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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
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'There is a plot, Harry Potter. A plot to make most terrible things happen at Hogwarts School of...
Shattered (Dark Reflections #4)
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A hidden world full of danger and love. A powerful dream walker, Adriana Paige spends her time...
Young Adult Urban Fantasy
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Two Wrongs in Books
May 25, 2023
67 of 235
Book
Two Wrongs
By Mel McGrath
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
In the city of Bristol, young women are dying in mysterious circumstances. The deaths look like suicides – but are they something more sinister?
Honor is terrified that her daughter might be next. But as she looks for clues as to what really happened to the girls, she stumbles upon a link to a dark secret in her own past – one that she’s kept from her daughter.
Now Honor has the chance to avenge her child for the terrible events of years ago.
This was a pretty good read. I had a few moments as this book got home a little to close for me but I just couldn’t stop reading it. My stomach was twisted in parts. I really really felt uncomfortable but isn’t that what a good thriller is supposed to do?
Book
Two Wrongs
By Mel McGrath
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
In the city of Bristol, young women are dying in mysterious circumstances. The deaths look like suicides – but are they something more sinister?
Honor is terrified that her daughter might be next. But as she looks for clues as to what really happened to the girls, she stumbles upon a link to a dark secret in her own past – one that she’s kept from her daughter.
Now Honor has the chance to avenge her child for the terrible events of years ago.
This was a pretty good read. I had a few moments as this book got home a little to close for me but I just couldn’t stop reading it. My stomach was twisted in parts. I really really felt uncomfortable but isn’t that what a good thriller is supposed to do?
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Apocalypse Tomorrow (2014) in Movies
Jun 11, 2020
We get thrown into the disasters pretty quickly, so quickly in fact that I really thought I'd missed something, you will be glad to know that it's isn't so complex that you can't pick it up, it's just ridiculous.
The main characters of Neil and Colin are introduced very quickly and we get a rather clumsy potted backstory before they get swept up into the action. Joel Gretsch is a face I know from various things but it's The 4400 that sticks out the most, his acting in this isn't much of a stretch beyond what he's had experience with and he probably has the best character next to Marty.
Apocalypse Tomorrow, or Zodiac: Signs Of The Apocalypse, ticks all the classic TV disaster movie points... animals fleeing from impending danger, terrible CGI, vehicles and people being able to outrun nature, terrible CGI, and a dubious love interest moment... credit where credit is due, they did catch me out with this one. What I was severely upset by though was the fact that we hear about devastation around the world and there were no crappy shots of world famous landmarks being destroyed, don't they know that's what we come to these films for?!
You may know that I hate bouncy camera work, I was pleasantly surprised when (excluding in-car scenes) the camera was solid and not frustrating, TV movies tend to be a little erratic on that point. Sadly they do randomly have one scene where it appears that the cameraman was wearing trampoline shoes while going through caffeine withdrawal, even more confusingly there was a scene where I could have forgiven it happening but they chose a very calm moment to have it and it did nothing but annoy.
The props that are introduced suddenly looked very familiar and if I didn't know any better I'd have said they were original concept pieces for Stargate that had been found in a shed somewhere. The physical pieces don't actually look too bad visually, but the CGI is a mix of passable, bad and terrible, at no time convincing. Bizarrely that gives it pretty good marks for this sort of film.
As with many films that want to be more action than story our characters all get to jump to conclusions and accurate deductions without any work being put in. Significantly in this one it means that right near the beginning we jump from one scene to another and skip what feels like two scenes in the middle. From a tense situation everything goes calm instantly and everything is back to normal. With some better scripting there are a lot of moments like this that could have been avoided.
I feel like my score could be misleading, was this film bad? Yes. But it's just ridiculous enough to be amusing.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/06/apocalypse-tomorrow-movie-review.html
The main characters of Neil and Colin are introduced very quickly and we get a rather clumsy potted backstory before they get swept up into the action. Joel Gretsch is a face I know from various things but it's The 4400 that sticks out the most, his acting in this isn't much of a stretch beyond what he's had experience with and he probably has the best character next to Marty.
