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Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Dark Harmony (The Bargainer #3) in Books
May 5, 2020
71 of 200
Kindle
Dark Harmony ( The Bargainer book 3)
By Laura Thalassa
There are worse things than death. Things that lurk in the shadows and slip into your dreams. Things that have no business existing. Things that once slept … but have now awoken.
For Callypso Lillis, the fae magic that now runs through her veins is equal parts curse and good fortune. For the very thing that bonds her to Desmond Flynn, the King of the Night, also makes her vulnerable to the Thief of Souls, a man who wants to break the world … and Callie along with it.
But it’s not just the Thief whose shadow looms over the Otherworld. Des’s father is back from the dead, and he wants revenge on the son who sent him to the grave in the first place.
Des and Callie must figure out how to stop both men, and time is running out. Because there are forces at play working to tear the lovers apart once and for all … and unfortunately for them, death is no longer the worst thing to fear.
What an ending! I have absolutely loved everything about this series it was just so good. I have been looking for a decent fey series for so long! I think I’ll definitely be rereading this one! Highly recommended If you like your fey, hot sex but not constantly shoved down your throat and characters you can laugh, cry, love and hate. This was a series the author was giving away whist the world was on a crazy lockdown to so thank you Laura Thalassa!!
Kindle
Dark Harmony ( The Bargainer book 3)
By Laura Thalassa
There are worse things than death. Things that lurk in the shadows and slip into your dreams. Things that have no business existing. Things that once slept … but have now awoken.
For Callypso Lillis, the fae magic that now runs through her veins is equal parts curse and good fortune. For the very thing that bonds her to Desmond Flynn, the King of the Night, also makes her vulnerable to the Thief of Souls, a man who wants to break the world … and Callie along with it.
But it’s not just the Thief whose shadow looms over the Otherworld. Des’s father is back from the dead, and he wants revenge on the son who sent him to the grave in the first place.
Des and Callie must figure out how to stop both men, and time is running out. Because there are forces at play working to tear the lovers apart once and for all … and unfortunately for them, death is no longer the worst thing to fear.
What an ending! I have absolutely loved everything about this series it was just so good. I have been looking for a decent fey series for so long! I think I’ll definitely be rereading this one! Highly recommended If you like your fey, hot sex but not constantly shoved down your throat and characters you can laugh, cry, love and hate. This was a series the author was giving away whist the world was on a crazy lockdown to so thank you Laura Thalassa!!
Merissa (12894 KP) rated Inconceivable (Little Black Box #1) in Books
Apr 18, 2023
This is Cinderella with a twist. Instead of poor Cinders being all nice, we have one full of attitude and a 'woe is me' attitude. Now, don't get me wrong, Allie has had a rough time of it recently. She has lost her mother and her soon-to-be stepfather. Then along comes the wicked stepmother and the haughty stepsister, so she feels like she's entitled to have her very own pity party. She finally opens up the little black box which is the only thing she inherited and goes off to find out what the address holds. What she finds is a tattooed and pierced fairy god... father who is determined to help her find happiness, even if he has to do it with her kicking and screaming.
I'll be honest, I couldn't understand Allie's opinions about Angelo but understood the reasoning, and the lesson she had to learn, behind them. She has a lot of lessons to learn, not only about who she is, but how she views people, what will really make her happy, how she behaves towards others etc.
This is a simple story, elegantly told, and it was very easy to slip between the pages and get carried away with the story. I'm a sucker for a HEA, but who was it between? Read it and find out for yourself. Definitely recommended and looking forward to the second in the series.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Oct 4, 2015
I'll be honest, I couldn't understand Allie's opinions about Angelo but understood the reasoning, and the lesson she had to learn, behind them. She has a lot of lessons to learn, not only about who she is, but how she views people, what will really make her happy, how she behaves towards others etc.
This is a simple story, elegantly told, and it was very easy to slip between the pages and get carried away with the story. I'm a sucker for a HEA, but who was it between? Read it and find out for yourself. Definitely recommended and looking forward to the second in the series.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Oct 4, 2015
Debbiereadsbook (1437 KP) rated Daffodils and Dreams (Brodyr Alarch #4) in Books
Jun 16, 2025
wonderful instalment!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, but I also purchased my copy of this book.
