The 5th Wave (Movie Review)

Posted by cat2002116 on January 25, 2016
Posted in: Movies, Reviews. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

The 5th Wave Movie

(This review may contain spoilers).

I have read the book this movie is based on, though it was a little while… but I did have some idea of what to expect, even though I got it confused with another book I’d read.

I wasn’t sure the narrative style carried so well with this movie. I did like the actors and felt that they fit what I remembered of the characters’ personalities… but I was a bit disappointed to see more of an insta!love connection between Evan and Cassie than I remembered there being in the book.

Seeing the waves as flashbacks was a bit confusing, since I had some trouble figuring out where they were. At the same time, I did think that the way the scenes were shot was particularly effective. I found it really easy to understand the devastation faced by the survivors of the waves… and how hard it was for them to trust each other.

I did like being able to see the different sides of the story and it was good to see that there were some elements of foreshadowing… and that Cassie wasn’t helpless, even though Evan’s views seemed very outdated.

I did enjoy seeing some of the interactions between Ben and the other members of his squad, but it would have been good to see more of the personalities of the other members. I did think that there was quite a bit that was left out from the book… not least the way some of the characters were changed.

While there was some violence in this movie, I felt it did fit with the feel of the movie. It was good to see Cassie interacting with her parents and brothers and there were some areas of ‘normalcy’ that worked really well, such as Cassie’s comments about her phone and the pictures of her family. (Incidentally, although Evan was a bit of a jerk for what he did, some of his exchanges with Cassie were quite amusing).

I’m hoping the sequel to the book will be made into a film as well. While I haven’t read it yet, I am interested in seeing where the characters go next.

Blog Tour: Because of You

Posted by cat2002116 on January 24, 2016
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Jan Review Tour

Because of You

BECAUSE OF YOU, by ReShelle Workman

Genre: Contemporary-Romance

Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press

Date of Release­­: January 18, 2016

Cover Artist: The Cover Lure

Find Online: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Goodreads

Description:

There’s a first time for everything… and sometimes that means a first time at a second chance.

It’s been seven years since Maddie Martin’s parents died. Their killer wasn’t just a random stranger, but her best friends’ father. Kyle Hadley. The boy she’s been in love with since she was old enough to understand the emotion, the boy she promised all of her firsts to. Worst of all, Kyle’s father got away with it, and Maddie hasn’t seen Kyle since.

That changes on her first day of college. Seeing Kyle again brings back all of her childhood feelings of friendship and love for him, but it also brings back the anger, sorrow, and pain she’s been trying to bury because of his father.

Kyle Hadley has no idea why Maddie quit talking to him, especially when he needed her most. But he got over it, refusing to waste his life mourning the only girl he ever loved. There are too many women, too much of life to experience to bother thinking about Maddie. Except he does. And when he sees her again, he knows it.

But there are problems beyond Kyle and Maddie and their old feelings. The two of them are in danger and one or both might end up dead.

 

My Review

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers).

Again… although this book had dual first person perspectives, for the most part, I did find this book readable… despite a few instances of confusion where I forgot which character was narrating.

As the book went on, I did find the blurb made a bit more sense. I felt a lot of sympathy for both Maddie and Kyle and it was hard to blame either of them for how things had ended up… even though I did think that Kyle was a bit of a jerk to pretend he didn’t know Maddie at first. And while Maddie’s feelings were understandable, I did disagree quite strongly with some of her opinions.

I enjoyed seeing Maddie’s friendship with Gina and I would have liked to see more of Gina. I felt that she came across as broken as Maddie and it was good to see the two of them try to navigate friendships and the problems they each had.

I thought that many of the scenes between Maddie and Kyle were sweet, though I did end up forgetting that there was supposed to be more happening. I didn’t feel that there was a lot of danger that the characters were involved in… and the romance did overshadow most of the rest of the plot.

I did like that things weren’t perfect between Maddie and Kyle and that there were issues on both sides. I had a strong dislike for Evan right at the beginning… and towards the end of the book, I felt the storyline became disjointed. There was too much glossing over of things and I was confused about characters suddenly appearing.

While there were a couple of surprises in this book, I didn’t feel that they were surprises that made sense. I would have liked to see a bit more foreshadowing with certain situations.

I liked the opportunity to see the meanings behind Maddie’s tattoos and I thought that she was a realistically flawed character. Kyle’s reputation didn’t make a lot of sense, but I still liked the relationship they had. It was also cool to see references to some popular culture.

