Synopsis:
Living in small town Rockabill, Maine, Jane True always knew she didn't quite fit in with so-called normal society. During her nightly, clandestine swim in the freezing winter ocean, a grisly find leads Jane to startling revelations about her heritage: she is only half-human.
Now, Jane must enter a world filled with supernatural creatures alternatively terrifying, beautiful, and deadly- all of which perfectly describe her new "friend," Ryu, a gorgeous and powerful vampire.
It is a world where nothing can be taken for granted: a dog can heal with a lick; spirits bag your groceries; and whatever you do, never-ever-rub the genie's lamp.
[from barnesandnoble.com]
The first thing that drew me into this novel was the cover. I thought it was really original and pretty cool looking (I admit to being one of those who do judge a book by its cover). And I'm glad I gave it a shot. For a debut novel, Tempest Rising was really entertaining, and had some really strong characters.
Jane True is a pretty solid main character. She has flaws and she's indepentdent but vulnerable at the same time. She's relatable, and had a great voice. I especially loved the parts when she argued with herself. It's something I'm guilty of doing at times, and it made me laugh. She was sarcastic and witty, and all around the type of girl that I would probably want to be friends with.
Her relationship with Ryu, like in most paranormal novels, gets heated up pretty quickly. They do have good chemistry together, but I wish we could've had a bit more time to get some more tension in and then have them finally do the deed. But that might just be me. And I wish we'd gotten to know more about Ryu's background. I was surprised that Jane never asked him about his life. What he's seen and done. If I learned that the guy I liked was 270 years old, I was certainly ask him a few questions. I think without that bit of a background, Ryu isn't going to be as developed as he could be.
A side character that I absolutely loved was Anyan. Even though he only had a few moments in the novel, he was great. I can't wait to get to know more about him. I think he's going to be a really strong character.
The plot was decent enough and it stayed constant throughout the novel. And the amount of supernaturals she put in this was good. It wasn't just vampires and other "normal" supernaturals one sees these days. There was incubi, succubae, elves (though they're called Alfar), dryads, genies, selkies; a whole slew of supernaturals. I liked that. It showed a lot of variety from what we've been seeing lately. And I like that she lives in a small town.
One thing I really liked was the allusions that Peeler made. From Dostoevsky to Edith Wharton to Angela Lansbury playing Mrs. Fletcher in Murder She Wrote (that allusion particularly made me laugh, because right before I read it, I had been thinking about how the novel paralled some aspects of the show). Those were great.
So, all in all, I liked the first book enough to want to pick up the second. It was a fast read, entertaining, and had great characters. So I'll definitely be picking up Tracking The Tempest.
Overall Rating: 8/10
Director: John Maybury
Starring: Kiera Knightley, Sienna Miller, Cillian Murphy, Matthew Rhys
I'm a sucker for movies set during WWII. So, due to that and the fact that the movie starred both Keira Knightley and Cillian Murphy (two of my favorite actors), I knew I had to see it. And I wasn't disappointed.
To start off, I loved the scenary in this novel. From a war-torn London to the beautiful Wales countryside, the setting was perfect. Really helped set the tone for the movie.
I also liked that the characters were horribly flawed. It made them more realistic. (Cillian Murphy wasn't that flawed, he just had a little PTSD at the end). The actors all did a great job. I don't know if the Director wanted us to hate Dylan Thomas, but I did. The actor played a great asshole. He was so selfish. I don't really understand why both Caitlin and Vera put up with it. He definitely wasn't worth it.
I liked seeing the friendship between Vera and Caitlin grow. They had some great moments together, and the ending between them was really well done. I liked it.
I was surprised to find that Kiera can actually sing. Sure, she's not fabulous, but she was good enough to play the part well. And Cillian looked amazing in uniform. I wish he had gotten a little more screen time, because I liked his character. Out of all of them, I felt the most for him.
There were some parts in the movie that dragged a bit, but all in all it was a decent film. I enjoyed it enough. I would watch it again.
Overall rating: 7/10
Synopsis:
Written when women—and workers generally—had few rights in England, Agnes Grey exposes the brutal inequities of the rigid class system in mid-nineteenth century Britain. Agnes comes from a respectable middle-class family, but their financial reverses have forced her to seek work as a governess. Pampered and protected at home, she is unprepared for the harsh reality of a governess’s life. At the Bloomfields and later the Murrays, she suffers under the snobbery and sadism of the selfish, self-indulgent upper-class adults and the shrieking insolence of their spoiled children. Worse, the unique social and economic position of a governess—“beneath” her employers but “above” their servants—condemns her to a life of loneliness.