This is book 4 in the Brodyr Alarch series, and while not necessary, I do recomend that you read the other three boosk before this, or at LEAST, Sealed with A Curse, which is the prequel to this series. That will give you why these men were cursed, and what they did to be free of it. Harri mentions it a time or two in his musings. I loved them all.
Harri is preparing to be crowned the king of Melthkior, a middle brother in the Brodyr Alarch. His older brothers have no wish to be king, and Harri was always going to be crowned. Adding the Druids to the ceremony, and wanting to build a healing centre with their knowledge, was all Harri's idea. Ffion is the daughter of the head of the Druids. The two meeting start a cascade of events that leads to some dark times for them both. Will their choices, when the time comes, prove them worthy?
I've said this before and I will say it again, I am LOVING that these books are clean. Harri and Ffion take time to get to know each other, it's well over halfway through the book that they kiss, and I loved being made to wait. They both have a powerful reaction to the other, but it's kept low key. They know about it, but they don't voice it, not until things begin to go wrong.
I loved that Harri and Ffion both have to face their demons. I love that the tests are intriguing. I wasn't sure how they would go down. I loved that, while confident on the outside, both Harri and Ffion had doubts. Not about their love, that is clear, but about who they are inside and if they are good enough for each other and the roles they have been dealt.
This one is based around the Sleeping Beauty type tale. Harri and Ffion work hard to remove all chance of the curse being activated, but it takes a tiny slip of the foot to set it in motion and there is nothing harri can do then, but battle himself, almost.
I really REALLY enjoyed this instalment and I can't wait for the next one. I'm left feeling 4 stars, though, rather than 5 and I can only assume that it's a "me, not you" thing.
4 very VERY good stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
This is book 4 in the Brodyr Alarch series, and while not necessary, I do recomend that you read the other three boosk before this, or at LEAST, Sealed with A Curse, which is the prequel to this series. That will give you why these men were cursed, and what they did to be free of it. Harri mentions it a time or two in his musings. I loved them all.
Harri is preparing to be crowned the king of Melthkior, a middle brother in the Brodyr Alarch. His older brothers have no wish to be king, and Harri was always going to be crowned. Adding the Druids to the ceremony, and wanting to build a healing centre with their knowledge, was all Harri's idea. Ffion is the daughter of the head of the Druids. The two meeting start a cascade of events that leads to some dark times for them both. Will their choices, when the time comes, prove them worthy?
I've said this before and I will say it again, I am LOVING that these books are clean. Harri and Ffion take time to get to know each other, it's well over halfway through the book that they kiss, and I loved being made to wait. They both have a powerful reaction to the other, but it's kept low key. They know about it, but they don't voice it, not until things begin to go wrong.
I loved that Harri and Ffion both have to face their demons. I love that the tests are intriguing. I wasn't sure how they would go down. I loved that, while confident on the outside, both Harri and Ffion had doubts. Not about their love, that is clear, but about who they are inside and if they are good enough for each other and the roles they have been dealt.
This one is based around the Sleeping Beauty type tale. Harri and Ffion work hard to remove all chance of the curse being activated, but it takes a tiny slip of the foot to set it in motion and there is nothing harri can do then, but battle himself, almost.
I really REALLY enjoyed this instalment and I can't wait for the next one. I'm left feeling 4 stars, though, rather than 5 and I can only assume that it's a "me, not you" thing.
4 very VERY good stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated A Simple Favor (2018) in Movies
Apr 8, 2020
Well Worth Watching
I'll start this review by stating for the record - I LIKE BLAKE LIVELY. I think the former Gossip Girl star is extremely watchable and interesting - and in the right role, can take over a film.
And...in A SIMPLE FAVOR...she is in the right role.
Also starring Anne Kendrick (INTO THE WOODS), A SIMPLE FAVOR tells the tale of a suburban mother (Kendrick) who forms a friendship with a lively (no pun intended) working mom (Lively) - from "The City" no less - who asks her friend for "A Simple Favor" - watch her child while she tends to some urgent business. When the working Mom goes missing, the suburban Mom starts snooping into what happened.
