The Loch by Steve Alten has been on my radar since it first came out in 2005. The cover was interesting; plain, but no less interesting. I also have a strange fascination with Nessie. Sadly, I always managed to talk myself out of buying. Either the used bookstores wanted more than I was willing to pay, or the E-book would just get lost in the thousands (I'm not kidding. Thousands), of other ebooks that I have been neglecting to read. Fast forward to 2016. I see the over sized paperback for 3 bucks on amazon. I bit the bullet and just bought it. Cracked it open as soon as I got it. The book was... not what I expected.
Here is where I would typically say "But in a good way.". No. Not in a good way.
Let me summarize the story.
Zach is a Marine Biologist. He is on the hunt for a larger than life squid. During a deep sea dive, things go horribly wrong. People die. Shit goes downhill from there during this squid excursion. Now Zach is scared of the water, but this isn't the first time he has been afraid of the deep blue sea. There was a point in Zach's childhood where he possibly, maybe had a chance encounter with Nessie because, his jackhole pop's pushed (I think.), him in to the Loch. Zach was bit by some mysterious creature and almost drowned. Nightmares ensue.
During his whole pity party, Zach discovers that his pops (of whom he hates so very, very much), is in jail for murder. While Zach is there, he decides (250 pages in), to FINALLY come face to face with his Nessie demons.
*sigh* Where do I even begin with this book.
1. I don't mind science. I really don't. But please don't bombard readers with it. This book tries to be far more intelligent than it really is.
2. We get to hear about Zach's inner demons. A LOT. I get it, he's fucked up. His dad was a mentally abusive asshole. His ex-girlfriend sucks. His work colleagues suck. It sucks he lost his job and oddly became a scapegoat for the whole Squid fiasco. The author is trying WAY too hard to get us to feel sorry for Zach. If Zach had been a likable character in the slightest, I might have felt bad for him.
3.Templars against Nessie. That shit was just weird. And now Zach is one of them because he "fought" against one? Well. That happened.
4. The most action you will see in this book is the last 50 or so pages; when the "Templars" and Zach, hunt down Nessie, and try to get rid of the monster once and for all. The actual action itself wasn't interesting. Yet, it was far more interesting than Zach's self loathing. So I'll give the author credit there.
5. Insta-love. I hate Insta-love. Enough said there.
6. The ending was rushed. Wrapped up far too nicely with a little pink bow on top.
Ugh. Was not a fan. Which is sad, because I really wanted to love this book. If you are a hardcore Nessie fan, stay away from this book. If you love books were Scotland is the focus location; there are better books out there.
1/5
Sunday, March 6, 2016
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Nerdish new year resolutions
I am actually writing this more for my own memories sake than anything. The old I get, the more difficult it is to remember things I said I'd do at the beginning of the year. So I came up with a couple of nerdy new year resolutions, since giving up my period for the new year never seems to work out for me. DAMN YOU UTERUS!!!!
Resolution
1. Finish goodreads challenge of 100 books. I surpassed my goal last year, (a goal I totally forgot that I set), by 35 books. Luckily, graphic novels, manga and children's books TOTALLY count on goodreads. Yay for small favors.
2. Finish the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. At the moment, I am less than half way through the monster that is book 4. At the moment, the plan is to read at least one-three books a month. This way I'm not on complete WoT overload, and can cleanse my brain with other books. If all goes according to plan, I should hopefully finish the series by the fall. Don't hold me to it or anything, but I'm hoping that is what happens.
3. Finally finish Tales of Xillia 2!!!I have been working on this game for far too long. I love it, I really do, but books keep getting in the way and then I forget to pick up a game controller. I need to finish Tales of Xillia so I can start on Tales of Zestria. That has been teasing me since last fall.