[from barnesandnoble.com]
This is the first novel I've read by Anne Brontë, and I think there's only one other novel of hers that's been published. I was excited to see what the differences between her and her sisters were in their styles of writing. There are some distinct differences, but they all have sort of the same voice at times. Agnes, in my opinion, was pretty reminiscent to Jane in Jane Eyre when she was talking directly to the reader, and when she was describing how she felt for Mr. Weston (although she was much more conserved than Jane was). I thought it was funny how Weston's first name was Edward and Rochester's first name was Edward. I know it was a common name at the time, but the fact that it was used in both Agnes Grey and Jane Eyre for love interest of the main character was funny to me. Agnes Grey didn't parallel Jane Eyre, though. It was a much different novel. Agnes had a pretty rough time with the kids she taught and watched. They were spoiled little brats! I felt very bad for her. Whereas Jane got along really well with her pupil.
I think Agnes was a pretty strong character. Even though she could've ran home at any time and admitted defeat, she didn't. She stuck it out for her family through all the difficulties (and there were many). I do think this novel was probably a bit more realistic on the aspect of being a governess than Jane Eyre might have been.
I do wish, however, that there had been more scenes between Agnes and Mr. Weston. I wanted to see more interaction between them. Just to make the romance a little more believeable. I don't think we were given enough of a reason to believe they could love each other.
But I did like the end and how they met on the beach. That was pretty cute. Weston was pretty witty, which is why I would've liked some more scenes with him!
One thing Anne Brontë did well was create utterly unlikeable children. I wanted to throw them. Repeatedly. And the parents she created for these children were great. Definitely very realistic.
All in all, it was a good novel. Good enough to make me want to read her other novel, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. The novel isn't quite up there with Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre, but it was worth reading. I'd recommend it to people who like the other Brontës, and to people who like novels that reflect the time period.
Overall rating: 7/10
Synopsis:
Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.
[from barnesandnoble.com]
As most are aware, I loved the first novel, The Hunger Games, so I was very excited to finally get around to reading the sequel, Catching Fire. It definitely didn't disappoint! It was so entertaining, that I finished it in one day! I literally could not put it down.
Katniss was, once again, a strong main character. I liked getting to see the changes in her life after the Games, and getting to see more of the townspeople.
There was a lot of tension in this novel, especially in the beginning with President Snow. It worked well, at some points I was holding my breath, unsure of what was going to happen.
I was glad to see more of the secondary characters that were great in the first novel: Peeta (of course), Haymitch, Cinna (I still adore him, probably more than I did in the first. He's amazing), Effie, etc. And the addition of new characters, like Finnick, was great.
The plot was a little shaky, up until near the end, when a huge twist is thrown in. I don't really want to give it away for those who haven't read the novel, but it's great. Right at that moment, the novel picked up, and I read it possibly faster than I had been reading it before.
Now, I'm also not a fan of the love triangle. I adore Peeta. I think he's great. (I do love how both Haymitch and Katniss know she doesn't deserve him; that was a great moment in the novel). The whole love angle with Gale just seems forced. I think the novel would be far stronger if Gale just remained a friend. We haven't gotten enough of their relationship together to feel like they would be a great couple. But, we get some great moments with Peeta and Katniss, like when he sleeps with her to keep the nightmares away. That is so well written, and it works better than any moment between Gale and Katniss. I just think that with all the other love triangles in young adult books, this one didn't need it. That's one premise of the novels that just don't sit well with me.
The action in this one was good, too. Especially when they were watching the video of the year Haymitch was in the Games. That was great. We get an ax in the head, an empty eye-socket...it's wonderfully gruesome.
So, all in all, the sequel was good. I wouldn't say it's as good as the first, but it's entertaining, and definitely a great read. I cannot wait to read Mockingjay, especially with the way Catching Fire ended. (Cliffhanger alert, guys.)
Overall rating: 9/10
Synopsis:
Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug.
When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change. She never expects to become Po’s friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.
[from barnesandnoble.com]
Let me start off by saying that I absolutely loved this novel. I thought it was well written, the voice and tone of the story was well developed, and the characters were awesome.