Directed by Paul Feig (BRIDESMAIDS), A SIMPLE FAVOR finds itself in a bit of a "no man's land" of style and genre. Is it a made for TV Movie like BIG LITTLE LIES (no...it's ambition and production style is more ambitious than that). Is it a "Major Motion Picture" a la GONE GIRL (no...it's not that ambitious). Is it a satire on the suburban Mom (partially), a whodunnit (partially), a mystery (partially) a black comedy (partially).
And that's what is in this film's favor - and it's biggest issue. It's hard to define and pin down and the feel of the film floats all over the place, as do the performances of the leading ladies.
Anna Kendrick is perfectly well suited to play the frumpy suburban Mom, Stephanie, who's underlying unhappiness is masked by the perma-grin and energy of that Mom who volunteers for EVERYTHING at school. She is more than balanced by Lively's scene-stealing performance as Emily the working Mom from NYC that doesn't take crap - or orders - from anybody. Their scenes together are uneven and unbalanced - and that is perfect for what Stephanie is going through. She encounters a force of nature in Emily and is just trying to hang on for dear life.
And there, again, is where the issues of this film (and it's strengths) show up. Sometimes - it seems - that Stephanie is getting a foothold, only to slip and fall. But then she gets her foothold stronger and a whole new character emerges, only to have it slip again...and then she is SNARKY...and slips back to mousey...and then she is CLEVER...and slips back to mousey...and the she...
You get the idea. It keeps the audience guessing and off-guard, but the change in tone hurts the overall flow of the film.
It, ultimately, becomes a fairly clever whoddunit that had me guessing (for the most part) until the end, so I have to admit - I ended up enjoying it - mostly because of Lively's energy.
Letter Grade: B+ (well worth your time to check out)
7 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank (OfMarquis)
And...in A SIMPLE FAVOR...she is in the right role.
Also starring Anne Kendrick (INTO THE WOODS), A SIMPLE FAVOR tells the tale of a suburban mother (Kendrick) who forms a friendship with a lively (no pun intended) working mom (Lively) - from "The City" no less - who asks her friend for "A Simple Favor" - watch her child while she tends to some urgent business. When the working Mom goes missing, the suburban Mom starts snooping into what happened.
Directed by Paul Feig (BRIDESMAIDS), A SIMPLE FAVOR finds itself in a bit of a "no man's land" of style and genre. Is it a made for TV Movie like BIG LITTLE LIES (no...it's ambition and production style is more ambitious than that). Is it a "Major Motion Picture" a la GONE GIRL (no...it's not that ambitious). Is it a satire on the suburban Mom (partially), a whodunnit (partially), a mystery (partially) a black comedy (partially).
And that's what is in this film's favor - and it's biggest issue. It's hard to define and pin down and the feel of the film floats all over the place, as do the performances of the leading ladies.
Anna Kendrick is perfectly well suited to play the frumpy suburban Mom, Stephanie, who's underlying unhappiness is masked by the perma-grin and energy of that Mom who volunteers for EVERYTHING at school. She is more than balanced by Lively's scene-stealing performance as Emily the working Mom from NYC that doesn't take crap - or orders - from anybody. Their scenes together are uneven and unbalanced - and that is perfect for what Stephanie is going through. She encounters a force of nature in Emily and is just trying to hang on for dear life.
And there, again, is where the issues of this film (and it's strengths) show up. Sometimes - it seems - that Stephanie is getting a foothold, only to slip and fall. But then she gets her foothold stronger and a whole new character emerges, only to have it slip again...and then she is SNARKY...and slips back to mousey...and then she is CLEVER...and slips back to mousey...and the she...
You get the idea. It keeps the audience guessing and off-guard, but the change in tone hurts the overall flow of the film.
It, ultimately, becomes a fairly clever whoddunit that had me guessing (for the most part) until the end, so I have to admit - I ended up enjoying it - mostly because of Lively's energy.
Letter Grade: B+ (well worth your time to check out)
7 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank (OfMarquis)
Sam (74 KP) rated The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events #3) in Books
Mar 27, 2019
I’m not ashamed to say that I’m binge-reading A Series of Unfortunate Events now. Someone was selling the whole series for £15 online, all in hardback so I couldn’t help myself. Now I’m quickly reading one after the other because I just need to know the stuff!
