good writer; nevertheless her storyline was underdeveloped.
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated Eternal Soul in Books
Feb 3, 2020
<a href="https://diaryofdifference.com/">Blog</a>; | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/diaryofdifference/">Facebook</a>; | <a href="https://twitter.com/DiaryDifference">Twitter</a>; | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diaryofdifference/">Instagram</a>; | <a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/diaryofdifference/pins/">Pinterest</a>;
#1 <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2720127654">Eternal Soul</a> - ★★★
#2 <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2720128155">Eternal Love</a> - Not Read Yet
<img src="https://i0.wp.com/diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Book-Review-Banner-4.png?ssl=1&w=510"/>;
Eternal Soul by Karimah Colden was a mysterious and adventurous read for me. The author contacted me and the book seemed to have an interesting plot, so I said - yes, I would love to read it.
Reign is a very private person and keeps everything close to her heart. She is a descendant of powerful hoodoo magick and her family has some dark secrets.
One day, her father appears in her life, which happens very rarely. She can feel trouble and danger, and before she knows it, her world is full of magick and discovering herself again. The one thing that she always denied - her powers - will now be something she will have to embrace and live with.
I really liked Reign and how she was portrayed. There was great character development, which was something I really admired. I loved how she slowly was finding herself throughout the book and did what felt was the best decision for her at each time. I am not sure about the romance and the relationships she formed with both men. It all happened too fast, too unrealistic and too predictable. The book also had a lot of repetitiveness as well, especially in the many scenes when it came to fashion choices and Reign was standing in from of her closet. It felt like deja-vu every time I read about it.
<b>But I still enjoyed Eternal Soul a lot.</b>
Despite the deja-vu's, despite the grammar errors. It is a cute short-ish read and I loved finding out what happens next. I also have the second book of the series as well, and will definitely be reading it soon.
If you like something young-adult, with a bit of magic and self-discovery, and something new and different, go for it, and you might be surprised! Definitely worth giving it a chance!
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#1 <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2720127654">Eternal Soul</a> - ★★★
#2 <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2720128155">Eternal Love</a> - Not Read Yet
<img src="https://i0.wp.com/diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Book-Review-Banner-4.png?ssl=1&w=510"/>;
Eternal Soul by Karimah Colden was a mysterious and adventurous read for me. The author contacted me and the book seemed to have an interesting plot, so I said - yes, I would love to read it.
Reign is a very private person and keeps everything close to her heart. She is a descendant of powerful hoodoo magick and her family has some dark secrets.
One day, her father appears in her life, which happens very rarely. She can feel trouble and danger, and before she knows it, her world is full of magick and discovering herself again. The one thing that she always denied - her powers - will now be something she will have to embrace and live with.
I really liked Reign and how she was portrayed. There was great character development, which was something I really admired. I loved how she slowly was finding herself throughout the book and did what felt was the best decision for her at each time. I am not sure about the romance and the relationships she formed with both men. It all happened too fast, too unrealistic and too predictable. The book also had a lot of repetitiveness as well, especially in the many scenes when it came to fashion choices and Reign was standing in from of her closet. It felt like deja-vu every time I read about it.
<b>But I still enjoyed Eternal Soul a lot.</b>
Despite the deja-vu's, despite the grammar errors. It is a cute short-ish read and I loved finding out what happens next. I also have the second book of the series as well, and will definitely be reading it soon.
If you like something young-adult, with a bit of magic and self-discovery, and something new and different, go for it, and you might be surprised! Definitely worth giving it a chance!