Apocalypse Tomorrow, or Zodiac: Signs Of The Apocalypse, ticks all the classic TV disaster movie points... animals fleeing from impending danger, terrible CGI, vehicles and people being able to outrun nature, terrible CGI, and a dubious love interest moment... credit where credit is due, they did catch me out with this one. What I was severely upset by though was the fact that we hear about devastation around the world and there were no crappy shots of world famous landmarks being destroyed, don't they know that's what we come to these films for?!
You may know that I hate bouncy camera work, I was pleasantly surprised when (excluding in-car scenes) the camera was solid and not frustrating, TV movies tend to be a little erratic on that point. Sadly they do randomly have one scene where it appears that the cameraman was wearing trampoline shoes while going through caffeine withdrawal, even more confusingly there was a scene where I could have forgiven it happening but they chose a very calm moment to have it and it did nothing but annoy.
The props that are introduced suddenly looked very familiar and if I didn't know any better I'd have said they were original concept pieces for Stargate that had been found in a shed somewhere. The physical pieces don't actually look too bad visually, but the CGI is a mix of passable, bad and terrible, at no time convincing. Bizarrely that gives it pretty good marks for this sort of film.
As with many films that want to be more action than story our characters all get to jump to conclusions and accurate deductions without any work being put in. Significantly in this one it means that right near the beginning we jump from one scene to another and skip what feels like two scenes in the middle. From a tense situation everything goes calm instantly and everything is back to normal. With some better scripting there are a lot of moments like this that could have been avoided.
I feel like my score could be misleading, was this film bad? Yes. But it's just ridiculous enough to be amusing.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/06/apocalypse-tomorrow-movie-review.html
saheffernan (157 KP) rated You Must Not Miss in Books
Mar 19, 2019
LBYRpartners and The Novl gave me this arc in exchange for an honest review what follows is my thoughts and opinions
"Everybody has a reason to want to change their lives" -Magpie Lewis
Magpie has some of the best. We love stories of broken people and Magpie is a dark, hurt, twisted broken at the core person. After finding her father sleeping with her aunt, her drunk mother who can't even fend for her own well being and especially not Magpie's, her sister has moved away to college changed her number and never looked back, and losing her best friend you feel bad for Magpie very, very sad for her. Like any other teenager dealing with a host of big issues Magpie is dying to escape and one day she does, creating a world she controls. As the story continues you realize maybe you shouldn't have felt as bad for her as you originally had. Magpie starts to deal with her issues by shoving them into this new world and destroying them. She begins to do all the terrible and twisted things that have been done to her, much like a typical teenager may act out. This novel kept me interested and reading. Although, I felt a little bizarre about the new world it made sense that's how she chose to control things that were otherwise uncontrollable. I love how the novel ended feeling complete and tied up. I liked Magpie as a character and her new group of outcast friends after the terrible incident that lead her to lose her best friend. I was blown away by the topics covered in this novel and the way they were talked about from transgendered characters to sexual abuse were elegantly addressed. I would recommend this novel to anyone who loves a little sci-fi and contemporary mashups while dealing with grand scale issues.
"Everybody has a reason to want to change their lives" -Magpie Lewis
Magpie has some of the best. We love stories of broken people and Magpie is a dark, hurt, twisted broken at the core person. After finding her father sleeping with her aunt, her drunk mother who can't even fend for her own well being and especially not Magpie's, her sister has moved away to college changed her number and never looked back, and losing her best friend you feel bad for Magpie very, very sad for her. Like any other teenager dealing with a host of big issues Magpie is dying to escape and one day she does, creating a world she controls. As the story continues you realize maybe you shouldn't have felt as bad for her as you originally had. Magpie starts to deal with her issues by shoving them into this new world and destroying them. She begins to do all the terrible and twisted things that have been done to her, much like a typical teenager may act out. This novel kept me interested and reading. Although, I felt a little bizarre about the new world it made sense that's how she chose to control things that were otherwise uncontrollable. I love how the novel ended feeling complete and tied up. I liked Magpie as a character and her new group of outcast friends after the terrible incident that lead her to lose her best friend. I was blown away by the topics covered in this novel and the way they were talked about from transgendered characters to sexual abuse were elegantly addressed. I would recommend this novel to anyone who loves a little sci-fi and contemporary mashups while dealing with grand scale issues.
