Clash by Nicole Williams

About the book

Clash is the second book in the new adult series ‘Crash’ by Nicole Williams. It was published by Simon & Schuster on 6^th June and the book is 288 pages long.

Plot Synopsis

Lucy Larson and Jude Ryder’s relationship is definitely not easy. The only thing that is, is the fact that they love each other so much. Now they’re both at college, separate colleges, things are going to be even tougher. Jude’s temper gets the better of him while Lucy’s insane jealousy of other girls threatens to ruin their relationship. For Lucy, she begins to realise that having the bad boy of her dreams as well the dance career she’s always dreamed of might not be possible. She’s going to have to make a decision but it may mean losing the one thing most important to her forever.

What I thought

After loving the first book in this series so much, I just had to pick up Clash immediately after putting down Crash.

This book picks up slightly after where Crash left off, with Lucy and Jude both at the colleges of their choice which are a few hours apart. Their relationship is far from perfect due to revelations revealed in Crash but they are working on things and trying to get to be in a happy and loving place. That doesn’t last very long though and quickly Lucy and Jude are at each other’s throats again for one reason or another.

What I loved about this book is that is shows the importance of the work that needs to be put in to a relationship. Lucy and Jude have a hell of a lot of problems between them and while this does get in the way of their happiness throughout the book, it also teaches them that relationships are far from easy. There are some great lessons to be learned from some of the other characters in the book who teach both characters what it means to be in love and the sacrifices that must sometimes be made in order to have a happy relationship.

Although Jude is still the bad boy I had grown to love in Crash, he has come on a hell of a long way since then. Yes, he still has a terrible temper and will kick someone’s ass just for looking at Lucy but he has also become calmer and more mature in so many ways. He’s trying to change his life after Lucy helped him believe in himself. He’s trying to be a better person and to realise that the past doesn’t define who he is in the present. Jude is by no means perfect but that is still what I love about him. He realises when he is wrong, he knows he has flaws but he is trying to work through those things to be a happier and better person.

Unfortunately, Lucy’s character development was pretty weak in this instalment. In comparison to the first book, where she didn’t trust Jude at all or believe anything he told her, she hasn’t come very far at all. Considering all of the mayhem caused by her lack of trust, I would have thought that now she would be able to listen to Jude and believe what he told her, instead of jumping to conclusions again – which is exactly what she did again in Clash. It seemed as though Lucy blamed Jude for an awful lot when it really wasn’t his fault. I wish that Lucy could have grown and learned from the mistakes make previously but she didn’t really.

I was a little disappointed with the plot in Clash as it just seemed to go over a lot of old ground. While the moral lesson of working hard to make a relationship work was great, I felt that there were just too many arguments and characters running away when things got rough… which was often. I would have loved for there to have been one bigger problem maybe rather than so many small ones. Even so, with the ending of this book, it makes me want to read the third book which is out in July so luckily not too long to wait.

Although a good book, it wasn’t quite as good as the first. 

Book to Film Review: Oblivion

About the film

Oblivion is a 2013 science fiction film that is based on an unpublished graphic novel of the same name. The film has a rating of 12A and a run time of 124 minutes.

Plot

Set in the year 2077, the Earth was nearly destroyed 60 years earlier due to the destruction of the moon and an invasion by aliens known as Scavs. Tech 49 Jack Harper is one of the last drone repairmen on Earth and is stationed in Tower 49 with his partner Victoria. As a team, they must send any remaining resources to a space station called Tet and keep the drones active. Jack and Victoria believe that their mission is nearly over and soon they’ll be able to leave Earth, joining all fellow survivors in a colony on Titan.

Before their mission began, Jack and Victoria had their memories wiped but Jack is having flashbacks of the Empire State Building and a woman he is there with before the war ever happened. On a recon and repair mission, Jack comes across a falling vessel and is surprised to find humans inside; humans who include the woman of his dreams. The woman’s appearance makes Jack question everything he has been told about his mission.

What I thought

There have been a lot of good films released already this year, and a stellar looking line up still to come. Oblivion was one of those films that I wasn’t too sure about to begin with. I wanted to see it but wasn’t holding out much hope about how good it was going to be.

