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BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Spiderhead (2022) in Movies
Jun 26, 2022
Weak Script Sinks This Flick
The history of cinema is littered with tales of the Mad Scientist who gets too caught up in their own experiments to the detriment of all. Once the human cost of the experiment is revealed to this seemingly sane inventor, he (it usually is a he) turns with a wild-eyed look and justifies the human expense in the name of science.
Such is the case with the Netflix Original movie SPIDERHEAD with Chris Hemsworth as the mad scientist in this scenario and Miles Teller and Jurnee Smollett as 2 of the prisoners who trade in their life sentences to be used as guinea pigs in his experiment.
It’s an interesting enough premise - one that is not new - so it is always the execution of this concept that makes (or breaks) this type of film.
Unfortunately for SPIDERHEAD, Writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick are unable to elevate the premise (based on a short story by George Saunders) into anything new, unique or interesting.
Director Joseph Kosinski (TOP GUN: MAVERICK) does a yeoman’s job trying to elevate this material to something better than it is. But…kind of like trying to get me to be a Prima Ballerina…Kosinski just cannot make something out of raw material that is fundamentally flawed. He uses a few interesting camera moves and draws out suspense in enough areas to catch the audience’s interests…but not much else.
He is helped by the casting of some top notch talent. Chris Hemsworth is engaging and charismatic (initially) as the Elon Musk/Steve Jobs-esque new age inventor who is trying out some new medical serums on prisoner/volunteers. The problem with Hemsworth - who I think is a pretty good actor - is that once you start seeing the cracks in his character’s façade (and those cracks appear early on), Hemsworth’s performance turns fairly one-dimensional and he becomes a caricature of the “crazed scientist”.
The surprises to me here are the performances of Miles Teller (TOP GUN: MAVERICK) and Jurnee Smollett (LOVECRAFT COUNTRY). These are 2 performers who I’ve always felt were good but not great, but they are intriguing to watch in this. They have strong chemistry with each other and they are 2 protagonists that are easy to root for against crazed antagonist Hemsworth.
In look and feel and tone, this film reminded my of the 2014 Alex Garland marvel EX MACHINA, but where that film easily was lifted by a tremendously strong script and ideas by Garland (check it out if you haven’t seen it - it is well worth your time), SPIDERHEAD, ultimately, sinks into the chasm of a weak script with no real strong ideas/themes behind it.
Letter Grade B+ (for the Direction of Kosinksi and the performances of Teller and Smollett)
6 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Such is the case with the Netflix Original movie SPIDERHEAD with Chris Hemsworth as the mad scientist in this scenario and Miles Teller and Jurnee Smollett as 2 of the prisoners who trade in their life sentences to be used as guinea pigs in his experiment.
It’s an interesting enough premise - one that is not new - so it is always the execution of this concept that makes (or breaks) this type of film.
Unfortunately for SPIDERHEAD, Writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick are unable to elevate the premise (based on a short story by George Saunders) into anything new, unique or interesting.
Director Joseph Kosinski (TOP GUN: MAVERICK) does a yeoman’s job trying to elevate this material to something better than it is. But…kind of like trying to get me to be a Prima Ballerina…Kosinski just cannot make something out of raw material that is fundamentally flawed. He uses a few interesting camera moves and draws out suspense in enough areas to catch the audience’s interests…but not much else.
He is helped by the casting of some top notch talent. Chris Hemsworth is engaging and charismatic (initially) as the Elon Musk/Steve Jobs-esque new age inventor who is trying out some new medical serums on prisoner/volunteers. The problem with Hemsworth - who I think is a pretty good actor - is that once you start seeing the cracks in his character’s façade (and those cracks appear early on), Hemsworth’s performance turns fairly one-dimensional and he becomes a caricature of the “crazed scientist”.
The surprises to me here are the performances of Miles Teller (TOP GUN: MAVERICK) and Jurnee Smollett (LOVECRAFT COUNTRY). These are 2 performers who I’ve always felt were good but not great, but they are intriguing to watch in this. They have strong chemistry with each other and they are 2 protagonists that are easy to root for against crazed antagonist Hemsworth.
