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Stranger Things  - Season 2
Stranger Things - Season 2
2017 | Sci-Fi
Exciting once it gets going (1 more)
SFX are on point
The story takes a while to get off the ground (0 more)
Back To Hawkins
I loved the first season of Stranger Things and season 2 was one of my most anticipated shows of this year. While I don’t feel that season 2 surpassed the preceding season of the show, it is another solid chapter in what is fixing to be a pretty epic saga. The show takes a while to find its feet; some unorthodox structural choices cause the series to begin on a fairly unfocused note. It is revealed in the first episode that Eleven has been in hiding and living with Hopper since the events at the end of season 1 and once that cliffhanger from the last season is addressed, everything else is pretty hunky dory. Will is still tripping out and seeing the upside down every now and again, but that is expected to pass and we aren’t presented with any real conflict until a few episodes into the new season. The first season opened with the disappearance of Will and we were immediately on board with the goals of every character in the show, whereas the first few episodes of this season feel unfocused and there isn’t really any sense of purpose felt.
Once the plot gets going and the season finds its feet, the show definitely become more enjoyable and exciting and that pace and sense of intrigue continues all the way through until the end of the season, other than episode 7 that is. Overall though, I did enjoy this season and am very excited to see the future seasons in this story play out. 8/10
  
The Hairy Hand
The Hairy Hand
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A gothic adventure for 8 -12 year olds, full of jokes, magical familiars and a gruesome cast of characters. When Septimus inherits a magical, treasure-finding Hairy Hand from his uncle, life suddenly becomes a lot more exciting - and dangerous!
Septimus feels out-of-place in his village where everyone else his age is called Darg or Smerg or Blaarg. Good, honest names that sound like you are have just swallowed something pointy or are sneezing into custard. Even his parents make him feel like a complete stranger. Especially his parents. Then he inherits something strange and frightening from his uncle. A Hairy Hand. It has the magical ability to find buried treasure which suits his parents (thieves by trade) down to the ground. However, instead of making his life better, it suddenly gets a lot more dangerous.
So, it is up to Sept to find out what else the Hand knows and put things right.

I enjoyed this humorous and moderately gruesome read which, I think, will appeal to its target audience.
There’s an amazing cast of ghastly characters, including Sept’s parents, Plog the Sneaker and Gertrude!
A fun and adventurous fantasy story of good versus bad, determination and resisting temptation.
The Characters and story line are varied and kept me guessing, laughing my way through the book at the antics and mishaps throughout, with a few cleverly woven in messages for those reading it.
If you are looking to introduce your children to Fantasy Adventure or yourselves or just as gift for someone then this truly would make someone very happy!
I highly recommend this fun book!!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Monster Books and Robin Bennett for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
  
Follow the Snowflakes
Follow the Snowflakes
Angelina Kerner | 2020 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Romance
8
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Previously I read some of the short romance books, and unfortunately, they kind of disappointed me, but I actually enjoyed this novella, maybe because I read it at the suitable time, or maybe because I could relate with some of the things which were mentioned in the book.

The blurb of this novella is pretty accurate, Cat accidentally meets a stranger in a car accident, and because she has a good heart, she helps him out. One thing leads to another and they spend more and more time together, but life throws in some pleasant surprises and twists for Cat. This is a sweet story, with pleasant characters and interesting twists. I enjoyed reading this novel because it was not too sweet, it had its edge in it, but at the same time, it was pleasant and romantic.

The author was born in Novosibirsk, Russian Siberia, and I did like the little details she proudly shared about her Russian heritage. Do not be fooled by the cover, even though this book is filled with pictures giving it a playful feel, it is a story for adults. I really liked the art at the end of the novel, and I think it is great if you have children, you can give it to them to colour in. Everybody wins!!!

The writing style of this novella is quite simple, with easy and understandable vocabulary. I liked the short chapters, it made this book really great one sitting read. The ending of this story rounded everything as I was suspecting, and for me, it didn’t leave any loose ends. So to conclude, it is a great read if you like Hallmark and looking for a quick, playful and Christmasy story which is pleasant, romantic and not over sweetened. Enjoy
  
Santa Clarita Diet - Season 3
Santa Clarita Diet - Season 3
2019 |
I remember watching season 1 of Santa Clarita Diet and wondering after just a few episodes if it would ever make it to another season. Don't get me wrong, I loved the humour and the craziness of the show, but wasn’t sure how they would ever manage to stretch the idea out any further than that. Well, we're now onto season 3 of what has proven to be one of the funniest and most consistently well written shows around right now, with no signs of it slowing down anytime soon.

Season 2 ended on a bit of a cliffhanger with Sheila (Drew Barrymore) and Joel (Timothy Olyphant) getting caught with a re-animated corpse head out in the desert by their cop neighbour Anne (Natalie Morales). At the same time, daughter Abby (Liv Hewson) and their other neighbour’s son Eric (Skyler Gisondo) blowing up a fracking site. It’s the kind of wild predicament which, despite sounding crazy on paper, has become perfectly normal for this show.

Season 3 picks things up with Anne convinced that Sheila has been sent by god to help rid the world of evildoers, and as a church goer herself, she believes she must dedicate herself to helping Sheila. Meanwhile, the kids find themselves having to dodge an FBI agent who has been assigned to the fracking site case. And as for the re-animated head of Gary? Well, after positioning him back in their basement, the Hammonds decide to equip him with a headset and an Alexa so that he can work as an employee for their brand new realty company. Once again, something which sounds crazy on paper, but totally works on the show. And is also very funny as he turns out to be the perfect employee.

Season 3 also begins heavily expanding the world of the show, and the zombie mythology briefly introduced in previous seasons. A group called the Knights of Serbia are out to rid the world of the undead, and there is a mysterious stranger accompanied by a couple of thugs who also seem to have sinister motives for capturing zombies. As if all of that wasn’t enough, Sheila begins putting pressure on Joel to join her in becoming undead!

The pace of the show is what I love about the show. There’s always a family drama, or bigger issue to try and resolve meaning you never get time to be bored. The way that Sheila and Joel tackle everything like it’s something as mundane as changing a blown light bulb is one of the best things about the show and I particularly love Joel and his calmly frustrated comebacks and subtle one liners. Little things - like Joel discovering that there are separate kitchen drawers, with separate utensils for normal cooking and for more gross purposes - are just perfect.

Although this season isn’t quite as funny as last, there are some very funny new characters this time, most notably, Ron, who appeared last season but is newly undead in season 3. The whole season just breezes by, and once again ends on an exciting cliffhanger. Bring on season 4!