The premise of Oblivion was good if not at all that original. Jack and Victoria are seemingly the only humans left on Earth and they’re in charge of making sure the drones protecting it are in working order and nothing goes wrong. Jack and Victoria are in a romantic relationship which doesn’t often show too much emotion. The characters are much like drones themselves, doing what their superior, Sally, tells them to. The relationship between Jack and Victoria was a strange one because there were questions for me about how real it was. The plot goes on to show Jack’s flashbacks to another woman and New York before the war. Later, the unknown woman turns up in a ship that crashed and everything goes a little crazy after that, with Jack realising his life isn’t quite what he thought it was.

Tom Cruise is really back on top form in Oblivion. While some of his more recent roles have been questionable, I really think that this was a good role for Cruise. Maybe this was because there isn’t a lot needed for the role other than for him to be the action hero. I don’t think Cruise does too well in roles that require a whole lot of emotion as he is pretty stiff and mechanical. However, he does do the action hero role well, as proven in Mission Impossible etc. Cruise gets to run around a deserted New York, shoot loads of guns and look like, well, a hero. The small amount of emotion needed for this role Cruise carries off well though. He is thoughtful and inquisitive and also shocked when things take a strange turn. I have been a big fan of Cruise in the past (mostly his 90s films) and I think as long as he doesn’t take roles which ask for too much, he does just fine.

The rest of the cast was a strange mix. Victoria is played by Andrea Riseborough. The character doesn’t appear to have a mind of her own and likes to follow rules. Because of this, the character comes across as quite bland and boring. Even her clothes make her blend in far too much, so much so that I wondered why she was in the film to begin with. Character number three in this strange love triangle is Julia who is played by Olga Kurylenko. Luckily, she does make the film a whole lot more interesting. Julia is someone from Jack’s past who he is not supposed to remember. She helps to bring out a more emotional side of Jack and also does very well herself.

One cast member I was extremely disappointed with however was Morgan Freeman. By having a supporting role, his talents are incredibly wasted. While his character, survivor Malcolm Beech is one that adds depth and interest to the plot, he isn’t around long enough and he doesn’t do enough. The reasons for his being around are explained well although again, not used to the full. This aspect of the film could have been done in a much better way if time had been taken away from Cruise riding around on a motorbike or flying a funky looking ship type thing. I wanted character depth and development but Freeman gets neither of these things. Instead, he is a good idea that was wasted.

The setting of this film is visually stunning though. The tower in which Jack and Victoria live is where New York used to be. Instead of the busy and bustling streets, there is a wasteland where nothing grows. These scenes contrast greatly from the flashbacks which Jack has of New York. The world during 2077 is a wasteland made up of large deserts and ruins without much actually growing there. There are scenes of dark, abandoned buildings with the small remains of human life showing through  but in contrast, there are also wonderful lakes and forests which are thought to have been destroyed. The dark colours compared to the bright and colourful greens and blue are wonderful to see and it really shows how different some places are.

As much as I seem to have slated to cast and characters, I did really enjoy this film. The plot was interesting even though it wasn’t anything new. The whole film was pretty exciting and interesting, as new things are discovered over the course of the film. Oblivion has a mysterious element to it where you are never quite sure where the plot is going to go. Although the big twist was a big shock to me, many others did think it was quite obvious. I thought the plot could have gone in a number of directions but I did like the one that was chosen.

All in all, this isn’t the greatest film ever made but it was certainly entertaining to me. 

Grounding Quinn by Steph Campbell

About the book

Grounding Quinn is the first book in the new adult series of the same name by Steph Campbell. The book was published on 9^th May by Simon & Schuster and it is 240 pages long.

Plot Synopsis

Quinn MacPherson has a very dysfunctional family. Her father is cold-hearted, her mother is mentally unstable and is forever taking a concoction of pills. Quinn’s greatest fear is turning out to be like her family.

When she meets Ben, all she wants is a quick fling with a guy with a smoking hot body. That isn’t quite what she gets though. Ben understands Quinn, with her crazy life and mood swings. She wasn’t expecting someone to love her for who she truly is so when Ben says those three little words, she runs away. She’s scared and she ends up breaking Ben’s heart but he isn’t prepared to let her go that easily. Ben sees something special in Quinn even if she can’t see it herself. Before their relationship can be saved, Quinn needs to accept who she is and begin to open up or she risks losing Ben for good.