4. Get through all the DLC in Dragon Age Inquisition. Now, I did have a review all ready for this. But, I felt it was unfair to write a review before I've playthrough every class, romanced everyone I can and play all the DLC. I've done maybe 4ish playthroughs. I do love the game, but I feel I need to play it more in order to bring an honest review. It will be two years late, but that's just how I roll
5. Read at least 3 non-fiction books. I don't have anything against non-fiction. I just don't really feel the need to read about someone's existence who is either better or worse than mine. I realize there might be some good non-fiction books out there and I'm limiting myself by not reading them. I plan to change that. If anyone has any suggestions feel free to recommend.
6. Start a youtube channel. I have actually been thinking about doing this since I discovered booktube last year. I be all like "Whhhat??!!There is a place on youtube where I can watch people talking about books, hauling books, reviewing books?! I can do that!" After months of planning, I'm finally getting around to buying the equipment I would need. Tripod, lights (because my room is fucking dark.)etc.. I'm not doing it to be popular, or get subs. I'm doing this because I love talking about books, and love other people who love talking about books, games, graphic novels...getting in touch with my peeps!
That's all. The resolution list is small. Because, why overexert yourself with needless effort. WOOT!
Resolution
1. Finish goodreads challenge of 100 books. I surpassed my goal last year, (a goal I totally forgot that I set), by 35 books. Luckily, graphic novels, manga and children's books TOTALLY count on goodreads. Yay for small favors.
2. Finish the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. At the moment, I am less than half way through the monster that is book 4. At the moment, the plan is to read at least one-three books a month. This way I'm not on complete WoT overload, and can cleanse my brain with other books. If all goes according to plan, I should hopefully finish the series by the fall. Don't hold me to it or anything, but I'm hoping that is what happens.
3. Finally finish Tales of Xillia 2!!!I have been working on this game for far too long. I love it, I really do, but books keep getting in the way and then I forget to pick up a game controller. I need to finish Tales of Xillia so I can start on Tales of Zestria. That has been teasing me since last fall.
4. Get through all the DLC in Dragon Age Inquisition. Now, I did have a review all ready for this. But, I felt it was unfair to write a review before I've playthrough every class, romanced everyone I can and play all the DLC. I've done maybe 4ish playthroughs. I do love the game, but I feel I need to play it more in order to bring an honest review. It will be two years late, but that's just how I roll
5. Read at least 3 non-fiction books. I don't have anything against non-fiction. I just don't really feel the need to read about someone's existence who is either better or worse than mine. I realize there might be some good non-fiction books out there and I'm limiting myself by not reading them. I plan to change that. If anyone has any suggestions feel free to recommend.
6. Start a youtube channel. I have actually been thinking about doing this since I discovered booktube last year. I be all like "Whhhat??!!There is a place on youtube where I can watch people talking about books, hauling books, reviewing books?! I can do that!" After months of planning, I'm finally getting around to buying the equipment I would need. Tripod, lights (because my room is fucking dark.)etc.. I'm not doing it to be popular, or get subs. I'm doing this because I love talking about books, and love other people who love talking about books, games, graphic novels...getting in touch with my peeps!
That's all. The resolution list is small. Because, why overexert yourself with needless effort. WOOT!
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Lamb
This review is long overdue. I have maybe a hand full of books I adore with every fiber of my being. Now, I enjoy a lot of books. I love a lot of books. Adoring a book is completely different. I'm talking about the book you don't want to put down. The book you dream about at night after being forced to close it because your eyes wont stay open any longer. The book that you read yearly after your initial first encounter. I have 5 books that fit in to this category. Lamb The gospel according to Biff, Christ's childhood pal. by Christopher Moore, is one of my favorite books of life. I'm even going to bother looking at this book objectively. It's a pretty fucking awesome coming of age story.
Josh (Christ), is ready for the world to read the 30 gap left out of the bible. Who better to tell his story than someone who was there and his best friend. Levi who the call Biff, is brought back from the dead by a angel who is none...none too bright, so Biff can get to work on his scripture.