If you haven’t yet read the previous books in the series, I would suggest for you to not read this review as I might accidentally slip in a few spoilers without realising. I’ll try hard not to put too much in!
The Baudelaires, once again, are on their way to another distant relative. This time it’s their aunt Josephine, who isn’t really their aunt and I can’t exactly remember how she’s related to them, but you get the idea.
Their aunt Josephine is afraid of everything from the doormat to estate agents. But the Baudelaire’s are safe. They’re living on top of a cliff in a dusty old town, as far from Count Olaf as they can get. Or so they think…
I’ve got to say, the episodes for this book on Netflix were definitely not my favourites, and I definitely hold the same feelings for the book. I just found this one a little bit dull in comparison to the rest of the series and much harder to get into than any of the books before. Saying that, I still enjoyed it and read it quickly so I could get onto the next book in the series.
Josephine’s comments about grammar made me laugh and I loved the mystery of this one, and even though I was glad to finish it and move onto The Miserable Mill, it was still a good addition to the series.
If you haven’t yet read the previous books in the series, I would suggest for you to not read this review as I might accidentally slip in a few spoilers without realising. I’ll try hard not to put too much in!
The Baudelaires, once again, are on their way to another distant relative. This time it’s their aunt Josephine, who isn’t really their aunt and I can’t exactly remember how she’s related to them, but you get the idea.
Their aunt Josephine is afraid of everything from the doormat to estate agents. But the Baudelaire’s are safe. They’re living on top of a cliff in a dusty old town, as far from Count Olaf as they can get. Or so they think…
I’ve got to say, the episodes for this book on Netflix were definitely not my favourites, and I definitely hold the same feelings for the book. I just found this one a little bit dull in comparison to the rest of the series and much harder to get into than any of the books before. Saying that, I still enjoyed it and read it quickly so I could get onto the next book in the series.
Josephine’s comments about grammar made me laugh and I loved the mystery of this one, and even though I was glad to finish it and move onto The Miserable Mill, it was still a good addition to the series.
Debbiereadsbook (1437 KP) rated Slippers and Songs (Brodyr Alarch #1) in Books
Feb 23, 2024
There is romance here, but it takes time!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Prince Brenin and his brother are summoned to help solve a mystery, to where Princess Tesni goes at night, and ruins her dancing shoes. She can't remember, and no one has been able to solve the riddle. Given that Brenin and his brothers survived a curse, they might be able to finally let Tesni sleep.
There is a book previous to this, but it's not really necessary to read Sealed with A Curse before this one. It would give you the story of how Brenin and his brothers were cursed, and why one brother still has a swan wing instead of an arm, but not really NEEDED to understand this one.
Brenin is called to help Tesni. (I was reading this as Tensi through the whole book though, so if I slip and type it wrong, I'm sorry!) They kinda clash a bit at first, but they do begin to get on once they start spending time together. There is romance here, but it takes time, and it's CLEAN. And I loved that it was! If you follow my reviews, you'll know I will always say I prefer my books on the spicier side, but here?? Nope, loved that it was clean and no violence.
I loved how I did not see who was responsible for Tesni's plight. Did not see that coming at all! Nor why! So well played there!
It's beautifully written. Full of Welsh myths and gods, and I can't remember their names but those same gods are central to Sealed With a Curse, so maybe you SHOULD read that one before this!
My only niggle, and it really is a niggle. I'm picky like that and it's my review but this won't affect my star rating! The book is told from only Brenin's point of view and I really wanted to know what Tesni was thinking, at key points along the way. When she meets Brenin, when she gets up at night, what was going through her mind, when Brenin solves the riddle, and when Brenin first asks that very important question! I loved her reaction, I kinda expected it, but I didn't expect Brenin to run away! He does come good, with a little help from previously aforementioned Welsh gods whose names I can't say let alone spell!
I'm intrigued by these fairytale retells. They are all Brothers Grimm, but ones I've never heard of! I'm looking forward to reading the next one.
I liked Sealed with a Curse, it was a nice read that I gave 4 stars to. But this one? I LOVED this one! And as such, it can only get:
5 full and shiny stars!