I loved the idea of people having certain Graces, and that if they're Graced they have two different eye-colors. I thought that was pretty cool. I also liked the fantasy setting Cashore set the novel in. The seven kingdoms and all. It worked well. Sometimes when people try to write fantasy it just doesn't turn out right, but I thought this brand of fantasy, for this novel, worked well.
Katsa was a strong main character. I liked her. I would've liked to have known a bit more about how she grew up, but all in all, she was a solidly developed character. She had flaws, which made her realistic. The reader can easily look past the fact that she can kill a man with her bare hands and relate to what she's going through. And I loved her Grace; I liked that it turned out to be a bit different than originally perceived in the beginning.
I also liked her relationship with Po. They had good chemistry and worked well on the page together. Their energies seemed to feed off each other. I think Cashore could've shown more interaction between them in the beginning, so their relationship didn't seem so rushed. Maybe that was just me. I kind of just wanted a bit more of a development between them.
Some of the secondary characters were great also. I loved Bitterblue and Raffin. They were great. And the villain was cool, too. I'd like to know why he did what he did, because no explanation was given (for obvious reasons) and with no indication of his motive, he isn't really as developed as he could be. He's just "the bad guy" with no reason why he's the bad guy, except because he's needed for the plot.
So, I loved the novel. For a debut, it was great. The characters Cashore set up are awesome, and I'm hoping they make an appearance in Bitterblue, because I know they're not in Fire. The ending? Amazing. I loved how she ended it. It left me, as a reader, highly satisfied, and as a writer, I appreciated the route she took to end the novel. I thought it was well done. And, Graceling isn't just a novel for young adults. I think plenty of adults could appreciate and love the novel, especially because the main character is an adult herself.
And the cover is gorgeous. Not as pretty as Fire's cover, but still pretty in its own way.
Overall rating: 9.5/10
Directed by: Scott Stewart
Starring: Paul Bettany, Lucas Black, Dennis Quaid, Tyrese Gibson
I had high hopes for this film. I really wanted to like it. It looked interesting enough, and I'm a sucker for an Apocalypse movie, especially when there's badass angels to go along with it. However, it wasn't a strong movie. The plot was shaky at best, and even though there were some pretty good actions scenes, they weren't enough to save the movie.
It was never brought up just why the child was so important to the fate of mankind, and what would happen if he were to die. And it was never brought up just why God was so angry. I mean, using that he was sick of the bullshit just doesn't seem like a good enough excuse.
The acting also seemed really forced. Some of the lines just came across as cheesy and didn't seem as natural as they could've been. The most natural actor was probably Paul Bettany. And some of the characters were by far developed, and some were pretty cliché, with no original twists to help give them a fresh outlook.
All in all, what looked to be a pretty good film ended up falling a little flat. The angels' wings were pretty damn cool, though.
Overall rating: 5/10
Director: Stephen Daldry
Starring: Kate Winlet, Ralph Fiennes, David Kross
This is one of the times when I'll have seen the movie before reading the book it was based on. So, there will be no comparisons, just a straight shot review.
I really liked this movie. I thought it was shot beautifully, each scene flowing well into the next. It never seemed choppy and there were never any breaks that took away from the story. The scenery was great, too, the buildings and such all looking authentic for the time period.
The actors, I thought, were well cast. Kate Winslet did an amazing job as Hannah, and I liked David Kross. He did a good job with the character.
The premise of the story is what drew me in. The sordid love affair and the role of having to deal with consequences for one's actions. The relationship between Kross and Winslet was believable. It was realistic. I think the two actors worked well together; it worked. The vulnerability of Hannah was played extremely well by Winslet, and the naivety was played well by Kross (and Fiennes did a good job of playing an older Michael). I loved the scenes where he read to her. It was well done, and I really enjoyed them.
I also loved the court scenes. Not only did Winslet play the part convincingly, but whenever the camera would capture Kross, the viewer could see the pain in his face at what was happening, and the viewer could see what touch decisions he was tossing back and forth in his head.
There were some tiny plot holes, such as why Hannah's lawyer didn't know her secret, unless she never had to sign anything in front of him, which I find a bit unlikely. But, all in all, the film worked. It was realistic and believable.
The Reader is a movie I would watch again, though I'll probably try to read the novel first.
Overall rating: 8/10