In look and feel and tone, this film reminded my of the 2014 Alex Garland marvel EX MACHINA, but where that film easily was lifted by a tremendously strong script and ideas by Garland (check it out if you haven’t seen it - it is well worth your time), SPIDERHEAD, ultimately, sinks into the chasm of a weak script with no real strong ideas/themes behind it.
Letter Grade B+ (for the Direction of Kosinksi and the performances of Teller and Smollett)
6 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated The Black Phone (2022) in Movies
Jul 19, 2022
Tense and Suspenseful
Part STRANGER THINGS and Part IT, the new Blumhouse film, THE BLACK PHONE, is a surprisingly effective horror/thriller that is reminiscent of the better Stephen King stories - and that just might be because the short story for which this film is based on is written by Joe Hill - Stephen King’s son.
Wisely set in a time before cell phones (like both Stranger Things and It), THE BLACK PHONE tells the tale of a small town in Colorado that suddenly falls victim to “THE GRABBER” - an individual who grabs young teenage boys and kills them.
Smartly Directed by Scott Derrickson (the first DOCTOR STRANGE film), THE BLACK PHONE is effective for it focuses on the isolation of being in captivity, the anxiety of not knowing when someone is going to come through the door of the cell and the relationships of the young teens caught in “The Grabber’s” web. Credit for this, of course, goes to Derrickson who dropped out of Directing DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS (over “creative differences”) and chose this passion project as his salve - and the passion shows. It must also be pointed out that Derrickson, wisely, opts to up the tension of this film, rather than the gore, so this movie becomes a suspense flick and not torture-porn.
Derrickson also draws very good performances from the young actors playing the main roles of this film - Mason Thames (Finney), Madeleine McGraw (Gwen), Tristan Pravong (Bruce), Jacob Moran (Billy) and Miguel Cazarez Mora (Robin). All are believable in their well written roles bringing more than just one-dimension to their characters.
These kids are more than ably joined by adult actors like James Ransone (IT: CHAPTER TWO), Jeremy Davies (TV’s LOST) and E. Roger Mitchell (OUTER BANKS). All of these folks bring gravitas and reality to a story that does drift into the un-reality at times.
And then there is the performance of the always good Ethan Hawke as the villain of this piece - THE GRABBER. It is a masterful performance by Hawke who brings humanity to this monster. Almost every actor that plays a villain say that they try to see the film from the villain’s point of view and Hawke brings that to this character in spades and (almost) makes one want to root for him. It is one of the better villains realized on film in the last few years.
One quibble with The Black Phone, is that it does have a tendency to sag a bit (especially in the middle). It is in the middle of the film that one can tell that this movie was based on a SHORT story and so, by necessity, there is some padding.
But that is picking a nit in what is a smart and tense film, one that will have you on the edge of your seat until the end.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Wisely set in a time before cell phones (like both Stranger Things and It), THE BLACK PHONE tells the tale of a small town in Colorado that suddenly falls victim to “THE GRABBER” - an individual who grabs young teenage boys and kills them.
Smartly Directed by Scott Derrickson (the first DOCTOR STRANGE film), THE BLACK PHONE is effective for it focuses on the isolation of being in captivity, the anxiety of not knowing when someone is going to come through the door of the cell and the relationships of the young teens caught in “The Grabber’s” web. Credit for this, of course, goes to Derrickson who dropped out of Directing DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS (over “creative differences”) and chose this passion project as his salve - and the passion shows. It must also be pointed out that Derrickson, wisely, opts to up the tension of this film, rather than the gore, so this movie becomes a suspense flick and not torture-porn.
Derrickson also draws very good performances from the young actors playing the main roles of this film - Mason Thames (Finney), Madeleine McGraw (Gwen), Tristan Pravong (Bruce), Jacob Moran (Billy) and Miguel Cazarez Mora (Robin). All are believable in their well written roles bringing more than just one-dimension to their characters.
These kids are more than ably joined by adult actors like James Ransone (IT: CHAPTER TWO), Jeremy Davies (TV’s LOST) and E. Roger Mitchell (OUTER BANKS). All of these folks bring gravitas and reality to a story that does drift into the un-reality at times.