We read about Josh's childhood. Romans have oppressed the Jews of Nazareth for a very long time. Everyone is tired of the controlling Romans, but only Josh and Biff have the balls to actually do anything about it. Really though, this story is about Josh coming to terms with being the son of god, (which he actually takes in stride), preparing himself mentally for his destiny. NOT losing his patience when Biff opens his big fat mouth, and gets them both in to trouble with Biff's sarcasm. On a related note: no one except Biff can claim to be punched in the face by our savior. Three times that I remember. In Josh's defense he lasted a lot longer than anyone would have. You can only handle hearing so many times about how your best friend will allow you to call him dad once your mom's husband finally croaks and he can FINALLY marry her.
Maggie (Mary), has a huge crush on Josh. Both Josh and Biff have a crush on Maggie. Only Biff is willing to act on it, but Maggie has very little interest in Biff. She wants Josh. Sadly for Maggie, Josh has taken a vow of celibacy. A vow Biff tries to talk Josh out of quite often.
John the Baptist is a crazy mofo who believes he is the messiah, that is until Josh and Biff come along. How does this go about? Biff tells John and angel came down and said Josh was it. To this John is pretty much "Oh. Okay, that's awesome. Can I follow you guys?" Wait. What?
By his teens, Josh knows that he was born to die for our sins. Biff and Maggie, on the other hand, has a hard time accepting this and do everything in their power to keep the inevitable from happening.
Anything beyond what I've already wrote will just take away from the book itself. I'm not sure if I've made this book sound blasphemous or not. It really is not. At least I don't think it is. Biff's humor might be a little raunchy at times, but Josh sets off the humor with his level head and trying to talk sense in to Biff. Oh, and telling him on occasion to shut his big mouth. It almost never works, but he tries.
I digress. I say this about so few books, but it's amazing. So amazing in fact, I own three different copies (One that is pictured above and signed by Christopher Moore. I will have it buried with me when I die.).
It's obvious Christopher Moore took a lot of time researching the bible and the Tanakh before writing this. Most of the actual historical moments and situations in this story are dead on.
I love Biff and Josh's friendship. They love each other as only best friend's can. But, they also drive each other bat shit crazy. Biff is always talking about how he wants to bang Josh's mom. Which, understandably, annoys Josh to no end. Josh is always putting others needs before himself. Which annoys Biff. They are two opposites that work well together.
There is almost no real romance to speak of other than with Maggie and the guys. I guess you could count Biff's brief relationship with a hooker in India. She did teach him all about the Karmasutra. If that's not love, I don't know what is.
This book has a bit of everything. Action. Adventure. Lots of humor. A tiny bit of romance. Heartbreak. Heart felt moments. Friendship. What is not to love.
If anyone is looking to laugh out loud, then I urge you to give this book a try. You wont regret it.
10000000/5
Josh (Christ), is ready for the world to read the 30 gap left out of the bible. Who better to tell his story than someone who was there and his best friend. Levi who the call Biff, is brought back from the dead by a angel who is none...none too bright, so Biff can get to work on his scripture.
We read about Josh's childhood. Romans have oppressed the Jews of Nazareth for a very long time. Everyone is tired of the controlling Romans, but only Josh and Biff have the balls to actually do anything about it. Really though, this story is about Josh coming to terms with being the son of god, (which he actually takes in stride), preparing himself mentally for his destiny. NOT losing his patience when Biff opens his big fat mouth, and gets them both in to trouble with Biff's sarcasm. On a related note: no one except Biff can claim to be punched in the face by our savior. Three times that I remember. In Josh's defense he lasted a lot longer than anyone would have. You can only handle hearing so many times about how your best friend will allow you to call him dad once your mom's husband finally croaks and he can FINALLY marry her.
Maggie (Mary), has a huge crush on Josh. Both Josh and Biff have a crush on Maggie. Only Biff is willing to act on it, but Maggie has very little interest in Biff. She wants Josh. Sadly for Maggie, Josh has taken a vow of celibacy. A vow Biff tries to talk Josh out of quite often.
John the Baptist is a crazy mofo who believes he is the messiah, that is until Josh and Biff come along. How does this go about? Biff tells John and angel came down and said Josh was it. To this John is pretty much "Oh. Okay, that's awesome. Can I follow you guys?" Wait. What?