Sarah (7799 KP) rated X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019) in Movies
Jun 12, 2019
Completely unnecessary and forgettable
I had little hope for this film. After the brilliance that was Days of Future Past, we were faced with the truly poor Apocalypse and I’m afraid to say that Dark Phoenix really follows in Apocalypse’s footsteps. Whilst it isn’t any worse, it isn’t any better either.
For starters, did we really need them to redo the Dark Phoenix storyline? Admittedly it has at least been done better than The Last Stand, but it’s still a very predictable and dull storyline. Even more so because we’ve seen it all before. And it isn’t helped by a terrible script and a very pointless villain that made the plot even worse. Writing Jessica Chastain’s character and that entire plot line out of the film would actually have made it slightly better. Only slightly mind.
I’m not convinced about Sophie Turner either. Like the film itself, she isn’t terrible but I don’t think she’s particularly good either. I liked the scenes with Jean showcasing her new powers, but it’s obvious that the majority of the CGI budget has gone on this and the rest of the scenes look a little poor in comparison. For me what this film is missing is the camaraderie of the X-Men being together and fighting together. Whilst this is featured in the final part (and by far one of the best scenes), it comes far too late. They’ve also relegated some of the more light hearted and funny characters like Quiksilver to bit parts, when this film is in dire need of some humour. And even Magneto is rather sidelined and the pairing of Fassbender and McAvoy was by far the best thing about these X-Men films. Yes we get a great scene with them towards the end which was marvellous, but it was too little too late.
Quite honestly I think they should’ve called it a day with the X-Men films and ended on a high with Days of Future Past. I just really hope they don’t make any more!
For starters, did we really need them to redo the Dark Phoenix storyline? Admittedly it has at least been done better than The Last Stand, but it’s still a very predictable and dull storyline. Even more so because we’ve seen it all before. And it isn’t helped by a terrible script and a very pointless villain that made the plot even worse. Writing Jessica Chastain’s character and that entire plot line out of the film would actually have made it slightly better. Only slightly mind.
I’m not convinced about Sophie Turner either. Like the film itself, she isn’t terrible but I don’t think she’s particularly good either. I liked the scenes with Jean showcasing her new powers, but it’s obvious that the majority of the CGI budget has gone on this and the rest of the scenes look a little poor in comparison. For me what this film is missing is the camaraderie of the X-Men being together and fighting together. Whilst this is featured in the final part (and by far one of the best scenes), it comes far too late. They’ve also relegated some of the more light hearted and funny characters like Quiksilver to bit parts, when this film is in dire need of some humour. And even Magneto is rather sidelined and the pairing of Fassbender and McAvoy was by far the best thing about these X-Men films. Yes we get a great scene with them towards the end which was marvellous, but it was too little too late.
Quite honestly I think they should’ve called it a day with the X-Men films and ended on a high with Days of Future Past. I just really hope they don’t make any more!
This ebook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Bullying is a topic many authors try to tackle, usually ending up with the bullied overcoming their tormentors. But, as many people have experienced, that is not always the result in real life. Natasha A. Salnikova, on the other hand, produces an alternative solution, a solution that is almost too horrific to imagine.
Fifteen-year-old Corby Mackentile is the stereotypical victim for private school bullies; she is quiet, intelligent and overweight. Whilst mostly humiliating Corby because of her size, the bullies also use her own parents against her. Corby’s mother is a Boston TV Anchor and her father is a vegetarian Buddhist who also happens to own a butcher’s shop.