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Prince Brenin and his brother are summoned to help solve a mystery, to where Princess Tesni goes at night, and ruins her dancing shoes. She can't remember, and no one has been able to solve the riddle. Given that Brenin and his brothers survived a curse, they might be able to finally let Tesni sleep.
There is a book previous to this, but it's not really necessary to read Sealed with A Curse before this one. It would give you the story of how Brenin and his brothers were cursed, and why one brother still has a swan wing instead of an arm, but not really NEEDED to understand this one.
Brenin is called to help Tesni. (I was reading this as Tensi through the whole book though, so if I slip and type it wrong, I'm sorry!) They kinda clash a bit at first, but they do begin to get on once they start spending time together. There is romance here, but it takes time, and it's CLEAN. And I loved that it was! If you follow my reviews, you'll know I will always say I prefer my books on the spicier side, but here?? Nope, loved that it was clean and no violence.
I loved how I did not see who was responsible for Tesni's plight. Did not see that coming at all! Nor why! So well played there!
It's beautifully written. Full of Welsh myths and gods, and I can't remember their names but those same gods are central to Sealed With a Curse, so maybe you SHOULD read that one before this!
My only niggle, and it really is a niggle. I'm picky like that and it's my review but this won't affect my star rating! The book is told from only Brenin's point of view and I really wanted to know what Tesni was thinking, at key points along the way. When she meets Brenin, when she gets up at night, what was going through her mind, when Brenin solves the riddle, and when Brenin first asks that very important question! I loved her reaction, I kinda expected it, but I didn't expect Brenin to run away! He does come good, with a little help from previously aforementioned Welsh gods whose names I can't say let alone spell!
I'm intrigued by these fairytale retells. They are all Brothers Grimm, but ones I've never heard of! I'm looking forward to reading the next one.
I liked Sealed with a Curse, it was a nice read that I gave 4 stars to. But this one? I LOVED this one! And as such, it can only get:
5 full and shiny stars!
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
LilyLovesIndie (123 KP) rated A Tumble Through Time in Books
Nov 5, 2018
A Tumble Through Time is a wonderful frolic in the Wild West. When everything is going wrong for Anna, she suddenly finds herself in Kansas, 1870. A slow burning love for the town Marshal, Wes, develops and before you know it, it's love, but for how long?
I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by the author in return for an honest review, and I'm pretty certain Callie Hutton is going to be pretty pleased with it! But firstly, I must thank her for offering me this book to read as it was an absolute delight from start to finish.
Let's start with the plot, time travel meets romance, meets a bit of tragedy, meets a lovely ending. Hutton is spot on with her pace, plot development, writing style and story. It ambles at a lovely easy read pace, and has the feel of a book that you can easily slip in and out of, just like a pair of old jeans! But at times, the drama in the story picks up the pace and makes for irresistible reading. However, for me, the most important point to make is how familiar it feels when you return to the book after a short reading break (and believe me when I say short!) as it feels like you never put the book down. As someone who is frequently interrupted whilst reading, that's a really important thing for me.
Next, we have the characters. Anna and Wes are a delight to read, their love isn't cheesy or over the top, and the sex scenes are incredibly well written. The characters are believable and that makes it so easy to invest your emotions and time into reading about their lives, even if Anna is a bit of a 'modern woman', it's just lovely to see the contrast of times and upbringing completely demolished by their love for each other. In fact, if anything, it made me feel 'loved up' because I was bathed in their happy glow.
One of the final things I feel needs to be pointed out is how historically accurate the book is. This area of history is one of great interest to me, and I like my books to be accurate. Whether it's 'Indian Territory' or Kansas, it's clear how much effort has gone into researching this story, especially the accents. The dialects are fantastically well written, and it was easy to find yourself actually hearing the cowboys and little familiar ditties you've all heard in the classic Wild West movies, and it all adds to how believable the tale is, developing the atmosphere to such an extent you actually think you're there in Denton.