<a href="https://diaryofdifference.com/">Blog</a>; | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/diaryofdifference/">Facebook</a>; | <a href="https://twitter.com/DiaryDifference">Twitter</a>; | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diaryofdifference/">Instagram</a>; | <a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/diaryofdifference/pins/">Pinterest</a>;
Kyera (8 KP) rated This Savage Song (Monsters of Verity, #1) in Books
Feb 1, 2018
The first few chapters can be a bit slow to get into, but the story does find its path fairly quickly and immediately became a favourite. I originally read the first five chapters via Epic Reads was intrigued by the premise although nothing much happened at the beginning. I finally got a chance to read the entire book and the idea of it is just fantastic. Our main characters live in a world in which sins and crimes beget monsters - creatures that terrorize the city and force the people to choose between two ways of life. In one half of the City, the leader lets the monsters roam freely but puts them under his control to a degree and sells his protection to the people for a high price. In the other half of the City, the leader has a militia-like group that keeps the City safe but not everyone wants to help out.
Our two main characters are Kate and August, although they are from opposite sides of Verity. Kate is the daughter of the leader of the north half of the City and wants to prove herself. She is strong and smart, but puts on a tougher front than she would have naturally because of who and where she is. August is different. August is a monster, a Sunai, a creature that can feed off you, your soul and your energy with just a few strains of music. But August is not all he appears and he is definitely my favourite character in the book.
There are three different types of monsters: Sunai, Malchai, and Corsai. Each is well developed and unique in the world that the author built. I think that the horror that she evokes in the reader makes the plight of the main characters that much more harrowing. You, of course, experience stress and fear as Kate and August fight for their lives. The world building continues as you experience life on each side of the city through the eyes of our main characters. I do hope to see further development in the second novel of the characters now that the foundation of the world and its players have been created.
The story was beautifully written and I was completely entranced. I was happily surprised by the lack of romance in this novel, as one could easily expect our two main characters to fall in love over the course of their harrowing journey (as happens in many YA novels.)
I would highly recommend it to young adult/teen readers who are fans of fantasy, dystopian, horror and any of V.E. Schwab's other work (despite them being in the adult age range and this being a young adult series.)
Our two main characters are Kate and August, although they are from opposite sides of Verity. Kate is the daughter of the leader of the north half of the City and wants to prove herself. She is strong and smart, but puts on a tougher front than she would have naturally because of who and where she is. August is different. August is a monster, a Sunai, a creature that can feed off you, your soul and your energy with just a few strains of music. But August is not all he appears and he is definitely my favourite character in the book.
There are three different types of monsters: Sunai, Malchai, and Corsai. Each is well developed and unique in the world that the author built. I think that the horror that she evokes in the reader makes the plight of the main characters that much more harrowing. You, of course, experience stress and fear as Kate and August fight for their lives. The world building continues as you experience life on each side of the city through the eyes of our main characters. I do hope to see further development in the second novel of the characters now that the foundation of the world and its players have been created.
The story was beautifully written and I was completely entranced. I was happily surprised by the lack of romance in this novel, as one could easily expect our two main characters to fall in love over the course of their harrowing journey (as happens in many YA novels.)
I would highly recommend it to young adult/teen readers who are fans of fantasy, dystopian, horror and any of V.E. Schwab's other work (despite them being in the adult age range and this being a young adult series.)
Common Powers Box Set
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Soul Bonds It’s not how big the power, it’s how you use it. Mitchell’s tired of one...
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Lee (2222 KP) rated Yesterday (2019) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Rocketman recently did a great job of reminding us just how good Elton John songs are, making us want to dust off our vinyl/plastic/streaming service collection and reacquaint ourselves with his back catalogue all over again. Last year the Bohemian Rhapsody movie did a similar thing for the music of Queen and now it's the turn of The Beatles, with Yesterday. Written by Richard Curtis, and directed by Danny Boyle, Yesterday doesn't go down the musical/biopic route, instead taking classic Beatles songs and weaving them into a high concept romantic comedy.
Yesterday follows struggling musician Jack (Himesh Patel) and his long-term best friend/manager Ellie (Lily James). Gigging in pubs is getting him nowhere and he's resigned himself to the fact that he might have to give it all up and return to teaching. He lands a spot on the Suffolk stage at Latitude festival, expecting it to be his big break, but only his friends and a handful of bored kids show up to watch him play.