And then there is the performance of the always good Ethan Hawke as the villain of this piece - THE GRABBER. It is a masterful performance by Hawke who brings humanity to this monster. Almost every actor that plays a villain say that they try to see the film from the villain’s point of view and Hawke brings that to this character in spades and (almost) makes one want to root for him. It is one of the better villains realized on film in the last few years.
One quibble with The Black Phone, is that it does have a tendency to sag a bit (especially in the middle). It is in the middle of the film that one can tell that this movie was based on a SHORT story and so, by necessity, there is some padding.
But that is picking a nit in what is a smart and tense film, one that will have you on the edge of your seat until the end.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Hazel (1853 KP) rated Glass Sword in Books
May 25, 2017
Good Sequel
This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
It is finally here; the second book in the riveting Red Queen series by Victoria Aveyard – perfect for fans of The Hunger Games, The Selection series and Divergent. Continuing from the exact point the previous book closed on, Glass Sword is packed with action, suspense and emotional entertainment.
To recap, the world is divided by blood colour: Red (inferior) and Silver (superior); but it is the reason why Silvers consider themselves better that is important. Silver-blooded people are born with a superpower; Reds are not. Until Mare Barrow, that is. By pure accident, Mare discovers she can wield electricity with her bare hands, is forced to pretend she is a Silver living with the royal family, and is finally betrayed by someone she thought was on her side.
Now, in Glass Sword, teenage Mare is in hiding with the Scarlet Guard – Red-blooded rebels – with the knowledge that there are other people out there just like her: “Newbloods,” Red blood with Silver abilities. Mare and her companions are determined to find all of these people and train them to use their powers, however the Silver king is doing the same, with the intention of destroying them all. What makes it worse is Mare no longer knows whom she can trust; anyone could betray her.
Unlike the previous book, Glass Sword is one battle after another. There are no more pretty dresses, royal parties or grand castles. From beginning to end there is not a moment when Mare is not in danger; it is easy to lose count the number of times she narrowly escapes death. But as with any form of violence, someone always ends up injured or killed, resulting in some very upsetting outcomes.
Fans of the first book will already be aware of the love triangle that developed – one that made the conclusion so shocking. Whilst Glass Sword continues with the romantic theme, it is barely perceptible underneath all the bloodshed, arguments and warfare. So, do not expect a romance novel within these pages.
The constant action prevents the story from becoming slow or boring. There is a surprise around every corner; every page, to keep the reader engaged. This however has a downside. With conflict running into conflict it is easy to get confused and struggle to follow the course of the action. This is particularly the case in one of the final, most significant, attacks against the Silvers. The quick pace of the narrative results in the violent scene only taking up the space of a few pages, thus not giving the reader time to develop a clear picture in their head or fully understand what they are reading.
Naturally Mare’s story ends on yet another cliffhanger, so now we await the third installment. It must be difficult to provide a sequel as equally entertaining as the first, but Aveyard has gone above and beyond to create something far better than could be imagined. We can only hope this brilliance continues into the following books.
It is finally here; the second book in the riveting Red Queen series by Victoria Aveyard – perfect for fans of The Hunger Games, The Selection series and Divergent. Continuing from the exact point the previous book closed on, Glass Sword is packed with action, suspense and emotional entertainment.
To recap, the world is divided by blood colour: Red (inferior) and Silver (superior); but it is the reason why Silvers consider themselves better that is important. Silver-blooded people are born with a superpower; Reds are not. Until Mare Barrow, that is. By pure accident, Mare discovers she can wield electricity with her bare hands, is forced to pretend she is a Silver living with the royal family, and is finally betrayed by someone she thought was on her side.
Now, in Glass Sword, teenage Mare is in hiding with the Scarlet Guard – Red-blooded rebels – with the knowledge that there are other people out there just like her: “Newbloods,” Red blood with Silver abilities. Mare and her companions are determined to find all of these people and train them to use their powers, however the Silver king is doing the same, with the intention of destroying them all. What makes it worse is Mare no longer knows whom she can trust; anyone could betray her.
Unlike the previous book, Glass Sword is one battle after another. There are no more pretty dresses, royal parties or grand castles. From beginning to end there is not a moment when Mare is not in danger; it is easy to lose count the number of times she narrowly escapes death. But as with any form of violence, someone always ends up injured or killed, resulting in some very upsetting outcomes.