I probably would read a sequel to this book at some point in the future… especially since I’d like to see and learn more of Gina and hope to see her as a main character.

 

About The Author

Rashelle Workman

RaShelle Workman is the author of the popular Blood and Snow series. She loves to reinvent fairy tales readers can sink their teeth into. Her stories include vampires, werewolves, witches, aliens, and creatures of her own creation. Her books: Sleeping Roses, Exiled, Beguiled, and Dovetailed have foreign rights contracts with a Turkish publisher. RaShelle is also one of the co-founders of IndiePUBCon. Currently, she lives in Utah with her husband, three children, and their three dogs.

 

Visit http://www.rashelleworkman.com to join RaShelle’s EXCLUSIVE mailing list and be entered to win a signed paperback copy of Blood and Snow volumes 1-4 (Special Edition). And be sure to like her Facebook page for all the latest news: https://www.facebook.com/rashelleworkman.

Find the author Online:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

 

About Curiosity Quills Press

Curiosity Quills Press (CQ) is a small hybrid publishing company specializing in genre fiction of the highest quality. With 150+ titles in our catalog already and approximately 6 new books coming out each month, there’s never a dull moment at CQ. We work with major retailers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Audible to ensure that you, the reader, can find whatever you are looking for at your convenience.

Founded in 2011 by Eugene Teplitsky and Lisa Gus, CQ was initially a resource portal for writing and publishing, created in an effort to help writers, like themselves, survive the publishing industry. After rapid success, CQ morphed into publishing press that over time has solidified its share in the market. Now we spend our days searching for the next great escape!

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

The Homeport Journals

Posted by cat2002116 on January 22, 2016
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The Homeport Journals

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers).

I was actually a bit confused about what genre this book fit into before I started reading it. Even having finished it, I’m not completely certain… there are so many different aspects to this book.

I liked Marc’s character a lot. I felt a lot of sympathy for him with the way he was dragged into helping Dorrie, but Dorrie’s character did grow more on me as the book went on. I enjoyed reading the hints of friendship between her and Lola… and it was nice to see there was an air of mystery through this book.

I have to be honest… I wasn’t so keen on Helena at first; mainly because of her first appearance, but I felt she was emotionally manipulative at times. She did grow on me during the course of the book, though… until, by the end, I was really happy to see how things worked out for her.

At times, I did feel that there was a lot going on in the book and it did seem like some parts of the storyline were glossed over and there were sudden passages of time that I found difficult. I did like being able to learn more about the characters gradually as the book went on, rather than having it all come at me at once. I also thought it was good to see that all of the characters had problems… not just Marc. And it was also fun to see him make false assumptions and the fact that he wasn’t perfect.

I thought Cole was one of the characters who had a real journey through the book. I would have liked to see more of him and Marc together, since their conversations were glossed over at times. Still, I liked reading how they bonded and came to know each other throughout the mystery.

I did enjoy reading about the supernatural elements and although I did get frustrated at times with the withholding of important information, I could understand why it was done. While a small part of me did feel some sympathy for Brandon and Prudence, both came across as fully unlikable characters and Cole did annoy me a little with playing devil’s advocate.

I did really enjoy this book and the ending was especially nice, though bittersweet. I’d be interested in reading more books by this author in the future.

Genesis

Posted by cat2002116 on January 20, 2016
Posted in: Books, Reviews, Uncategorized. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

Genesis

(I received this book for free as part of Goodreads First Reads giveaways).

(This review may contain spoilers).

I’m a bit torn about what to think of this book. While it was short and quick to read (even if not exactly easy), I wasn’t sure I really understood what was going on for most of the book.

It would have been good to know whether the man referred to in each of the stories was the same one or different. I couldn’t see much of a connection between the different chapters… except for maybe the first chapter and the penultimate one.

There was a lot of violence in this book and I didn’t have much trouble picturing what was going on in my mind. I would have liked to see more of the world that the main character/s inhabited. There were some details during the course of the book, but not enough to allow me to fully get to know the area.

There were some really intriguing aspects to this book, such as the implications of more supernatural creatures. I would have liked to see more details about those, at least.

I found some of the descriptions to read a little similar… though whether that was because of the character being the same, I couldn’t say.

I felt that the book could have been expanded a bit. While I did find it a fast read, I couldn’t properly understand the main character or the plot of the story. Not using names is a good style choice… but there was little in the way of personal detail to allow me to get to know the character, at least at first. And while I did see the evidence of grief in the way he saw the woman who had been hung, I found it difficult to guess at what kind of relationship he had with her.