But then, while riding home on his bike that night, something mysterious happens. An unexplained 12 second power cut hits the entire globe and in the resulting chaos, Jack is struck by a bus and flung from his bike. When he awakes in hospital, bruised and missing a couple of front teeth, he plays a Beatles song to Ellie and his friends, who all think it's amazing, claiming to have never heard of the song before, or even The Beatles. After a bit of Googling, it becomes clear that The Beatles never actually existed, and only Jack is able to remember them. There are a few other things which crop up as we go along, that also turn out never to have existed, in what is a bit of a running gag throughout the movie.
Jack immediately realises his chance of success at last and sets about trying to remember as many of The Beatles songs and music as he can. His friends love the new songs, and there's a hilarious scene where he tries to introduce his parents to a Beatles song too (The Kumars, Sanjeev Bhaskar and Meera Syal on top form here), but it's still not really working out for him at the pub gigs and weddings where he performs them. It's only when he gets the chance to professionally lay down his tracks, and starts handing out free CDs to customers at the store he works at, that things really take off for Jack, drawing the attentions of none other than Mr Ed Sheeran. Ed has fun sending himself up, and actually features quite heavily in the movie, particularly in these early stages - turning up at Jack's house, asking him to come and support him on tour, arranging a 10 minute songwriting challenge between him and Jack. I'm not really a fan of Ed Sheeran but he actually turns out to be responsible for a lot of the movies humour as he eventually concedes that Jack is a better songwriter than him.
As Jack starts to hit the big time, traveling to LA and being managed by Ed's manager Debra (Kate McKinnon), we hit a bit of a mid-movie slump. Luckily though, Himesh Patel portrays Jack with such a relatable and likeable charm - his bewilderment and frustrations at the ridiculousness of the music industry, not to mention the building pressures of living the lie that his success has come from using someone else's work, guides us nicely through the slower moments of the movie. The romance part of the story continues to play out too, with Jack and Ellie both clearly loving each other for 20 years now, but with neither of them committing to taking it further. Lily James is once again wonderful, despite being very underused in this role, and it's the love story element of the movie which isn't quite as strong as the rest of it.
The movie does manage to pull things together nicely for the final act, resolving the unease and tension that dominates much of the movie. It could have done with a bit more rom and a bit more com, but is still an enjoyable movie and a perfect reminder of just how great The Beatles are.
Yesterday follows struggling musician Jack (Himesh Patel) and his long-term best friend/manager Ellie (Lily James). Gigging in pubs is getting him nowhere and he's resigned himself to the fact that he might have to give it all up and return to teaching. He lands a spot on the Suffolk stage at Latitude festival, expecting it to be his big break, but only his friends and a handful of bored kids show up to watch him play.
But then, while riding home on his bike that night, something mysterious happens. An unexplained 12 second power cut hits the entire globe and in the resulting chaos, Jack is struck by a bus and flung from his bike. When he awakes in hospital, bruised and missing a couple of front teeth, he plays a Beatles song to Ellie and his friends, who all think it's amazing, claiming to have never heard of the song before, or even The Beatles. After a bit of Googling, it becomes clear that The Beatles never actually existed, and only Jack is able to remember them. There are a few other things which crop up as we go along, that also turn out never to have existed, in what is a bit of a running gag throughout the movie.
Jack immediately realises his chance of success at last and sets about trying to remember as many of The Beatles songs and music as he can. His friends love the new songs, and there's a hilarious scene where he tries to introduce his parents to a Beatles song too (The Kumars, Sanjeev Bhaskar and Meera Syal on top form here), but it's still not really working out for him at the pub gigs and weddings where he performs them. It's only when he gets the chance to professionally lay down his tracks, and starts handing out free CDs to customers at the store he works at, that things really take off for Jack, drawing the attentions of none other than Mr Ed Sheeran. Ed has fun sending himself up, and actually features quite heavily in the movie, particularly in these early stages - turning up at Jack's house, asking him to come and support him on tour, arranging a 10 minute songwriting challenge between him and Jack. I'm not really a fan of Ed Sheeran but he actually turns out to be responsible for a lot of the movies humour as he eventually concedes that Jack is a better songwriter than him.