By his teens, Josh knows that he was born to die for our sins. Biff and Maggie, on the other hand, has a hard time accepting this and do everything in their power to keep the inevitable from happening.
Anything beyond what I've already wrote will just take away from the book itself. I'm not sure if I've made this book sound blasphemous or not. It really is not. At least I don't think it is. Biff's humor might be a little raunchy at times, but Josh sets off the humor with his level head and trying to talk sense in to Biff. Oh, and telling him on occasion to shut his big mouth. It almost never works, but he tries.
I digress. I say this about so few books, but it's amazing. So amazing in fact, I own three different copies (One that is pictured above and signed by Christopher Moore. I will have it buried with me when I die.).
It's obvious Christopher Moore took a lot of time researching the bible and the Tanakh before writing this. Most of the actual historical moments and situations in this story are dead on.
I love Biff and Josh's friendship. They love each other as only best friend's can. But, they also drive each other bat shit crazy. Biff is always talking about how he wants to bang Josh's mom. Which, understandably, annoys Josh to no end. Josh is always putting others needs before himself. Which annoys Biff. They are two opposites that work well together.
There is almost no real romance to speak of other than with Maggie and the guys. I guess you could count Biff's brief relationship with a hooker in India. She did teach him all about the Karmasutra. If that's not love, I don't know what is.
This book has a bit of everything. Action. Adventure. Lots of humor. A tiny bit of romance. Heartbreak. Heart felt moments. Friendship. What is not to love.
If anyone is looking to laugh out loud, then I urge you to give this book a try. You wont regret it.
10000000/5
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Krampus: The Yule Lord
We are just going to jump right in to what this is about.
Krampus: The yule lord by Brom takes the legend of Krampus and makes it complex, dark and funny.
Jolly old Saint Nick has banished Krampus, and has kept our yule lord chained away in a cave for thousands of years. Krampus could escape, if he had the power to do so. Due to the dwindling belief in Krampus, and the lack of his magic bag, Krampus has no means to escape. His need for vengeance is the only thing that keeps him going. So what is a angry yule lord to do when he personally can do nothing? He sends minions after Santa and his bag. You know, the bag of toys that brings joy to boys and girls everywhere. Yeah, that belongs to Krampus.
The bag leads us to our main human character. Jesse is down on his luck. Living in a trailer park because his wife and daughter left him for the town's corrupt police chief (or sheriff. I can't remember which it is). He has no real job, but plays his guitar in dive bars to get by. When that doesn't pay the bills, he does runs for the local drug lord.
Jesse is sitting out in his truck thinking of ending it all with a bullet in his brain, when he is witness to something strange. A man in a Santa suit being chased by several devil looking creatures. Suddenly, dying is the last thing on Jesse's mind. The Santa like man takes off in his sleigh with the devil beings hitching a ride. Through a series of odd events, Jesse ends up with the bag. Which throws Jesse in to a series of weird and life altering events.
Bring in a drug lord wanting to off Jesse, and kidnap his daughter for leverage. A cop who is not the greatest human being on earth. Jesse being thrown in to the path of Krampus (who actually takes a liking to Jesse.), and a magical bag.
I have to say that I am really impressed by Brom's writing style. After reading The Child Thief, I needed more. Krampus is more complex than you would think. I wont go in to detail about Krampus and Santa's deep hatred for each other, or back round stories, you all will have to read it for yourself. Believe me, it's worth it. I already liked Krampus (my affinity for siding with "bad guys" and the misunderstood strikes again), but this story gave him some depth and you feel for him and his situation.
Oh Jesse. His redneck drama was a welcomed break from the main story. If Jess didn't have bad luck, he would have no luck at all. But, he manages to pull through, and keep a sense of humor about him.
The minions are awesome. They were once human from different periods in time. Which means they are all on the older side, but Krampus and his magic keeps them youngish.