I was a bit disappointed in this book. I felt it could have been worked into a longer book, with more details about the plot and the characters. For me, the most important thing about a book (or movie/television series/etc.) is my ability to connect emotionally with the main character/s, whether good or bad. Unfortunately, I didn’t find that here.

I probably wouldn’t read a sequel to this book right now… maybe if it was made longer and the world was expanded on.

The Revenant

Posted by cat2002116 on January 20, 2016
Posted in: Movies, Reviews. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

The Revenant

(This review may contain spoilers).

I was immediately struck by this film when I saw the trailer. Having seen it, even though I knew a lot of the storyline already, I felt it still managed to draw me into the events of the film.

I did think that Glass was a bit too harsh towards his son, but the relationship between him and Hawk came across really well. I did have some issue that I’d taken my friend who’s blind to see the film… and the very first lines were subtitled. Fortunately, while that did repeat throughout the film, the majority of it was in English, which allowed me to concentrate on describing the movie for my friend.

There was a lot of violence and gore in this movie and I do have to doubt the realistic nature of many of the things that happened. I didn’t like Fitzgerald at all in the movie, but I did feel a lot of empathy for Bridger. While I think he made some mistakes, I could understand the reasoning behind not being honest about the situation.

I thought it was good to have the opportunity to see the different groups/characters moving, though I was a bit confused about how Captain Andrew Henry got all of the men to the fort only seconds after a scene where they looked like they were trapped.

There were quite a few sad scenes in this film, though I thought it was good to get more details on Glass’ life. While I thought Captain Andrew Henry did make some errors in judgement, he did come across as a good man… and I thought he tried to do right by all of his men. I was a bit confused about what they were doing with all of the pelts, but apart from that, I did find this movie fairly easy to follow.

I did recognise quite a few of the actors in this movie and I thought most of them brought real emotion to the roles. I found the movie really intense to watch, despite the probably inaccuracies, and although I don’t think I’d like to see it again soon, I’d suggest watching it if you are on the fence. Just keep in mind that it does contain a lot of violence and gore… as well as one potentially triggering scene.

Blog Tour: Shallow Graves

Posted by cat2002116 on January 19, 2016
Posted in: Blog Tour, Books, Reviews. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment
Shallow Graves

by Kali Wallace

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Release Date: January 26th 2016

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Horror, Zombies, Fantasy, Thriller, Contemporary, Fiction, Mystery, Supernatural

Rate: 4 out of 5 stars

Synopsis:
For fans of Holly Black and Nova Ren Suma, a gripping, hauntingly atmospheric novel about murder, revenge, and a world where monsters—human and otherwise—lurk at the fringes.
When seventeen-year-old Breezy Lin wakes up in a shallow grave one year after her death, she doesn’t remember who killed her or why. All she knows is that she’s somehow conscious—and not only that, she’s able to sense who around her is hiding a murderous past. In life, Breezy was always drawn to the elegance of the universe and the mystery of the stars. Now she must set out to find answers and discover what is to become of her in the gritty, dangerous world to which she now belongs—where killers hide in plain sight and a sinister cult is hunting for strange creatures like her. What she finds is at once empowering, redemptive, and dangerous.
Tense, complex, and wholly engaging, Shallow Graves is a stunning first novel from Kali Wallace. 

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers).

I thought that this book was a particularly entertaining one to read. While some of the flashbacks were a bit confusing, I found Breezy to be an interesting character who came across as really well-developed.

I thought it was interesting to see that Breezy could sense the people who had killed others. I was confused for quite a long time in the book as I tried to figure out exactly where she was trying to go. For a lot of the book, it just seemed like she was going aimlessly from place to place.

I liked being able to see Breezy interacting with and learning more about the other creatures like her, but I did lose track of all of the characters who were in the house along with Violet. I would have liked some more details about Violet… and I did feel like there was very little foreshadowing, given that Breezy’s flashback about her occurred right after she met her in the narrative.

I thought it was good that, through the book, Breezy was trying to find answers about what she was and how she’d been brought back. I did, however, feel that by the end of the book, I still had more questions than answers.

I especially liked seeing Jake and Zeke in this book. I would have liked to see a bit more of them being brothers, but what I did see of their relationship was cute. I really disliked Rain, though. While there were occasions I might have felt sorry for her, her actions quickly made me lose any sympathy for her.