The butcher’s shop is a haven for Corby; she can escape there after school and not be intimidated by anyone. But when one of the horrible girls from school turns up at the shop after hours, a terrible accident occurs, which gives Corby a new solution to her bullying problem.
It is initially hard to get into the novel Mean Girl; the third person narrative distances the reader from the main character. Although many people may be able to relate to Corby’s situation, the incident in the shop changes her beyond recognition. In order to hide events from her parents, she becomes mean, rude and altogether an unpleasant person.
Until the feeble plot twist at the end of the novel, it is impossible to care much about what happens to Corby. Bullying is a terrible thing to experience but the way Corby deals with it is beyond tolerable.
Mean Girl is advertised as a psychological thriller; however, it appears to be lacking the thrilling aspect. Some may place the book in the horror genre but “horrifying” would be more appropriate. With some scenes containing gruesome details, it is overall not a very pleasant story to read.
Bullying is a topic many authors try to tackle, usually ending up with the bullied overcoming their tormentors. But, as many people have experienced, that is not always the result in real life. Natasha A. Salnikova, on the other hand, produces an alternative solution, a solution that is almost too horrific to imagine.
Fifteen-year-old Corby Mackentile is the stereotypical victim for private school bullies; she is quiet, intelligent and overweight. Whilst mostly humiliating Corby because of her size, the bullies also use her own parents against her. Corby’s mother is a Boston TV Anchor and her father is a vegetarian Buddhist who also happens to own a butcher’s shop.
The butcher’s shop is a haven for Corby; she can escape there after school and not be intimidated by anyone. But when one of the horrible girls from school turns up at the shop after hours, a terrible accident occurs, which gives Corby a new solution to her bullying problem.
It is initially hard to get into the novel Mean Girl; the third person narrative distances the reader from the main character. Although many people may be able to relate to Corby’s situation, the incident in the shop changes her beyond recognition. In order to hide events from her parents, she becomes mean, rude and altogether an unpleasant person.
Until the feeble plot twist at the end of the novel, it is impossible to care much about what happens to Corby. Bullying is a terrible thing to experience but the way Corby deals with it is beyond tolerable.
Mean Girl is advertised as a psychological thriller; however, it appears to be lacking the thrilling aspect. Some may place the book in the horror genre but “horrifying” would be more appropriate. With some scenes containing gruesome details, it is overall not a very pleasant story to read.
Josh Burns (166 KP) rated Megashark vs Crocasaurus (2010) in Movies
Jun 21, 2019
Is this B Monster Movie worth the watch?
Megashark vs Crocasaurus has a decent concept behind it as far as B Monster Movies go. 2 ancient giant animals somehow survived, hidden away, only to wake up for what is hopefully an epic clash. But does it deliver?
The acting amd writing is about what you'd expect from a movie like this. It's passable most of the time, but sometimes, not so much. That being said, top notch acting amd writing is not why anyone watches movies like this.
The movies biggest downfall is it's monsters. They look absolutely terrible and have inconsistent size from scene to scene. Let me break each one down.
The Megashark: this may be the least intetesting "giant monster" I've seen brought to screen, and unfortunately, itbis the star of the franchise (yes there is more than one Megashark movie). Terrible CGI aside, it's kills were extremely underwhelming, mostly resorting to flopping out of the water, to smash ships with it's tail as it hurtles over them, causing little CGI explosions. As an example of the inconsistent size, when it's fin sticks out of the water upon approaching a ship, it is about the size of the whole shark when it is seen flopping out of the water.
The Crocasaurus: This one is marginally more interesting with a wider range of terribly animated kills and the ability to be on both land and water.
The Clash: This was a laughably bad "battle between the two monsters. Most of it consisted of them forming a circle, both with the others tail it it's mouth, as the military poured missiles into them.