This was a really good novel. I'm sad Brom does not have more novels out. Hopefully, I will just be content looking at his art books until he writes something new.
This is directly from Brom's site. If you can't tell, he leans more towards the creepy side. Which makes the horror junkie in me happy.
Give this a go. You wont regret it. Unless you like Santa. Then this might not be the book for you. Personally, I think a guy breaking in to homes, leaving things for children and expecting cookies and milk in return is rather creepy.
5/7.....*snicker* JK. 5/5
Krampus: The yule lord by Brom takes the legend of Krampus and makes it complex, dark and funny.
Jolly old Saint Nick has banished Krampus, and has kept our yule lord chained away in a cave for thousands of years. Krampus could escape, if he had the power to do so. Due to the dwindling belief in Krampus, and the lack of his magic bag, Krampus has no means to escape. His need for vengeance is the only thing that keeps him going. So what is a angry yule lord to do when he personally can do nothing? He sends minions after Santa and his bag. You know, the bag of toys that brings joy to boys and girls everywhere. Yeah, that belongs to Krampus.
The bag leads us to our main human character. Jesse is down on his luck. Living in a trailer park because his wife and daughter left him for the town's corrupt police chief (or sheriff. I can't remember which it is). He has no real job, but plays his guitar in dive bars to get by. When that doesn't pay the bills, he does runs for the local drug lord.
Jesse is sitting out in his truck thinking of ending it all with a bullet in his brain, when he is witness to something strange. A man in a Santa suit being chased by several devil looking creatures. Suddenly, dying is the last thing on Jesse's mind. The Santa like man takes off in his sleigh with the devil beings hitching a ride. Through a series of odd events, Jesse ends up with the bag. Which throws Jesse in to a series of weird and life altering events.
Bring in a drug lord wanting to off Jesse, and kidnap his daughter for leverage. A cop who is not the greatest human being on earth. Jesse being thrown in to the path of Krampus (who actually takes a liking to Jesse.), and a magical bag.
I have to say that I am really impressed by Brom's writing style. After reading The Child Thief, I needed more. Krampus is more complex than you would think. I wont go in to detail about Krampus and Santa's deep hatred for each other, or back round stories, you all will have to read it for yourself. Believe me, it's worth it. I already liked Krampus (my affinity for siding with "bad guys" and the misunderstood strikes again), but this story gave him some depth and you feel for him and his situation.
Oh Jesse. His redneck drama was a welcomed break from the main story. If Jess didn't have bad luck, he would have no luck at all. But, he manages to pull through, and keep a sense of humor about him.
The minions are awesome. They were once human from different periods in time. Which means they are all on the older side, but Krampus and his magic keeps them youngish.
This was a really good novel. I'm sad Brom does not have more novels out. Hopefully, I will just be content looking at his art books until he writes something new.
Give this a go. You wont regret it. Unless you like Santa. Then this might not be the book for you. Personally, I think a guy breaking in to homes, leaving things for children and expecting cookies and milk in return is rather creepy.
5/7.....*snicker* JK. 5/5
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
The Child Thief. Review
Think about the whimsical tale that is Peter Pan for a moment. Flying. Powers. Staying young forever. Playing all day long with Peter and his lost boys. Okay. Now take away the whimsy of this classic tale. All you are left with a creepy young boy who befriends children, wins their trust, then lures them to a far off land never to be seen again. It's terrifying.
There you have "The Child Thief" a retelling of Peter Pan by Brom.
Honestly, I'm not sure how to review this book without giving away key elements of the story. For now, we'll just stick to the basics.
You all know Peter's shtick by now. Taking Children off to a far off land In order to play with him. Well, what if there was something darker behind that? I won't give away the reason here, but it doesn't paint Peter as the playful scamp we have all grown to know.
What if the Captain wasn't as bad as we thought? What if he were just a trapped soul wanting to go home? That is the case here. However, the Captain could have picked a better group of traveling companions. The captain is from the Crusade era. Eleminating those who don't believe in God. The captain's traveling companions happen to be made of priest zealots. Who are determined to rid this pagan land of the devil. should stop here and mention that because of the era these guys are, there is some torture in this story. The captain isn't actually "bad", just from a time of narrow mindedness
and one track ideas.