Finally, I suppose there's nothing else to say apart from go and get yourself a copy of this book. It's a delight from cover to cover, and I cannot honestly recommend it highly enough. If you like a bit of romance, a bit of action, a bit of time travel or even just something nice and easy to read sat by the poolside on your holiday then look no further. Callie Hutton is a fantastic and very talented author and I look forward to reading more of her work.
I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by the author in return for an honest review, and I'm pretty certain Callie Hutton is going to be pretty pleased with it! But firstly, I must thank her for offering me this book to read as it was an absolute delight from start to finish.
Let's start with the plot, time travel meets romance, meets a bit of tragedy, meets a lovely ending. Hutton is spot on with her pace, plot development, writing style and story. It ambles at a lovely easy read pace, and has the feel of a book that you can easily slip in and out of, just like a pair of old jeans! But at times, the drama in the story picks up the pace and makes for irresistible reading. However, for me, the most important point to make is how familiar it feels when you return to the book after a short reading break (and believe me when I say short!) as it feels like you never put the book down. As someone who is frequently interrupted whilst reading, that's a really important thing for me.
Next, we have the characters. Anna and Wes are a delight to read, their love isn't cheesy or over the top, and the sex scenes are incredibly well written. The characters are believable and that makes it so easy to invest your emotions and time into reading about their lives, even if Anna is a bit of a 'modern woman', it's just lovely to see the contrast of times and upbringing completely demolished by their love for each other. In fact, if anything, it made me feel 'loved up' because I was bathed in their happy glow.
One of the final things I feel needs to be pointed out is how historically accurate the book is. This area of history is one of great interest to me, and I like my books to be accurate. Whether it's 'Indian Territory' or Kansas, it's clear how much effort has gone into researching this story, especially the accents. The dialects are fantastically well written, and it was easy to find yourself actually hearing the cowboys and little familiar ditties you've all heard in the classic Wild West movies, and it all adds to how believable the tale is, developing the atmosphere to such an extent you actually think you're there in Denton.
Finally, I suppose there's nothing else to say apart from go and get yourself a copy of this book. It's a delight from cover to cover, and I cannot honestly recommend it highly enough. If you like a bit of romance, a bit of action, a bit of time travel or even just something nice and easy to read sat by the poolside on your holiday then look no further. Callie Hutton is a fantastic and very talented author and I look forward to reading more of her work.
BookInspector (124 KP) rated Final Girls in Books
Sep 24, 2020
More reviews on https://bbookinspector.wordpress.com
I don’t know about you, but I get this feeling after reading a great book, where I need to breathe out and have some free time before I pick up another book. I just need some time to digest what I just read, the same feeling I had after reading Final Girls. It is one of my favourite books this year and I think everybody should read it.
I was hooked from the first pages of this book, as it starts of Quincy’s escape from Pine Cottage. The main characters in this book were Quincy and Samantha (Sam). Two strong survivors of massive slaughter, but there is one small problem, Quincy can’t remember what happened that night.
All the characters in this book are really mysterious and very interesting. Most of the story was told from Quincy’s perspective, which made other characters more intriguing, because the only way to find out about them was through Quincy’s story. I needed to find out more about other characters, that’s why the pages just flew while looking for more information about them. Even though, for me, it was enough to hear the story from Quincy’s point of view, I would’ve loved to read the thoughts of other characters as well, at least at the end of the book.
The plot of this book was amazing to me. You cannot trust what you read, because as soon as you will start to believe in something, Author changes the flow of story, throwing in twist after twist and story changing turns, making this book very compelling and an absolute page turner. The narrative was changing between present and past, telling the true story of Quincy’s survival, and what happened that night in Pine Cottage. I really loved the topics author was discussing in this book, such as: pressure you get from media after surviving something horrible; mental illnesses and lifelong healing, where you can slip at any time; difficult family relationships.
The writing style of this novel was very smart, finishing every chapter with a cliff hanger, building curiosity and suspense, chapter after chapter. Add to this lovely and short chapters and a language, which was easy and pleasurable to read. The ending of the book was very nicely thought through and concluded the story really well for me. The characters and story are so awesome, that in the hands of skilled producer it could be an awesome film, and I really hope that this book will be transformed into one. It deserves it! So, to conclude, this book has a lot of interesting action going on, continuously playing with your mind and not letting you to believe in anything, throwing in twists and turns, making it a very fast paced, compelling page turner, and I think it is an ABSOLUTE MUST READ this year.