What I thought

Steph Campbell isn’t an author I had heard of before but I’ll gladly take new authors in the new adult genre and give anything a go. This one came from Kirsty at http://www.overflowinglibrary.com/.  

At the beginning of the book, Quinn is just about to start summer school after not doing so well in Math. While signing up for her classes, she runs into Ben in the school office. Immediately, she can’t take her eyes off of him and quickly they begin to be friends. The pair have a great chemistry from the get go and I could see why they were attracted to each other. However, the plot synopsis on the back of the book states that all Quinn wanted was a summer fling but this is not how the plot goes at all. Not only does this never get said in the book, it also isn’t really set in the summer either.

The pacing of the book really annoyed me. I was expecting a summer fling that turned into something more. What I got was a tiny bit of summer (maybe a couple of days) and then really uneven pacing and a messed up timeline. In 83 pages ‘a couple of months’ had gone by already so considering the synopsis, I was a bit confused. This really put me off from the beginning and even with hope that it got better, I was disappointed. The strange pacing continued throughout the whole book.

Although the pacing was confusing and strange, the characters were pretty good. Quinn is a bit of a broken mess, something that she confesses to in the very first pages. Her family is a complete nightmare with her mother taking a million pills and her dad just not seeming to care. Quinn appears to be the trouble maker in the family no matter what she does or doesn’t do and that gets to her. She doesn’t understand why her family are the way they are and she wants a better life. I really enjoyed the dynamic of Quinn’s family and the problems that it provides for the plot but Quinn just got on my damn nerves most of the time.

Ben, however, I loved. It makes a change for there to be such a nice guy in a new adult book. Most of the male characters that I have read about so far have been possessive, arrogant and arseholes (to put it bluntly) so Ben was a very welcome change. He was the sweetest of characters, caring about Quinn in every way from the very beginning. Small gestures showed how much he cared as well as saying it outright. I think as Ben was so nice, it made me even more annoyed with Quinn because she just treated him like crap most of the time.

In regards to the plot, I found it to be just ok – I didn’t love it at all. Quinn and Ben’s relationship moves quickly (due to the pacing) but I felt that it was just too quick. Quinn and Ben’s relationship is never defined which I felt was a big thing to be missing, considering they spent near enough all of their time together. There were also too many problems going on for me. If it wasn’t Quinn being a bitch in one way or another, it was her mum or dad, or it was something going on with her friends etc. As there was so much going on, I felt that it really made character development weak and it could have been so much better.

This book had some good aspects but it just wasn’t good enough. There were too many things that annoyed me throughout unfortunately. 

Film Review: Olympus Has Fallen

About the film

Olympus Has Fallen is a 2013 action/ thriller film. The film has a run time of 120 minutes and is rated 15.

Plot

After a terrible accident involving the President and the First Lady, Mike Banning becomes a disgraced member of the Secret Service. When the White House is captured by terrorists and the President is kidnapped, Mike finds himself jumping in to the situation. His knowledge of the White House could be the key to saving the President. With the national security team struggling to even breach the front door, the situation is left solely in the hands of Mike and he has one hell of a mission on his hands if he is to save the President and the White House.

What I thought

With so many good looking films coming out at the cinema recently, it was hard deciding which to see before I left Nottingham (I no longer have my Cineworld Unlimited card). On a night where I had nothing else to do, my flatmate and I decided to go and see this one, as I had heard such good things about it.

Mike Banning is a member of the secret service, protecting the President. On one terribly icy night, he is put in a situation where he can only save one person and of course, he saves the President instead of the First Lady. After this, he becomes disgraced and no longer a member of the team. He is forced into a job he hates and wants back on the President’s detail. Playing Banning is Gerard Butler and what a good job he does too. To begin with, he gives the character a cool and collected personality, which is definitely needed due to his job. After the accident, he becomes a bit more broken down but still determined to get his life back on track.

When the White House is overtaken by terrorists while President Asher is meeting with South Korean Prime Minister, Lee Tae-Woo, Washington is thrown into chaos. The armed forces and national security are unable to handle the situation and quickly they have a bloodbath on their hands. Rushing into the situation is Banning, knowing that he could do something to really help. Here, Butler comes across as extremely brave but his character is stupid at the same time. The White House is overrun by Korean terrorists, shooting the hell out of anyone who gets in their way, and Banning just runs in through the front door. However, Butler is good as the action hero, with his quick and witty lines along with shooting a gun really well.

