Category Archives: Reviews

2016, alternatives, Movie Review

[Alternatives] – Movie Review – The Light Between Oceans (2016)

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Alternatives is the tagline to discuss entertainment outside of literature. It may encompass television, movies, games, and music.

Alternatives
Movie Review –
The Light Between Oceans (2016)

Genre: Drama, Historical, War, Romance, Cultural (Australia)
Duration: 132 Minutes
Directed By: Derek Cianfrance
Written By: Derek Cianfrance, M.L. Stedman
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, and Rachel Weisz 

A lighthouse keeper and his wife living off the coast of Western Australia raise a baby they rescue from an adrift rowboat.

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2016, ARC review, Book Review

[Review] Julia Vanishes — Catherine Egan

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julia-vanishes-catherine-egan-review-scorecard

Book Title: Julia Vanishes (Witch's Child)
Author:     Catherine Egan
Number of pages:  384

Synopsis:

Julia Vanishes - Catherine Egan - book coverJulia has the unusual ability to be . . . unseen. Not invisible, exactly. Just beyond most people’s senses.

Her latest job is paying very well indeed. Julia is posing as a housemaid in the grand house of Mrs. Och, where an odd assortment of characters live and work: A disgraced professor who sends her to fetch parcels containing bullets, spiders, and poison. An aristocratic houseguest who is locked in the basement each night. And a mysterious young woman who is clearly in hiding–though from what or whom?

Worse, Julia suspects that there’s a connection between these people and the killer leaving a trail of bodies across the frozen city.

(re: Goodreads @ Julia Vanishes by Catherine Egan)

Should this book be picked up? the tl;dr review:

– A hodgepodge of genres that while enhances the crossover appeal of its setting, it can be a bit much to follow in practice
– Slow paced and limited action until the latter parts (80% mark)
– The romance in this story doesn’t really matter
– A variety of narrative threads and conflicts that may be a cause for confusion

Initial Thoughts

This is a very difficult book to review because there a lot of “idk?” that follows every comment being made.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of Julia Vanishes from Goodreads courtesy of Knopf Canada at PRH.

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2016, ARC review, Book Review

[Review] Tell Us Something True — Dana Reinhardt

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tell-us-something-true-dana-reinhardt-review-scorecard

Book Title: Tell Us Something True
Author:     Dana Reinhardt
Number of pages:  208

Synopsis:

Tell Us Something True - Dana Reinhardt - book cover Seventeen-year-old River doesn’t know what to do with himself when Penny, the girl he adores, breaks up with him. He lives in LA, where nobody walks anywhere, and Penny was his ride; he never bothered getting a license. He’s stuck. He’s desperate. Okay . . . he’s got to learn to drive.

But first, he does the unthinkable—he starts walking. He stumbles upon a support group for teens with various addictions. He fakes his way into the meetings, and begins to connect with the other kids, especially an amazing girl. River wants to tell the truth, but he can’t stop lying, and his tangle of deception may unravel before he learns how to handle the most potent drug of all: true love.

(re: Goodreads @ Tell Us Something True by Dana Reinhardt)

Should this book be picked up? the tl;dr review:

– A story about the human connection and second chances
– Marked a humour but has only sparse moments of wit
– Male protagonist is annoying AF. Half of the plot is him trying to win his girlfriend back while juggling a new Manic Pixie love interest
– The end can be seen as abrupt and unsatisfactory re: the protagonist’s overall growth

Initial Thoughts

I’ll wave my Canadian flag and say “at least I tried…”

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of True Letters from a Fictional Life from Indigo.

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