As Jack starts to hit the big time, traveling to LA and being managed by Ed's manager Debra (Kate McKinnon), we hit a bit of a mid-movie slump. Luckily though, Himesh Patel portrays Jack with such a relatable and likeable charm - his bewilderment and frustrations at the ridiculousness of the music industry, not to mention the building pressures of living the lie that his success has come from using someone else's work, guides us nicely through the slower moments of the movie. The romance part of the story continues to play out too, with Jack and Ellie both clearly loving each other for 20 years now, but with neither of them committing to taking it further. Lily James is once again wonderful, despite being very underused in this role, and it's the love story element of the movie which isn't quite as strong as the rest of it.
The movie does manage to pull things together nicely for the final act, resolving the unease and tension that dominates much of the movie. It could have done with a bit more rom and a bit more com, but is still an enjoyable movie and a perfect reminder of just how great The Beatles are.
Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated The Order in TV
Jul 6, 2020 (Updated Jul 6, 2020)
Don't Call Them Witches - 7/10
The Order is a 2019 supernatural horror/drama tv series created by Dennis Heaton and a team of writers including: Dennis Heaton, Shelley Eriksen, Rachel Langer, Jennica Harper, Penny Gummerson and Jason Filiatrault. The show was produced by Nomadic Pictures with producers Petros Danabassis, Jay Daniel Beechinor, and Morris Chapdelaine and released on Netflix in March. The shows stars Jake Manley, Sarah Grey, Matt Frewer, and Max Martini.
Thrust into a world of magic and monsters (werewolves), Jack Morten (Jake Manley) must pledge himself to a secret society so that he can avenge the death of his mother by their leader, Edward Coventry (Max Martini). His only family is his grandfather, "Pops" (Matt Frewer), the genius behind their plan for him to infiltrate the order and learn what he can to bring them down from the inside. Things go from bad to worse as he uncovers The Hermetic Order of the Blue Rose are practitioners of magic and someone or something is killing their pledges on campus. And more complications arise as he becomes enamoured with a higher ranking member Alyssa Drake (Sarah Grey) and a group of Knights whose mission is to stop evil magic users.
The Order is a decent show. I liked it alot but it was hard for me to get behind. It definitely has a lot of flaws and I can see a lot of people (like critics) tearing this show apart. That being said, I can't believe it has 100% on rotten tomatoes at this point or that it has been renewed for a second season. It was pretty slow building to me especially because I thought it was only going to be a secret society type show like the movie The Skulls but with a werewolf angle to it. I was very surprised when it was more about a magic secret society and later had a werewolf element to it. What I really didn't care for so much was the love theme to it that made me want to compare it to Twilight. You'll know what I'm talking about if you give it a chance. I really wanted to give this show a 6. There was a lot to hate in this show but it did get better towards the end. One thing the dialogue was full of cussing, which I didn't mind at all but it felt very amateurish. It made me laugh a lot but it also made me feel like the writers were in high school still. And I believe it's the main reason for the TV-MA rating. Which is another complaint I had. I don't think that for a rated TV-MA show, particularly a horror one, did they have enough violence, blood or gore. It felt very watered down to me in those respects. To me it seems like it was a cool idea, they had good actors who suffered from poor script and dialogue with a decent enough plot but a director(s) who were going for more of a Twilight vibe. As it gets farther into it did get better but barely got a 7 from me. As I write this I'm still contemplating whether to change my rating. It did do somethings quite well. They didn't mess up on the werewolves and even did them in a unique way and I appreciated the world building and
lore that they brought to them. Even the way they portrayed magic in the series was well done. I also generally liked the second half of the seasons' story arc and plot. I give this show a 7/10. I don't recommend it to anyone unless you were a big fan of the Twilight films or if you are just someone who watches anything with magic or werewolves.