Not only does this film have a great leading actor in Butler but there is also a fantastic supporting cast as well. Morgan Freeman plays Speaker Allan Trumbull who, as always, excels in supporting roles. He has an air of arrogance about him but also a care for what is happening and he shows he wants to do the best thing, even if others don’t agree with him. Next up is villain Kang, played by Rick Yune. Yune plays evil exceptionally well, as is seen in roles from Ninja Assassin and The Fast and the Furious. However, here he plays a terrorist mastermind who has the intention of bringing the U.S to its knees. I truly believed that this man was capable of some incredibly awful things and he had menacing writing all over his face throughout his performance.

While the film has a fantastic cast, with even more great names than I have mentioned, the plot is even better. At a time when North Korea is in the news a fair bit, this film is quite controversial and I was a little shocked at the subject matter. However, Olympus Has Fallen makes it more than clear who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. Kang and his gang have the President held as a hostage, along with some other White House personnel. He intends to torture them until he has 3 particular codes which will pretty much let him destroy America. At the same time, the U.S. defence are being wiped out and no one knows what to do. I was quite shocked for this film to show such a hard time for the U.S. forces and for the North Korean terrorists to have the upper hand in such a big way.

Olympus Has Fallen is a fantastic action film, with fights, explosions and shootings a plenty. There was never a dull moment in this film, whether it be Butler running around the White House trying to find the President, or Kang brushing up on his torture techniques. There are also plenty of scenes concentrating on the U.S. military and White House personnel attempting to figure out what to do, which was quite exciting in itself. I cannot express just how much I enjoyed this film. It has everything going for it and I did not move once in my seat while watching. Highly recommended. 

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

About the book

The Moon and More is a young adult book by Sarah Dessen and part of her Colby series of books. It was published by Penguin on 4^th June and the book is 448 pages long. Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy for review.

Plot Synopsis

After the summer Emaline is heading off to college and leaving her beach home town of Colby. Right now, everything is the same. Working for her bossy sister drives Emaline crazy but then she has her gorgeous (and usually topless) boyfriend Luke to help save her. This summer is going to be like no other though. When New York filmmaker Theo and his boss come to Colby for the summer, they change everything for Emaline.

What I thought

Having never read a Sarah Dessen book before I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I had heard such good things about her novels but have just never gotten round to any of them.

From what I understand, many of her books are set in Colby, where this one is also set. I really liked the beach town setting as it was quite laid back and relaxed. There is a certain way of life here where everyone knows everybody else and they look after their own. The tourists who come every summer to rent the beach houses are the outsiders who come and invade the town every year but also those who keep it going. I could get a really good feel for what life was like in this place and it also gave the book a nice, summery feel to it.

Emaline was a character who I really liked. It became clear early on what a hard worker she was even with having a very unconventional life. She is made to work for the family business and runs around like crazy, even though it is her last summer before college. Emaline seems to do whatever anyone asks of her and save for a few grumbles, she doesn’t seem to mind doing it either. Even with being so busy, she has a great group of friends around her and her family and it was great to see her interacting with everyone.

A large chunk of the plot revolves around Emaline’s family life. At home she has a loving mum and dad as well as sisters but she also has a father. Emaline separates her dad and father as the one who brought her up and the one who didn’t. She and her father have a broken relationship and it is one she doesn’t understand. For Emaline, she wants a relationship with her father as he is part of her family but even with her mum’s explanations, she is so confused about his actions and why he isn’t as close to her as he could be. I really liked this aspect of the story and found it much more interesting than the filmmaker character’s parts.

I was expecting The Moon and More to be more of a romance story. While I didn’t mind too much that there wasn’t more romance, it would have been a nice addition. Yes, there were moments but just not enough for me. Emaline has boyfriend Luke around but he isn’t in the book even nearly enough. At the beginning, it seemed as though they had a great relationship but we never really got to see enough of it. Then there is second love interest Theo, who I absolutely hated. He was pretentious and annoying and I couldn’t really see the attraction to him at all.

While this was an okay book, I didn’t love it. The plot was pretty standard but nothing spectacular and I think a hotter summer romance could have made it much more entertaining. 