There were a lot of good elements of tension and mystery in this book… but also a lot of dark moments, with potentially triggering material. I thought it was easy to see the differences between Breezy before and after what had happened to her and I felt a lot of sympathy for what she’d lost.

I would like to see a sequel to this book in the future. I’d enjoy the chance to see Breezy trying to live… maybe even attempting to fulfill her dreams. And, of course, there are plenty of other characters I’d like to see more of.

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Kali Wallace studied geology and geophysics before she decided she enjoyed inventing imaginary worlds as much as she liked researching the real one. Her short fiction has appeared in Clarkesworld, F&SF, Asimov’s, Lightspeed Magazine, and Tor.com. Her first novel will be published by Katherine Tegen Books in 2016. She lives in southern California. 

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MAGIC: All Hallow’s Eve

Posted by cat2002116 on January 18, 2016
Posted in: Books, Reviews. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

Magic All Hallow's Eve

(I received this book for free as part of Goodreads First Reads giveaways).

(This review may contain spoilers).

I found this book really entertaining to read. I liked seeing the friendship between Nicholas and Jaq… and it was good to see how different they were as people, as well as how their upbringing made them different people. I really liked the opportunity to see Nicholas interacting with his parents and the family dynamics there.

I did find the concept of the orb to be a particularly intriguing one, especially given how it seemed to respond to the people’s emotions. It was sad to see the negative impact that the power had on Jaq and how it affected his relationship with Nicholas… as well as the fact that he clearly didn’t understand what real love was.

I liked being able to see the different abilities awoken within Nicholas and Jaq and how they were able to play off each other. I did feel that there was a very real element of danger in this book, with the way the townspeople viewed magic and how things were later.

I would have liked a bit of explanation as to why different abilities were awoken in different people. Was it because of their personalities… or the emotions that they felt more deeply… or something else? I also thought that there were passages of time that were skipped over that could have been spent developing the relationships between the characters. I felt that both Jaq and Nicholas were drawn primarily to Mary because of how she looked. While Mary’s character did develop later on, I still found her a bit more difficult to understand than Jaq and Nicholas.

I really didn’t like Jaq’s father. Most of the other characters did have some redeeming qualities… but he was the only one who was a thoroughly unlikable character.

I did think this book was a really interesting ‘origin’ for All Hallows Eve. It was also nice to see that Nicholas and Jaq weren’t the only ones who were able to use magic… though it would have been good to get a bit more background on the characters like Yuki, for instance.

I’d be interested in reading a sequel to this book, especially since I noticed some problems for the characters in the future. But I would also be interested in reading more books by these authors in the future.

Blog Tour: The Heir and The Spare

Posted by cat2002116 on January 17, 2016
Posted in: Blog Tour, Promotion. Tagged: , . 1 Comment

The Heir and the Spare

by Emily Albright

Publisher: Merit Press

Release Date: January 18th 2016

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Chick Lit, British Literature, New Adult

Synopsis:
Family can be complicated. Especially when skeletons from the past pop up unexpectedly. For American Evie Gray, finding out her deceased mother had a secret identity, and not one of the caped crusader variety, was quite the surprise. Evie’s mom had a secret life before she was even born, one that involved tiaras.
In this modern day fairytale, Evie is on a path to figure out who her mom really was, while discovering for herself what the future will hold. Charged with her late mother’s letters, Evie embarks on a quest into her past. The first item on the list is to attend Oxford, her mom’s alma mater. There, Evie stumbles upon a real life prince charming, Edmund Stuart the second Prince of England, who is all too happy to be the counterpart to her damsel in distress.

Evie can’t resist her growing attraction to Edmund as they spend more time together trying to unravel the clues her mother left behind. But, when doubts arise as to whether or not Edmund could ever be with an untitled American, what really ends up unraveling is Evie’s heart. When Evie uncovers all the facts about her mom’s former life, she realizes her mom’s past can open doors she never dreamed possible, doors that can help her be with Edmund. But, with everything now unveiled, Evie starts to crack under the pressure of new family responsibilities and the realization that her perfect prince may want her for all the wrong reasons.

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Emily Albright’s debut novel, THE HEIR AND THE SPARE, is releasing January 18, 2016 from Merit Press.

She’s a writer, a major bookworm, a lover of romantic movies, a wife, a mother, an owner of one adorable (yet slightly insane) cockapoo, and uses way too many :).