Thrust into a world of magic and monsters (werewolves), Jack Morten (Jake Manley) must pledge himself to a secret society so that he can avenge the death of his mother by their leader, Edward Coventry (Max Martini). His only family is his grandfather, "Pops" (Matt Frewer), the genius behind their plan for him to infiltrate the order and learn what he can to bring them down from the inside. Things go from bad to worse as he uncovers The Hermetic Order of the Blue Rose are practitioners of magic and someone or something is killing their pledges on campus. And more complications arise as he becomes enamoured with a higher ranking member Alyssa Drake (Sarah Grey) and a group of Knights whose mission is to stop evil magic users.
The Order is a decent show. I liked it alot but it was hard for me to get behind. It definitely has a lot of flaws and I can see a lot of people (like critics) tearing this show apart. That being said, I can't believe it has 100% on rotten tomatoes at this point or that it has been renewed for a second season. It was pretty slow building to me especially because I thought it was only going to be a secret society type show like the movie The Skulls but with a werewolf angle to it. I was very surprised when it was more about a magic secret society and later had a werewolf element to it. What I really didn't care for so much was the love theme to it that made me want to compare it to Twilight. You'll know what I'm talking about if you give it a chance. I really wanted to give this show a 6. There was a lot to hate in this show but it did get better towards the end. One thing the dialogue was full of cussing, which I didn't mind at all but it felt very amateurish. It made me laugh a lot but it also made me feel like the writers were in high school still. And I believe it's the main reason for the TV-MA rating. Which is another complaint I had. I don't think that for a rated TV-MA show, particularly a horror one, did they have enough violence, blood or gore. It felt very watered down to me in those respects. To me it seems like it was a cool idea, they had good actors who suffered from poor script and dialogue with a decent enough plot but a director(s) who were going for more of a Twilight vibe. As it gets farther into it did get better but barely got a 7 from me. As I write this I'm still contemplating whether to change my rating. It did do somethings quite well. They didn't mess up on the werewolves and even did them in a unique way and I appreciated the world building and
lore that they brought to them. Even the way they portrayed magic in the series was well done. I also generally liked the second half of the seasons' story arc and plot. I give this show a 7/10. I don't recommend it to anyone unless you were a big fan of the Twilight films or if you are just someone who watches anything with magic or werewolves.
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated Sing Me to Sleep in Books
Apr 27, 2018
My Summary: Beth is a ridiculously tall, horribly ugly girl suffering though high school. Her nickname is “the Beast.” She is bullied by everyone. Her face is scared and pimply and messed up, she was born that way and nothing works to get rid of it. The only people in the world that she has are her mother—who loves her fiercely—and her best friend since pre-school, Scott.
But then through the course of several unexpected events, Beth ends up with the solo in her choir. She goes from ugly and in the back rows to re-made, re-styled, and re-“faced” after laser surgery. Her choir gets a chance to go to a competition in Switzerland.
And she meets Derek. Derek is on one of the other teams, the biggest, best, most famous choir. He’s the hottest guy she’s ever met. And he’s in love with her.
But there’s something wrong with Derek. He won’t tell her what it is, and she’s scared to ask because every time she brings it up, he runs away.
And the fact that Scott has admitted that he’s in love with her—and she’s pretty sure she loves him too—isn’t making anything less complicated…
Review:
I enjoyed Sing Me To Sleep. Please realize and remember that. It kept me reading, it moved quickly. But there were a few things that drove me crazy while I read this and took away from the overall enjoyment.
The first was the writing. There’s a difference between a writing style, and writing crappy. 75% of the “sentences” in this book were fragments. No, I did not count the sentences and take a literal percentage, but that’s what it felt like. There were a lot of two or three word phrases stacked next to each other. That does not count as a writing style, it’s poor grammar. It was so distracting that I found myself annoyed and wanting to put it down.