The Mist is the enterance between Peter's world and mankind's world. It is controlled by "The Lady", who actually is the life force behind everything in this world. At this point she has not been seen in years, Because of this the mist is becoming unstable and the world is dying. I have already given too much away here.
Meet the kidnapped children. Most of them abused or abandoned by parents. Some are runaways. One is a murderer. I'm not going to give too much away about these kids. They each have their story and I'm not going to be the one to give it away. These are the second most intriguing characters in this story.
Peter is actually the most interesting character. We learn a lot about his background through memories. You Understand why he is the way he is, and why he does things a little differently. This doesn't make his actions throughout the book excusable, but the background info makes it easier to understand his thought process.
I wasn't expecting much from this novel when I started, but the further I got in to they story, the more I was drawn in to this world and it's people. This is a gory and dark book. VERY dark. Luckily, I dig that kind of thing.
It you enjoy the darker side of classic story retellings, I suggest giving this a go. I don't often use this word to describe a book, but it is beautiful. Crass, but beautifully written.
5/5
Friday, November 6, 2015
Lost After Dark review
Do you enjoy slasher flicks? Horror movies set in the 80's? A slasher flick that turns ever slasher trope upside down? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need to watch Lost After Dark. It's an 80's slasher flick that wasn't made in the 80's. That being said, it does manage to pull of an 80's horror flick feel, from the acting, fashion, music, lingo, right down to the video quality.
It begins as every slasher flick does. A bunch of teenagers plan a weekend getaway to a cabin in the woods. Our eight brilliant teenagers steal a bus from the school they all attend, then, away they go. Sounds so unlike any slasher film ever in existence right?
A short list of the expected tropes that did happen during the film:
The bus broke down in the middle of nowhere
Spotted the abandoned house on top of the hill
Jump scares (which pissed me off to no end)
Making out
Beer
Cannibal killer
The Obligatory black guy, nerdy guy and virginal chick that EVERY slasher film stars.
Now that we have that out of the way, we can talk about what actually surprised me.
The one thing that took me by complete surprise.
The virginal character, the one we all thought would be the end game survivor, was actually the first to die. Horribly. This movie had my attention after this went down.
There was a unexpected Grind house moment in the middle of the film. An intense moment is just suddenly gone and "lost" due do....well it doesn't really explain why. It made me chuckle.
A SMART cannibal killer. I know, I know. This just sounds weird to those of us who love teen slashers. This movie made the smart, backwoods hick thing happen. He didn't blindly chase his victims around like someone desperate for flesh. He watched, waited and stalked his prey.
The Black guy is the second to last person to die. Still sad he died since he was my favorite character of the bunch. Sadly, some tropes just wont die. Nevertheless, he wasn't the first. So it's progress I suppose.
The Goth girl is actually the last to die.
The character I thought would be the second to die was actually the last person standing.
There was no sex in this movie. Making out of course. An implied blow job scene that ended as quickly as it began. Hmm. Sorry guys, no boobs for you in this movie.
Animal killing. Now this confused me. One of the gals put her dog in to her bag (because teenagers make brilliant life choices), this actually ends up being more of a hindrance when her and her boyfriend are hiding from the killer in a car. The dog wont stop whining. So she snaps his neck to shut him up. Now, I am not a dog person by any means, but this still bothered me. It felt like it was tossed in purely for shock value. Why not crack the door open a bit, let the dog escape and use him as a distraction?
The blood and gore in this movie is surprisingly plentiful and graphic.
The ending was a complete and utter tribute to Halloween and Friday the 13th. Those of you who have seen both movies know exactly what I am talking about. Which didn't bug me, but it does go on the expected list.
Overall this movie is worth watch. If you can find it for under 10 bucks, I'd say it's even worth owning. It was a pleasant surprise. A blast in the past while being somewhat original.