Overall, it's not at all a good movie, but I'm pretty sure that's intentional to a point. It has its moments where it reaches levels of fun for fans of the genre. If you catch it on TV ir maybe a streaming service (it's on Amazon Prime now), it might be worth a watch, but I don't recommend spending money on it.
The acting amd writing is about what you'd expect from a movie like this. It's passable most of the time, but sometimes, not so much. That being said, top notch acting amd writing is not why anyone watches movies like this.
The movies biggest downfall is it's monsters. They look absolutely terrible and have inconsistent size from scene to scene. Let me break each one down.
The Megashark: this may be the least intetesting "giant monster" I've seen brought to screen, and unfortunately, itbis the star of the franchise (yes there is more than one Megashark movie). Terrible CGI aside, it's kills were extremely underwhelming, mostly resorting to flopping out of the water, to smash ships with it's tail as it hurtles over them, causing little CGI explosions. As an example of the inconsistent size, when it's fin sticks out of the water upon approaching a ship, it is about the size of the whole shark when it is seen flopping out of the water.
The Crocasaurus: This one is marginally more interesting with a wider range of terribly animated kills and the ability to be on both land and water.
The Clash: This was a laughably bad "battle between the two monsters. Most of it consisted of them forming a circle, both with the others tail it it's mouth, as the military poured missiles into them.
Overall, it's not at all a good movie, but I'm pretty sure that's intentional to a point. It has its moments where it reaches levels of fun for fans of the genre. If you catch it on TV ir maybe a streaming service (it's on Amazon Prime now), it might be worth a watch, but I don't recommend spending money on it.
ClareR (5748 KP) rated The Devil You Know: Stories of Human Cruelty and Compassion in Books
Jun 22, 2021
The Devil You Know is a series of case studies of some of the patients that Dr Gwen Adshead has worked with in her role as a forensic psychiatrist. I don’t know quite what I expected from this: perhaps a dry, academic-type book. It was nothing at all like that. It’s a book full of compassion for the terrible mistakes, acts and choices that these people have made. And this is what’s made clear in this book: we (or rather, I) have always been led to believe that people who murder, stalk or destroy others lives are sub-human, have no empathy, no guilt or reasons for their actions. But there are those who have made terrible, unforgivable, life-changing decisions and must now live with those choices. Some are wracked with guilt, others aren’t.
It’s really interesting to read about this diverse group of people - they were in Broadmoor, secure prisons or units, and some had been released back into society and were experiencing the world again after serving their sentences.
If you’ve always wondered what motivates people to commit violent crimes, then this is, in part, the book for you. I found it quite reassuring to know that there are people like Dr Adshead out there who listen to perpetrators of crime, who want to learn what it is that causes them to make that fatal decision. I found the part about early childhood neglect and abuse and its impact on brain development particularly interesting (I work in Early Years), and the fact that it is potentially within society’s power to prevent crime before it has even been thought about was sobering.
I could go on, but I won’t. Just to say that I found this whole book fascinating - it’s such a well-written, accessible and interesting read.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this, and to Gwen Adshead and Eileen Horne for reading along with the Pigeons!
It’s really interesting to read about this diverse group of people - they were in Broadmoor, secure prisons or units, and some had been released back into society and were experiencing the world again after serving their sentences.
If you’ve always wondered what motivates people to commit violent crimes, then this is, in part, the book for you. I found it quite reassuring to know that there are people like Dr Adshead out there who listen to perpetrators of crime, who want to learn what it is that causes them to make that fatal decision. I found the part about early childhood neglect and abuse and its impact on brain development particularly interesting (I work in Early Years), and the fact that it is potentially within society’s power to prevent crime before it has even been thought about was sobering.
I could go on, but I won’t. Just to say that I found this whole book fascinating - it’s such a well-written, accessible and interesting read.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this, and to Gwen Adshead and Eileen Horne for reading along with the Pigeons!
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A brand new adventure game from Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick, creators of the classics Monkey Island...