The second was the romance. In the beginning, the romance between Derek and Beth was just too rushed. There were no meaningful conversations, there wasn’t much plot, there wasn’t much talking. There was a lot of “I love you’s” and a lot of tension and a lot of kissing (hot kissing, but just kissing none the less). Beth was convinced she was in love with him—and he with her—but their relationship was so shallow, that I expected him to dump her any minute (or vice versa). It didn’t feel real.
Near the end, it became a little more real after Derek’s secret came out and Beth began to feel a little different about him. For the sake of keeping this review spoiler-free, I won’t say much more than that. However because their “love” was built on such shaky ground in the first place, most of the end didn’t feel very real either. Beth didn’t know what love really meant until the very end of the book. Poor girl.
The third… sadly, the characters. I didn’t feel much of a connection to them. Believe it or not, the one character I related to most was Scott. He wasn’t even in most of the book—most of it was Beth and Derek—but Scott was the most realistic character (and I’m totally in love with him) and the character that I could understand the best. But Beth and Derek both… I just didn’t connect.
I feel really bad that I’ve complained so much. I also feel really sad that I didn’t love this one. But as a reviewer I promise to be honest, and this is how I feel. Again, as I said at the top, I enjoyed the book, it kept me reading though it wasn’t a sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat kind of page-turner. But it was a bit of a let-down after all the 5-star or A+ reviews I’ve read for it. Don’t listen to just one opinion. Check out some other reviews for this one before you decide to believe me.
But then through the course of several unexpected events, Beth ends up with the solo in her choir. She goes from ugly and in the back rows to re-made, re-styled, and re-“faced” after laser surgery. Her choir gets a chance to go to a competition in Switzerland.
And she meets Derek. Derek is on one of the other teams, the biggest, best, most famous choir. He’s the hottest guy she’s ever met. And he’s in love with her.
But there’s something wrong with Derek. He won’t tell her what it is, and she’s scared to ask because every time she brings it up, he runs away.
And the fact that Scott has admitted that he’s in love with her—and she’s pretty sure she loves him too—isn’t making anything less complicated…
Review:
I enjoyed Sing Me To Sleep. Please realize and remember that. It kept me reading, it moved quickly. But there were a few things that drove me crazy while I read this and took away from the overall enjoyment.
The first was the writing. There’s a difference between a writing style, and writing crappy. 75% of the “sentences” in this book were fragments. No, I did not count the sentences and take a literal percentage, but that’s what it felt like. There were a lot of two or three word phrases stacked next to each other. That does not count as a writing style, it’s poor grammar. It was so distracting that I found myself annoyed and wanting to put it down.
The second was the romance. In the beginning, the romance between Derek and Beth was just too rushed. There were no meaningful conversations, there wasn’t much plot, there wasn’t much talking. There was a lot of “I love you’s” and a lot of tension and a lot of kissing (hot kissing, but just kissing none the less). Beth was convinced she was in love with him—and he with her—but their relationship was so shallow, that I expected him to dump her any minute (or vice versa). It didn’t feel real.
Near the end, it became a little more real after Derek’s secret came out and Beth began to feel a little different about him. For the sake of keeping this review spoiler-free, I won’t say much more than that. However because their “love” was built on such shaky ground in the first place, most of the end didn’t feel very real either. Beth didn’t know what love really meant until the very end of the book. Poor girl.
The third… sadly, the characters. I didn’t feel much of a connection to them. Believe it or not, the one character I related to most was Scott. He wasn’t even in most of the book—most of it was Beth and Derek—but Scott was the most realistic character (and I’m totally in love with him) and the character that I could understand the best. But Beth and Derek both… I just didn’t connect.
I feel really bad that I’ve complained so much. I also feel really sad that I didn’t love this one. But as a reviewer I promise to be honest, and this is how I feel. Again, as I said at the top, I enjoyed the book, it kept me reading though it wasn’t a sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat kind of page-turner. But it was a bit of a let-down after all the 5-star or A+ reviews I’ve read for it. Don’t listen to just one opinion. Check out some other reviews for this one before you decide to believe me.