Fans of the first book will already be aware of the love triangle that developed – one that made the conclusion so shocking. Whilst Glass Sword continues with the romantic theme, it is barely perceptible underneath all the bloodshed, arguments and warfare. So, do not expect a romance novel within these pages.
The constant action prevents the story from becoming slow or boring. There is a surprise around every corner; every page, to keep the reader engaged. This however has a downside. With conflict running into conflict it is easy to get confused and struggle to follow the course of the action. This is particularly the case in one of the final, most significant, attacks against the Silvers. The quick pace of the narrative results in the violent scene only taking up the space of a few pages, thus not giving the reader time to develop a clear picture in their head or fully understand what they are reading.
Naturally Mare’s story ends on yet another cliffhanger, so now we await the third installment. It must be difficult to provide a sequel as equally entertaining as the first, but Aveyard has gone above and beyond to create something far better than could be imagined. We can only hope this brilliance continues into the following books.
Seriously Messed Up
“Thriller of the year” according to Observer; it makes you wonder what all the other thrillers were like. Gone Girl is a contemporary crime thriller by American author Gillian Flynn. Likable “Cool Girl” Amy Dunne is missing; the police think her husband has something to do with it, but what really happened?
Flynn begins the novel with an epigraph: “Love is the world’s infinite mutability; lies, hatred, murder even, are all knit up in it; it is the inevitable blossoming of its opposites, a magnificent rose smelling faintly of blood.” – Tony Kushner, The Illusion. This implies that love and hate, and perhaps murder, will be the main issues within the novel. It hints that relationships may not be all that they first appear, which becomes evident as you read deeper into the book.
Split into three parts, the first section alternates between a first person account from Nick Dunne, the husband, of what is occurring on the day in which Amy disappears and the following days when both he and the police are attempting to determine the truth about what has happened and trying to find out where Amy is; and diary entries from Amy dating as far back as 2005.
To begin with I did not think much of the story and did not particularly like Amy, despite her being portrayed as a likable character; however I soon got into the story siding with Nick and wanting him to be innocent even though evidence and suspicion were mounting against him.
Initially I assumed that the truth would not be revealed until the end of the story rather than on the first page of part two. For the remainder of the book Nick’s narrative remains the same, progressing from where it left off at the end of part one; whereas Amy, instead of diary entries, she is telling the reader the truth about what happened on the 5th July – the day she went missing – and the subsequent days and weeks. At this point I became a bit bored with the story; as the reader we know the truth and it is frustrating that the police are getting it wrong. However part three contained more suspense than the rest of the novel.
So, why only three stars? As I already mentioned it did not seem that great at the beginning and to be honest I did not feel satisfied with the ending either. One of the main things that bothered me was the use of swear words. I understand that many people swear and so it is inevitable that these words would end up in novels; however in my opinion there is swearing and then there is swearing. This was beginning to border on the latter. Yes some of the characters were angry but I thought the use of expletives was slightly overdone.
Despite these misgivings it was a well-written piece of fiction that I think others may enjoy – the ratings on Goodreads certainly suggest that; but for me it was not anything special.
Flynn begins the novel with an epigraph: “Love is the world’s infinite mutability; lies, hatred, murder even, are all knit up in it; it is the inevitable blossoming of its opposites, a magnificent rose smelling faintly of blood.” – Tony Kushner, The Illusion. This implies that love and hate, and perhaps murder, will be the main issues within the novel. It hints that relationships may not be all that they first appear, which becomes evident as you read deeper into the book.
Split into three parts, the first section alternates between a first person account from Nick Dunne, the husband, of what is occurring on the day in which Amy disappears and the following days when both he and the police are attempting to determine the truth about what has happened and trying to find out where Amy is; and diary entries from Amy dating as far back as 2005.
To begin with I did not think much of the story and did not particularly like Amy, despite her being portrayed as a likable character; however I soon got into the story siding with Nick and wanting him to be innocent even though evidence and suspicion were mounting against him.
Initially I assumed that the truth would not be revealed until the end of the story rather than on the first page of part two. For the remainder of the book Nick’s narrative remains the same, progressing from where it left off at the end of part one; whereas Amy, instead of diary entries, she is telling the reader the truth about what happened on the 5th July – the day she went missing – and the subsequent days and weeks. At this point I became a bit bored with the story; as the reader we know the truth and it is frustrating that the police are getting it wrong. However part three contained more suspense than the rest of the novel.