It begins as every slasher flick does. A bunch of teenagers plan a weekend getaway to a cabin in the woods. Our eight brilliant teenagers steal a bus from the school they all attend, then, away they go. Sounds so unlike any slasher film ever in existence right?
A short list of the expected tropes that did happen during the film:
The bus broke down in the middle of nowhere
Spotted the abandoned house on top of the hill
Jump scares (which pissed me off to no end)
Making out
Beer
Cannibal killer
The Obligatory black guy, nerdy guy and virginal chick that EVERY slasher film stars.
Now that we have that out of the way, we can talk about what actually surprised me.
The one thing that took me by complete surprise.
The virginal character, the one we all thought would be the end game survivor, was actually the first to die. Horribly. This movie had my attention after this went down.
There was a unexpected Grind house moment in the middle of the film. An intense moment is just suddenly gone and "lost" due do....well it doesn't really explain why. It made me chuckle.
A SMART cannibal killer. I know, I know. This just sounds weird to those of us who love teen slashers. This movie made the smart, backwoods hick thing happen. He didn't blindly chase his victims around like someone desperate for flesh. He watched, waited and stalked his prey.
The Black guy is the second to last person to die. Still sad he died since he was my favorite character of the bunch. Sadly, some tropes just wont die. Nevertheless, he wasn't the first. So it's progress I suppose.
The Goth girl is actually the last to die.
The character I thought would be the second to die was actually the last person standing.
There was no sex in this movie. Making out of course. An implied blow job scene that ended as quickly as it began. Hmm. Sorry guys, no boobs for you in this movie.
Animal killing. Now this confused me. One of the gals put her dog in to her bag (because teenagers make brilliant life choices), this actually ends up being more of a hindrance when her and her boyfriend are hiding from the killer in a car. The dog wont stop whining. So she snaps his neck to shut him up. Now, I am not a dog person by any means, but this still bothered me. It felt like it was tossed in purely for shock value. Why not crack the door open a bit, let the dog escape and use him as a distraction?
The blood and gore in this movie is surprisingly plentiful and graphic.
The ending was a complete and utter tribute to Halloween and Friday the 13th. Those of you who have seen both movies know exactly what I am talking about. Which didn't bug me, but it does go on the expected list.
Overall this movie is worth watch. If you can find it for under 10 bucks, I'd say it's even worth owning. It was a pleasant surprise. A blast in the past while being somewhat original.
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
YOU review
Right before I started this book, I was telling someone that reading main stream horror isn't something I really do anymore after starting myself on extreme horror. And then I read You by Caroline Kepnes.
This novel is complicated, which makes it a little difficult to review.I could go the easy route and riddle this review with spoiler but I wont. It's a book worth reading and I will tell you why.
YOU isn't your typical blood and gore horror story. So if you are anything like me and look for that in a scary novel, you wont find it here. Nope. This is stalker horror, which in my opinion, is much scarier. This story is told completely from the stalkers point of view, which only adds to the creepiness factor.
Joe is your average, semi-humble guy who works in a book store. He cares about his work and completely judges people on the books they buy. Joe has a bit of a hangup. When he finds a girl he is interested in, he skips the other emotions and goes straight to the love thing.
One day, Beck enters Joe's book store. It is obsession at first sight. Joe just knows Beck is the only woman on this earth made for him and him alone.
Instead of having a long drawn out conversation with her, like your typical person would do, he checks up on the name that is on her credit card, and stalks her on every form of social media known to man. Joe even sits outside of Beck's apartment and watches what Beck does on a daily basis.
Joe is a patient man, so he bides his time and works in conversations and chance meetings here and there. Soon enough, Joe has worked his way in to Beck's life and makes himself indispensable.
That is really is the all I can write about without getting in to spoilers.
Like I said, this book is completely from Joe's point of view. Being in his head is disturbing, mostly because his logic is oddly sound most of the time, and I found myself kind of connecting with his character. Its sound until you close the book and take a moment to remember how utterly NOT okay Joe actions are. Not sure what that says about me, being able to connect to a stalker and all. It disturbed me more than anything.