Was given this book by publisher and NetGalley for honest review.
I don’t know about you, but I get this feeling after reading a great book, where I need to breathe out and have some free time before I pick up another book. I just need some time to digest what I just read, the same feeling I had after reading Final Girls. It is one of my favourite books this year and I think everybody should read it.
I was hooked from the first pages of this book, as it starts of Quincy’s escape from Pine Cottage. The main characters in this book were Quincy and Samantha (Sam). Two strong survivors of massive slaughter, but there is one small problem, Quincy can’t remember what happened that night.
All the characters in this book are really mysterious and very interesting. Most of the story was told from Quincy’s perspective, which made other characters more intriguing, because the only way to find out about them was through Quincy’s story. I needed to find out more about other characters, that’s why the pages just flew while looking for more information about them. Even though, for me, it was enough to hear the story from Quincy’s point of view, I would’ve loved to read the thoughts of other characters as well, at least at the end of the book.
The plot of this book was amazing to me. You cannot trust what you read, because as soon as you will start to believe in something, Author changes the flow of story, throwing in twist after twist and story changing turns, making this book very compelling and an absolute page turner. The narrative was changing between present and past, telling the true story of Quincy’s survival, and what happened that night in Pine Cottage. I really loved the topics author was discussing in this book, such as: pressure you get from media after surviving something horrible; mental illnesses and lifelong healing, where you can slip at any time; difficult family relationships.
The writing style of this novel was very smart, finishing every chapter with a cliff hanger, building curiosity and suspense, chapter after chapter. Add to this lovely and short chapters and a language, which was easy and pleasurable to read. The ending of the book was very nicely thought through and concluded the story really well for me. The characters and story are so awesome, that in the hands of skilled producer it could be an awesome film, and I really hope that this book will be transformed into one. It deserves it! So, to conclude, this book has a lot of interesting action going on, continuously playing with your mind and not letting you to believe in anything, throwing in twists and turns, making it a very fast paced, compelling page turner, and I think it is an ABSOLUTE MUST READ this year.
Was given this book by publisher and NetGalley for honest review.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Wolf (2019) in Movies
Sep 26, 2019
A lot of the acting in Wolf feels like it was from TV, and several of the parts wouldn't have been far off comedic roles in things made for network shows. The acting isn't the only thing that smacked of TV. The music is also not something you'd expect in this sort of thing, it would be much more suited to a crime drama. Occasionally I felt like it might have been perfect for this sort of historic piece but then it would quickly slip back to crime drama and I was almost completely distracted from the film.
As an idea it's an intriguing one. The outline of the story would make a good movie, it's simple and has lots of opportunities to be really effective on screen, unfortunately I don't think this delivered on that potential.
There's quite a spread of characters but some do get overlooked. Ima has a backstory that you can glean through context and Liviana has an implied story but both are only hinted at and nothing is used. Sometimes this is forgivable but with what happens with them both at the end of the film I think it's appalling that we don't get more from them.
This was yet another film that suffers from a black hole of time. There are a couple of points where they play fast and loose ad in one particular place it looks like they filmed at different times of day not accounting for the scenes timeline.
The location itself is stunning and you can see that repeatedly in the panning shots of forest... lots of forest, oh, and a mountain range. The first time it was nice, the second time it was a little cliche, and after that I started writing abuse in my notes.
The other thing that seems to be popular in Wolf is the blurry camera work. For the most part it looks intentional as it's part of the reveal but it's not isolated to that. Some of the fight scenes look like they might have been put together quite well but in one of the biggest of those you can't tell because the action is accompanied by camerawork that looks like it was done by someone hiccuping on a pogo stick.
My other major quibble is the ending. It seems very late in the game to be adding information to the story. There was even an opportunity to introduce the point earlier in the film but that was where we ignored Ima's backstory, looks like a lot of things could have been solved by changing that scene, it seems like a huge misstep.
It's not the worst film, but it's also not the best. There were some big opportunities for improvements but none of them were taken and ultimately this feels like a waste of a good story.