So, why only three stars? As I already mentioned it did not seem that great at the beginning and to be honest I did not feel satisfied with the ending either. One of the main things that bothered me was the use of swear words. I understand that many people swear and so it is inevitable that these words would end up in novels; however in my opinion there is swearing and then there is swearing. This was beginning to border on the latter. Yes some of the characters were angry but I thought the use of expletives was slightly overdone.
Despite these misgivings it was a well-written piece of fiction that I think others may enjoy – the ratings on Goodreads certainly suggest that; but for me it was not anything special.
Jamie (131 KP) rated The Bazaar of Bad Dreams in Books
Aug 15, 2017
Author commentary (2 more)
Plenty of dark humor
The handful of good stories were really great
Much of the collection simply fell flat (1 more)
Mix of genres was sometimes disjointing
An underwhelming collection from the King
The Bazaar of Bad Dreams is a large collection of novellas and short stories that include a wide variety of genres. Each time I turned the page to the next story it would be kind of a wild card and I never knew what to expect which was both good and bad. While it was nice that the variety keeps things fresh, it also made the collection feel disorganized. The stories in the anthology don’t fit any particular theme, instead they just seemed like odds and ends thrown into a master volume. This will probably not be a big deal to many, but for me it just broke the flow.
On a more positive note, one of my favorite aspects of King’s writing is the incredibly dark humor that is present in much of his work. I think the addition of comedy helps to break some of the tension from the otherwise horrific stories and I found myself chuckling several times while reading. The anecdotes before each story were fun to read and gave some interesting insight into King’s writing processes and the things that inspire him. These personal little notes were one of the major highlights of the collection since it serves as a way of connecting the reader to the writer. King to me just has a likable voice and I enjoy reading or listening to his talks.
My favorite story out of the entire collection was no contest, there was one story that stood out to me more than the others: Under the Weather. The short is just so well paced and filled me with so much dread from start to finish that I was in awe. It really showcased King’s mastery of the technical aspects of writing and how to build tension and suspense. Other notable stories were Mile 81, Batman and Robin Have an Altercation, The Dune, Under the Weather, The Little Green God of Agony, and Summer Thunder.
Despite all of my praise, it was difficult for me to decide how I wanted to rate this collection. The stories are decent, there are even a few really good ones in the collection, but overall it was nowhere near King’s best. When I closed the book I felt relieved to finally be done, which is not the best feeling to have after finishing a book. Many of the stories seemed to be either love or hate to me and so it was really a mixed bag. Even after I’d finish a story I enjoyed and put the book down for the night, I’d find that I had no motivation to pick the book back up again the next day. Because of this I ended up taking a full month to read this collection which is slower than my average. I had actually been thinking of rating this book lower but the strong final stories drove me to push my rating up a little higher.
On a more positive note, one of my favorite aspects of King’s writing is the incredibly dark humor that is present in much of his work. I think the addition of comedy helps to break some of the tension from the otherwise horrific stories and I found myself chuckling several times while reading. The anecdotes before each story were fun to read and gave some interesting insight into King’s writing processes and the things that inspire him. These personal little notes were one of the major highlights of the collection since it serves as a way of connecting the reader to the writer. King to me just has a likable voice and I enjoy reading or listening to his talks.
My favorite story out of the entire collection was no contest, there was one story that stood out to me more than the others: Under the Weather. The short is just so well paced and filled me with so much dread from start to finish that I was in awe. It really showcased King’s mastery of the technical aspects of writing and how to build tension and suspense. Other notable stories were Mile 81, Batman and Robin Have an Altercation, The Dune, Under the Weather, The Little Green God of Agony, and Summer Thunder.
Despite all of my praise, it was difficult for me to decide how I wanted to rate this collection. The stories are decent, there are even a few really good ones in the collection, but overall it was nowhere near King’s best. When I closed the book I felt relieved to finally be done, which is not the best feeling to have after finishing a book. Many of the stories seemed to be either love or hate to me and so it was really a mixed bag. Even after I’d finish a story I enjoyed and put the book down for the night, I’d find that I had no motivation to pick the book back up again the next day. Because of this I ended up taking a full month to read this collection which is slower than my average. I had actually been thinking of rating this book lower but the strong final stories drove me to push my rating up a little higher.
Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated The Fall of Lisa Bellow in Books
May 16, 2018
Though wonderfully written, <i>The Fall of Lisa Bellow</i> is not what I expected it to be. That isn't to say that it isn't a good read, -- it most definitely is -- but because it was not as I had envisioned it, it took me much longer to get through the book than I had anticipated.
After school one day, thirteen-year-old Meredith Oliver decides she is in dire need of a large root beer as a reward to herself for completing her test in Algebra II. While there, she encounters Lisa Bellow, a popular girl she's grown up with and cannot stand. Any interaction that might have occurred between the two is cut short when an armed and masked man comes into the sandwich shop to rob it. Then, as an afterthought, he kidnaps Lisa, leaving Meredith and her family to deal with the trauma.
The Oliver family is horrible, though. Possessing attitudes that are largely and entirely focused on themselves, the main characters from whose perspective we read, Meredith and her mother, Claire, are absolutely unlovable. While not on the level of Gone Girl bad, they do serve as stark reminders of how low humans can sink in their day to day interactions. I do feel that Perabo fairly accurately portrayed the mind of a thirteen-year-old girl, at least, from the mindset of what those my age may have experienced in school. I can't really speak for today's children, as, contrary to the belief of our own parents, that things never change, we all know they do. In that regard, the slut-shaming was almost unbearable. It seemed the only reason Meredith had to dislike Lisa was her good looks and poor attitude, to which she responded by constantly referring to her in derogatory terms. Personally, I cannot recall referring to girls in my eighth grade class as sluts: in fact, I don't even remember which girls were popular and pretty.
Given that a young girl has been kidnapped, as a reader, you might expect the story to also focus a bit on finding said victim. Instead, it takes a unique approach by focusing not on the victim and her family, but rather the girl that was not kidnapped and her own, which is far more dysfunctional than it might seem. Some of that can be attributed to the two tragedies they've faced back to back, while the rest likely has to do with how the characters simply are. The plot follows Meredith's changes through what she has experienced, providing readers with a coming-of-age story, rather than something that is suspenseful. There's really not a whole to guess, and even as the book comes to a conclusion, there are questions that are left unanswered, issues that are unaddressed, and ultimately, bridges that are not mended.
<i>The Fall of Lisa Bellow</i> is beautiful, even if it isn't really much of a suspense. If you're looking for something on the more tame side of abduction tales, it fits that bill. I would like to thank NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and the author for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
After school one day, thirteen-year-old Meredith Oliver decides she is in dire need of a large root beer as a reward to herself for completing her test in Algebra II. While there, she encounters Lisa Bellow, a popular girl she's grown up with and cannot stand. Any interaction that might have occurred between the two is cut short when an armed and masked man comes into the sandwich shop to rob it. Then, as an afterthought, he kidnaps Lisa, leaving Meredith and her family to deal with the trauma.
The Oliver family is horrible, though. Possessing attitudes that are largely and entirely focused on themselves, the main characters from whose perspective we read, Meredith and her mother, Claire, are absolutely unlovable. While not on the level of Gone Girl bad, they do serve as stark reminders of how low humans can sink in their day to day interactions. I do feel that Perabo fairly accurately portrayed the mind of a thirteen-year-old girl, at least, from the mindset of what those my age may have experienced in school. I can't really speak for today's children, as, contrary to the belief of our own parents, that things never change, we all know they do. In that regard, the slut-shaming was almost unbearable. It seemed the only reason Meredith had to dislike Lisa was her good looks and poor attitude, to which she responded by constantly referring to her in derogatory terms. Personally, I cannot recall referring to girls in my eighth grade class as sluts: in fact, I don't even remember which girls were popular and pretty.
Given that a young girl has been kidnapped, as a reader, you might expect the story to also focus a bit on finding said victim. Instead, it takes a unique approach by focusing not on the victim and her family, but rather the girl that was not kidnapped and her own, which is far more dysfunctional than it might seem. Some of that can be attributed to the two tragedies they've faced back to back, while the rest likely has to do with how the characters simply are. The plot follows Meredith's changes through what she has experienced, providing readers with a coming-of-age story, rather than something that is suspenseful. There's really not a whole to guess, and even as the book comes to a conclusion, there are questions that are left unanswered, issues that are unaddressed, and ultimately, bridges that are not mended.