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Blog Tour: Identity Crisis

Posted by cat2002116 on January 16, 2016
Posted in: Blog Tour, Books, Reviews. Tagged: , , . 1 Comment

Identity Crisis

by Melissa Schorr

Publisher: Merit Press

Release Date: January 18th 2016

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Rate: 4 out of 5 stars
Synopsis:
When curvaceous Annalise Bradley’s scandalous freshman year hookup sparks the anger of her female classmates, three of them decide to get her back by “catfishing” her, creating a fake online profile of the perfect boy to toy with her affections.
Against her better nature, introverted Noelle Spiers, goes along with her friends’ plan, hoping to distract Annalise from dreamy Cooper Franklin, her lifelong crush who has fallen for Annalise instead.
As Annalise discovers she is being played and seeks revenge, Noelle increasingly regrets her role in the cruel hoax and tries to salvage their relationship.

Told in alternative perspectives, IDENTITY CRISIS covers romance, betrayal, and timeless friendship in the age of modern technology.

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers).

When I read the blurb of this book, I found myself quite intrigued by the plot… even though it’s not something I would necessarily choose to read normally.

Although I’m not very keen on dual first person perspectives, I did find this book to be fairly easy to read, despite getting confused over whose head I was in a couple of times. Both Annalise and Noelle were characters I found likable and easy to understand… and in this instance, I felt that having the dual first person perspective allowed me to get the full story of what was going on and both sides of what had happened in the past.

I felt a lot of sympathy for Annalise, even though I didn’t know everything that had happened between her and Amos in the past. It was interesting to see the conversations she had with the fake Declan and although I would have liked to see more details of the conversations, rather than so many of them being glossed over, it was easy to see the connection form between Annalise and the person on the other end.

I really didn’t like Eva or Tori as characters. It was hard to see either of them as very sympathetic. I did enjoy the opportunity to see both Annalise and Noelle interact with other members of their family and it was interesting to see how different their home lives were to each other.

It was easy to empathise with Annlise’s love for the singer, although I thought it was good that it wasn’t the only thing that defined her. It was also good to see her friendship with Maeve, even though there were problems between them at times. And although I did get confused with some of the minor characters at times, there were some really intriguing secondary characters.

I thought that this book was quite emotional to read. Although there were some sweeter moments towards the end, it was really quite intense and I read it a lot faster than I was expecting to. I’d definitely check out more books by this author in the future.

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Melissa Schorr is the YA author of GOY CRAZY (Hyperion 2006) and IDENTITY CRISIS (forthcoming, Merit Press 2016), and a contributor to the YA anthology DEAR BULLY.
She is currently a contributing writer/editor to the Boston Globe Sunday Magazine. Her freelance work has appeared in numerous publications, including GQ, People, Self, San Francisco magazine, and The Wall Street Journal.

Melissa currently lives in Boston with her husband, her daughters, and her dog, Bailey.

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They Are Among Us

Posted by cat2002116 on January 15, 2016
Posted in: Uncategorized. Leave a comment

They Are Among Us

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers).

Despite feeling that vampires are vastly over-used in fiction, I was curious enough about what this book would be like to request a copy of it.

I did like reading the first half of the book. It was good to see the story focus primarily on human detectives having to deal with the issue of facing a creature that should only exist in fiction. The first scene did a really good job of drawing me into the book… but since I had no idea what was on the disk, I was a bit on edge until I was able to see the video through the eyes of some of the other characters.

I didn’t much like JayJay or Josh during the book… but Josh was especially irritating, since he seemed like a nice guy from the outside… but he made my skin crawl when I was reading from his point of view.

I did find Alex to be an interesting character and it was good to see her trying to deal with the possibility of vampires. I did think the opinions of the other characters involved did make sense… except for Richard, who seemed to have quite a lot going on in his head deep down.

There were a lot of dark scenes in this book and I thought there were a lot of good descriptions. The second half of the book was a bit more difficult to get behind. I wasn’t actually sure what to make of the vampiric characters, even though it was good to see that they weren’t dark, brooding, romantic heroes. And I found it interesting to get glimpses into Jack’s past, as well as to see the other kinds of vampires.

I did get a bit confused about what was going on with the different groups formed in the vampires, but I liked the fact that Alex saw the potential danger in arresting a presumed vampire. While there were some aspects that were quite fantastical, I actually felt that a lot of the reactions of the characters made sense and were realistic.

I did find this book to be entertaining to read, even if it was hard in places. I’d be interested in reading a sequel to this book at some point in the future.