Check out my full review here: http://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2019/09/wolf-movie-review.html
As an idea it's an intriguing one. The outline of the story would make a good movie, it's simple and has lots of opportunities to be really effective on screen, unfortunately I don't think this delivered on that potential.
There's quite a spread of characters but some do get overlooked. Ima has a backstory that you can glean through context and Liviana has an implied story but both are only hinted at and nothing is used. Sometimes this is forgivable but with what happens with them both at the end of the film I think it's appalling that we don't get more from them.
This was yet another film that suffers from a black hole of time. There are a couple of points where they play fast and loose ad in one particular place it looks like they filmed at different times of day not accounting for the scenes timeline.
The location itself is stunning and you can see that repeatedly in the panning shots of forest... lots of forest, oh, and a mountain range. The first time it was nice, the second time it was a little cliche, and after that I started writing abuse in my notes.
The other thing that seems to be popular in Wolf is the blurry camera work. For the most part it looks intentional as it's part of the reveal but it's not isolated to that. Some of the fight scenes look like they might have been put together quite well but in one of the biggest of those you can't tell because the action is accompanied by camerawork that looks like it was done by someone hiccuping on a pogo stick.
My other major quibble is the ending. It seems very late in the game to be adding information to the story. There was even an opportunity to introduce the point earlier in the film but that was where we ignored Ima's backstory, looks like a lot of things could have been solved by changing that scene, it seems like a huge misstep.
It's not the worst film, but it's also not the best. There were some big opportunities for improvements but none of them were taken and ultimately this feels like a waste of a good story.
Check out my full review here: http://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2019/09/wolf-movie-review.html
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Synchronic (2019) in Movies
Mar 2, 2021
Direction (1 more)
Script
Under The Influence
Getting to review Synchronic was great, because it is a movie that is right up my alley and yet it totally passed me by upon release. I still don’t know how I wasn’t aware of this sci-fi thriller with horror elements since that description encapsulates almost everything that I am into. I recently got to see it for the first time and really I’m glad that I did. I also went into this movie pretty blind having only seen a short trailer and I would suggest doing the same in order to receive the optimal experience here.
Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan star as a pair of first responder paramedics based in Louisiana and both of them do a great job in carrying the film. Without giving too many plot details away, there are points in the movie where both have to show fairly intense levels of grief and I feel that both do this very well in how they choose to portray that respectively. Jamie Dornan’s accent does slip a few times, but he is charismatic enough that he can get away with it.
The movie is directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead and this is actually the first project that I’ve seen from either of them. The direction throughout the film is brilliant and has a real cohesion with the cinematography and the script, – this is probably because the script was written by Justin Benson and shot by Aaron Moorhead.
The script is an interesting one and the distinctiveness of it means that the film probably couldn’t have been directed by anyone else other than the person who wrote it. The dialogue throughout the movie is well written and I really believed the history and friendship in Mackie’s and Dornan’s relationship. There is also some humour interjected in the dialogue and surprisingly it lands and helps to alleviate some of the perpetual dread that is intertwined in the movie’s plot.
Read the rest of my review at: https://www.bigglasgowcomicpage.com/2021/02/13/review-synchronic/
Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan star as a pair of first responder paramedics based in Louisiana and both of them do a great job in carrying the film. Without giving too many plot details away, there are points in the movie where both have to show fairly intense levels of grief and I feel that both do this very well in how they choose to portray that respectively. Jamie Dornan’s accent does slip a few times, but he is charismatic enough that he can get away with it.
The movie is directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead and this is actually the first project that I’ve seen from either of them. The direction throughout the film is brilliant and has a real cohesion with the cinematography and the script, – this is probably because the script was written by Justin Benson and shot by Aaron Moorhead.
The script is an interesting one and the distinctiveness of it means that the film probably couldn’t have been directed by anyone else other than the person who wrote it. The dialogue throughout the movie is well written and I really believed the history and friendship in Mackie’s and Dornan’s relationship. There is also some humour interjected in the dialogue and surprisingly it lands and helps to alleviate some of the perpetual dread that is intertwined in the movie’s plot.
Read the rest of my review at: https://www.bigglasgowcomicpage.com/2021/02/13/review-synchronic/