<i>The Fall of Lisa Bellow</i> is beautiful, even if it isn't really much of a suspense. If you're looking for something on the more tame side of abduction tales, it fits that bill. I would like to thank NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and the author for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
KittyMiku (138 KP) rated Split Second in Books
May 23, 2019
Contains spoilers, click to show
Split Second was an overall thought provoking book with duplications of matter, how time travel could work and teleportation, I found it hard to put down. It brought a lot of good points up about many of things we all wonder about, like multiple time lines and if it was possible to travel in time how would this work and so on. It definitely kept my interest and raised some questions of my own, resulting in my own research project as well.
I was rather impressed on all the research Richards must have done on different theories to use in this book, and to be able to explain them in ways even young adults could understand easily made it all the better. To have a book that is both able to teach you about different subjects and still hold your interest without going dry from all the random facts thrown in, was truly an outstanding feat. I enjoyed the twists and turns while being able to try and guess what is going on myself. Needless to say it was hard to keep track of who was with who and where those people stood in relevance to the current problem. However, because of that is made it all more appealing to read. Nothing like a little suspense to keep the book moving along nicely.
I was surprised on how it wrapped up so nicely that I didn't feel like there should've been a second book created. However, even though it was wrapped up beautifully, making it feel complete, I did see that Richards was able to sneak in a few ideas for his characters to play with that could result in a second book, even if I felt this was not necessary. I loves how Richards was able to come up advancements we could only dream of and make them seem all too real. I can't help but ponder if some of the advancement mentioned in the book are real. Which brings me to how the book pointed that the government hid all kinds of things and that these advancements could be done in secrecy because of how the programs they ran would have unlimited resources to conduct such research projects. To see how this would work, though not thoroughly explained in the book, was still a nice touch.
I would recommend this book to everyone who has an interest in time travel and its possible complications. When the subject at hand is discussed in several perspectives, it isn't hard to see how something that we all dream of in one way or another could be so harmful to the universe and to our fellow mankind. It also gives some ideas in how it would work as well as what some of those ramifications would be. It was all so fascinating and thought provoking that I can see individuals taking this book having some solid debates on the subject. Though it does leave room for one to wonder if maybe this could really be happening and we just not have a clue about it at all.
I was rather impressed on all the research Richards must have done on different theories to use in this book, and to be able to explain them in ways even young adults could understand easily made it all the better. To have a book that is both able to teach you about different subjects and still hold your interest without going dry from all the random facts thrown in, was truly an outstanding feat. I enjoyed the twists and turns while being able to try and guess what is going on myself. Needless to say it was hard to keep track of who was with who and where those people stood in relevance to the current problem. However, because of that is made it all more appealing to read. Nothing like a little suspense to keep the book moving along nicely.
I was surprised on how it wrapped up so nicely that I didn't feel like there should've been a second book created. However, even though it was wrapped up beautifully, making it feel complete, I did see that Richards was able to sneak in a few ideas for his characters to play with that could result in a second book, even if I felt this was not necessary. I loves how Richards was able to come up advancements we could only dream of and make them seem all too real. I can't help but ponder if some of the advancement mentioned in the book are real. Which brings me to how the book pointed that the government hid all kinds of things and that these advancements could be done in secrecy because of how the programs they ran would have unlimited resources to conduct such research projects. To see how this would work, though not thoroughly explained in the book, was still a nice touch.
I would recommend this book to everyone who has an interest in time travel and its possible complications. When the subject at hand is discussed in several perspectives, it isn't hard to see how something that we all dream of in one way or another could be so harmful to the universe and to our fellow mankind. It also gives some ideas in how it would work as well as what some of those ramifications would be. It was all so fascinating and thought provoking that I can see individuals taking this book having some solid debates on the subject. Though it does leave room for one to wonder if maybe this could really be happening and we just not have a clue about it at all.
Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated It's Always the Husband in Books
Jun 5, 2019
It’s Always the Husband by Michele Campbell was an unusual psychological drama detailing the lives of three main girls, Aubrey, Kate and Jenny who met at college and stayed friends for life. At least that’s what they’d like you to believe, from the outside looking in. Really, they were thrown together and kind of stuck with each other.
Relationships are tricky things, some best friends at school can totally be your worst nightmare, but if you’re too weak willed to get out of such a toxic relationship, before you know it, you’re stuck. I mean, if you’ve invested so much time and energy in a friendship, why would you give it all up? Especially now, when you’re all adults in your 40s, shouldn’t things be different?
When I say this story was unusual, what exactly did I mean by that? This is just my sort of book, I love psychological thrillers, but unfortunately I just didn’t feel for any of the characters at first. The story started slow, and I don’t think as much detail about their elite Carlisle college life at the beginning was needed. Maybe the odd flashback to something important, to show how the “Whipple Triplets” had pledged to be friends forever, when in fact it’s instantly obvious to the reader they’re actually frenemies from the day they first met. Again, I love books featuring frenemies, but there was just something about that whole first section which did not enthral me at all. However, as we moved on through to their later years where we meet them as adults, the pace picked up a bit, and like the blurb says, when someone is standing at the edge of the bridge and someone else is urging them to jump, I wanted to find out who and why! I didn’t get this far into the book to just give up!
We do get flashbacks every now and then and the suspense does pick up somewhat. I kind of knew payback was going to happen to the bitch of the group, but the unexpected twist at the end was interesting. There was just something clunky about the way the whole book was put together, like either I was missing something or it just did not read as smoothly as I’d have liked.
In addition, I get that their college life is all about popularity, money, sex, and much of it went by in a blur of drugs and alcohol, but at the same time, there was a lot of it going on in the story, and I half thought most of the substance abuse goings on was just too repetitive and didn’t really focus on the psychological issues they could have had at college. I don’t think all of it was needed.
Even so, I did finish this book, and I did like the ending, it just wasn’t completely enthralling enough for me to rate it higher than 3 stars, which is my ‘jolly good’ read, but not ‘really, really enjoyable’, and definitely not up there with ‘I’m going to talk about this for weeks’ five stars. Although, I could actually be talking about this for weeks, just not in the best light.
Relationships are tricky things, some best friends at school can totally be your worst nightmare, but if you’re too weak willed to get out of such a toxic relationship, before you know it, you’re stuck. I mean, if you’ve invested so much time and energy in a friendship, why would you give it all up? Especially now, when you’re all adults in your 40s, shouldn’t things be different?
When I say this story was unusual, what exactly did I mean by that? This is just my sort of book, I love psychological thrillers, but unfortunately I just didn’t feel for any of the characters at first. The story started slow, and I don’t think as much detail about their elite Carlisle college life at the beginning was needed. Maybe the odd flashback to something important, to show how the “Whipple Triplets” had pledged to be friends forever, when in fact it’s instantly obvious to the reader they’re actually frenemies from the day they first met. Again, I love books featuring frenemies, but there was just something about that whole first section which did not enthral me at all. However, as we moved on through to their later years where we meet them as adults, the pace picked up a bit, and like the blurb says, when someone is standing at the edge of the bridge and someone else is urging them to jump, I wanted to find out who and why! I didn’t get this far into the book to just give up!
We do get flashbacks every now and then and the suspense does pick up somewhat. I kind of knew payback was going to happen to the bitch of the group, but the unexpected twist at the end was interesting. There was just something clunky about the way the whole book was put together, like either I was missing something or it just did not read as smoothly as I’d have liked.
In addition, I get that their college life is all about popularity, money, sex, and much of it went by in a blur of drugs and alcohol, but at the same time, there was a lot of it going on in the story, and I half thought most of the substance abuse goings on was just too repetitive and didn’t really focus on the psychological issues they could have had at college. I don’t think all of it was needed.
Even so, I did finish this book, and I did like the ending, it just wasn’t completely enthralling enough for me to rate it higher than 3 stars, which is my ‘jolly good’ read, but not ‘really, really enjoyable’, and definitely not up there with ‘I’m going to talk about this for weeks’ five stars. Although, I could actually be talking about this for weeks, just not in the best light.