Wednesday 31 August 2016

The Year of the Rat By Clare Furniss | Review

Book Details
Author: Clare Furniss
Ages: Young Adult
Rating: 8/10
Number of Pages: 307
Plot: Told across the year following her mother's death, Pearl is torn by the grief of her mother's unexpected death and the joy she should be feeling over the birth of her new baby half-sister Rose. But Pearl cannot love Rose. It was Rose that caused her mother's death and turned her world upside down. To Pearl, Rose is nothing but The Rat. As friendship and family become even harder for Pearl to deal with, it seems that her mother's spirit still lingers and guides her through the darkest of times. In a story of grief and loss, Furniss explores the effects of heartbreak in a bittersweet tale full of woe and the glimpses of humour. This contemporary cleverly combines the sorrow and woe of loss with the importance of family and friendship.

Wednesday 17 August 2016

Infinite Sky By C.J. Flood | Review

Book Details
Author: C.J. Flood
Ages: Young Adult
Rating: 8/10
Number of Pages: 271
Plot: After being rocked by their mother's departure, Iris and her older brother Sam have been affected in different ways. But when a traveller family sets up illegally in front of their farm it seems that Iris and Sam's lives will be changed forever. As Iris secretly strives to form a friendship with the son of the travellers, Trick, it appears that the presence of the travellers coupled with the blossoming relationship of Iris and Trick is forcing Sam even more off the rails. With tensions higher than ever before, and the knowledge that someone is going to die, Flood's novel explores the effects of family breakdown whilst creating a story that leaves you on the edge of your seat. This contemporary manages to consistently mix the elements of a suspense with the exploration of an interesting family dynamic that is not often written about so successfully.

Sunday 14 August 2016

Suicide Squad Review | Film & TV

WARNING! THE FOLLOWING REVIEW DOES INCLUDE SOME SPOILERS!
 
 
For the last ten years or so comic book adaptations have dominated the box office and have brought a whole new generation into the many different fandoms. Having not been interested in comic books to a great degree when I was younger, I consider myself to be a newly recruited fan of the comic book film adaptations. As a result of this, I don't have a vast knowledge of all of the characters and plots from the comics and so my review relies on only knowledge I have got from the odd comic I have read or information I have found online.
 
For those of you who don't know what it is about (if so where have you been?), the film follows a US intelligence officer, Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), and her plans to form a team of imprisoned super villains to rid the world of evil. Now with the backing of the US government, Deadshot (Will Smith), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) and El Diablo (Jay Hernandez) must join forces under their leader Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) to defeat a powerful force. As evil forces work against the team, including the Joker (Jared Leto), the bad guys have got to act as the good guys for a change.
 
Despite the negative reviews, I did enjoy the film. Granted, I have seen better superhero/ comic book style movies (most recently Deadpool and Captain America: Civil War). However, the characterisation combined with a killer soundtrack and great effects actually made the film enjoyable. I loved the characters as individuals, each had unique traits and characteristics that made them loveable in their own right. Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and Will Smith as Deadshot were incredibly well cast, with both actors adding their own spins to the classic DC characters.
 
I will say though, the film lacked a main character. The film felt, at times, incredibly disjointed, appearing more as a series of character profiles rather than a whole film. The quick transitions and changes between characters points of view made it feel as if loads of scenes had been cut. After watching the film, I watched a few interviews with the main actors and I wasn't surprised when Margot Robbie said that loads of great scenes between the Joker and Harley Quinn were cut in editing. I think that if a singular main character had been chosen, like Harley Quinn, the film would have felt less disjointed and more like a feature film. But I guess that's what happens when a lot of big names are in one film.
 
Also, the marketing for the film focused on this notion of bad vs evil, so, I was very excited to see a crazy diabolical evil super villain that made the task force look like superheroes. To be honest, Enchantress (Cara Delevingne) had potential to be super terrifying, especially with the contrast between Enchantress and June. I was quite disappointed. Cara Delevingne was so great at playing both Enchantress and June but, once again, the editing let her down. Not enough time was spent on developing the story behind the power and magic of Enchantress. For a film that's main focus was supposed to be on the natures of bad and evil there was no killer super villain.
 
Overall, I did enjoy the film. The soundtrack was amazing, even if it was a bit of a bizarre mix of artists, and so were the characters individually. I think what has really divided critics with this film is the style of film that was eventually produced. The disjointed feel of the overall film might have appealed to some but for me there seemed to be missed opportunity to further develop character's back stories and establish a solid plot.


Wednesday 10 August 2016

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child By J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany & Jack Thorne | Review

Book Details
Author: J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany & Jack Thorne
Ages: EVERYONE
Rating: 10/10
Number of Pages: 330
Plot: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series set 19 years after the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. After having an eventful childhood, being the boy who lived and fighting You Know Who, Harry's life hasn't gotten any easier but now he's a husband, a father and an employee of the Ministry of Magic. But now it's not just Harry struggling with the Potter fame. Albus Severus Potter couldn't feel any more different from his famous father and his elder brother, James, and his younger sister, Lily. As both Harry and Albus struggle with both the past and the present, the two must work together in order to finally vanquish the remaining darkness in the wizarding world and rebuild their broken relationship. Thrown back into the wizarding world, this story allows any Harry Potter fan to learn how the original trio have grown and made their own ways in the wizarding world, whilst being introduced to a whole new generation of witches and wizards.

Sunday 7 August 2016

NYX Haul | Beauty


I recently discovered that a Boots near where I live has a HUGE NYX counter and having heard lots of great things about the brand I knew I had to grab a few bits and bobs to try out. So I must admit I was completely overwhelmed. There were crowds of people around each stand with products literally flying off of the shelves. Well, maybe not literally but you get the idea.

Wednesday 3 August 2016

Renegade (Silver Blackthorn Trilogy #2) By Kerry Wilkinson | Review

Book Details
Author: Kerry Wilkinson
Ages: Young Adult
Rating: 6/10
Number of Pages: 355
Plot: Following the events of the Reckoning, Silver Blackthorn is on the run. After escaping from the clutches of the tyrant that is King Victor, Silver and eleven other Offerings are now in search of rebel groups. With the entire country on high alert, will Silver be able to save her family and Opie? Travelling across the country, Silver and her team of Offerings must navigate through the traps and near misses in order to reach the infamous X and his rebel group. With the help of some unlikely friends along the way, Silver and her team rally more and more troops against the King, but will they have the forces needed to bring down the King and his Minister Prime before the next Reckoning? In a tale of suspicion and political intrigue, Renegade throws you back into Silver Blackthorn's world.