Let us talk about Beck for a moment. I don't get Joe's attraction to this self absorbed, damaged woman. Not damaged like "awww. She has it so rough" kind of way. Damaged like she's a pathological liar. She tells lie after lie in order to make people feel sorry for her. Beck also allows her best friend, (who is also a pathological liar. Of course Beck doesn't see this and buys in to the friends bullshit stories),to boss her around and use her as an emotional punching bag. I make Beck sound more complex than she really is. Apparently, she's beautiful and I suppose that is an attraction point. Otherwise I don't understand the obsession Joe has with her.
There is some killing in this book, but it isn't overly detailed or gory. Oddly enough, I was okay with it.
The ending is something I kind of didn't see coming, yet I wasn't surprised. You know how stalker stories usually end, but just the way everything went down was a bit of a twist. The ending also left it open for more books. Something I am all for, because I will be reading the next book.
If you are in the mood for an atmospheric horror and nothing extreme, I recommend picking this up. It's a slow burn horror, but it captures your attention from the first page to the last. It doesn't drag, and Mrs. Kepnes keeps things moving and interesting.
Not the type of horror I usually read, but it's still a 5/5 read.
This novel is complicated, which makes it a little difficult to review.I could go the easy route and riddle this review with spoiler but I wont. It's a book worth reading and I will tell you why.
YOU isn't your typical blood and gore horror story. So if you are anything like me and look for that in a scary novel, you wont find it here. Nope. This is stalker horror, which in my opinion, is much scarier. This story is told completely from the stalkers point of view, which only adds to the creepiness factor.
Joe is your average, semi-humble guy who works in a book store. He cares about his work and completely judges people on the books they buy. Joe has a bit of a hangup. When he finds a girl he is interested in, he skips the other emotions and goes straight to the love thing.
One day, Beck enters Joe's book store. It is obsession at first sight. Joe just knows Beck is the only woman on this earth made for him and him alone.
Instead of having a long drawn out conversation with her, like your typical person would do, he checks up on the name that is on her credit card, and stalks her on every form of social media known to man. Joe even sits outside of Beck's apartment and watches what Beck does on a daily basis.
Joe is a patient man, so he bides his time and works in conversations and chance meetings here and there. Soon enough, Joe has worked his way in to Beck's life and makes himself indispensable.
That is really is the all I can write about without getting in to spoilers.
Like I said, this book is completely from Joe's point of view. Being in his head is disturbing, mostly because his logic is oddly sound most of the time, and I found myself kind of connecting with his character. Its sound until you close the book and take a moment to remember how utterly NOT okay Joe actions are. Not sure what that says about me, being able to connect to a stalker and all. It disturbed me more than anything.
Let us talk about Beck for a moment. I don't get Joe's attraction to this self absorbed, damaged woman. Not damaged like "awww. She has it so rough" kind of way. Damaged like she's a pathological liar. She tells lie after lie in order to make people feel sorry for her. Beck also allows her best friend, (who is also a pathological liar. Of course Beck doesn't see this and buys in to the friends bullshit stories),to boss her around and use her as an emotional punching bag. I make Beck sound more complex than she really is. Apparently, she's beautiful and I suppose that is an attraction point. Otherwise I don't understand the obsession Joe has with her.
There is some killing in this book, but it isn't overly detailed or gory. Oddly enough, I was okay with it.
The ending is something I kind of didn't see coming, yet I wasn't surprised. You know how stalker stories usually end, but just the way everything went down was a bit of a twist. The ending also left it open for more books. Something I am all for, because I will be reading the next book.
If you are in the mood for an atmospheric horror and nothing extreme, I recommend picking this up. It's a slow burn horror, but it captures your attention from the first page to the last. It doesn't drag, and Mrs. Kepnes keeps things moving and interesting.
Not the type of horror I usually read, but it's still a 5/5 read.
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