The Last Echo by Kimberley Derting

About the book

The Last Echo is the third book in The Body Finder series by Kimberley Derting. It was published by Headline on 29^th March 2012 and the book is 368 pages long. Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy for review.

Plot Synopsis

Violet Ambrose as the unique ability to locate the dead due to the echoes they give off. To begin with, she only told her parents and loyal boyfriend Jay but now, more people are involved. By working with a secret team, Violet finally has the chance to really help save lives and find murderers before they can hurt more people. Working with the team puts Violet in much more danger than anyone is happy with but when she finds a body left by ‘the collector’, she is determined to solve the case before anyone else dies. What Violet doesn’t realise is that the killer wants to add to his collection and Violet is right in his sights.

What I thought

It has been so long since I read the first two books in this series and I was a little worried I wouldn’t remember what the hell was going on. However, once I got stuck in to The Last Echo, it all came flooding back quite quickly.

Protagonist Violet has the ability to find the dead, more importantly, those who have been murdered. The bodies give off a unique echo which leads Violet to their body. It also matches up with an echo from the murderer, meaning Violet can help to catch them. In the first books, Violet was really secretive about what she can do and only her parents and boyfriend Jay knew about it. In this book, Violet is working with a secret, psychic team who all have unique abilities. It was quite strange to see Violet’s ability so out in the open and for others like her to be working on the same team. However, this also brought in some really interesting characters who could do some really interesting things.

The Last Echo’s plot revolves around ‘the collector’, a serial killer who targets female students. As well as the book being told by Violet’s point of view, there are also chapters told from the killer’s perspective, which gives insight into his character and his actions. This way of telling the story is something that Kimberley Derting has done in each book so far and something I hope that continues. These books have so much mystery and excitement in them and I think this one has had the most so far. Also, the chapters from the killer are incredibly creepy and really made my skin crawl at times.

Due to the nature of the plot, and certain events that happen, this book shows what a kick ass protagonist Violet is. Not only does she have such a unique ability but she is also brave, courageous and determined. She completely throws herself into each new situation, wanting to make sure that anyone who is in danger doesn’t end up in a body bag. However, what she doesn’t think of is herself. Violet has little care for her own safety and doesn’t think things through. In this book, Violet ends up in some quite sticky situations due to her not thinking but this also provided a hell of a lot of action and excitement.

While I loved the majority of this book, I was very sad to see that Violet’s boyfriend Jay wasn’t around very much. Jay was a character who I loved a lot in the first two books and it was a real shame that he wasn’t around more in this one. Without his presence, there was also a severe lack of romance. The scenes between Violet and Jay are always great to read and while there was a couple, there definitely wasn’t enough. Also, he’s been a rock for Violet up until this point and it felt as though she was throwing him away a little bit now that she has people like her to talk to and be around.

The Last Echo was the best in the series so far in regards to action and mystery and I cannot wait to see what will happen to Violet next, especially after the shocking ending that we are left with here.a 

Book to Film Review: Anna Karenina

About the film

Anna Karenina is a 2012 film adaptation of the book of the same name by Leo Tolstoy. The film has a run time of 129 minutes and a classification of 12A.

Plot

Set in late nineteenth century Imperial Russia, aristocrat and socialite Anna Karenina sets off on a mission to save her brother, Prince Oblonsky’s marriage after having an affair with his housemaid. During her travels, Anna meets a cavalry officer, Count Vronsky whom she has an instant attraction to. Anna is married herself but in a cold and unloving relationship with her husband. At first Anna wants nothing to do with Vronsky but soon enough cannot hide her attraction to him. The pair embarks on an affair which becomes both life altering and devastating.

What I thought

Anna Karenina is one of those films that instantly looked beautiful from the trailer which is why I wanted to see it. However, once watching the film, it soon became apparent that I wasn’t about to watch what I was expecting. This film has a very strange way of telling the story and it appears to be a play within a play at times. We see characters changing out of costumes, set changes and props being moved around. The whole production makes the film seem as though we are sat at the theatre, or watching the cast trying to prepare for their roles. The set changes are always quick and often at the beginning of the film, going from the Karenin home one minute to a massive ballroom or workplace in the next. The stylisation of Anna Karenina is not for everyone and I found it very distracting and confusing at times, especially as within the second half of the film, it is used more sparingly.

However strange some of the style may be, the sets within this film are quite stunning. Set during Imperial Russia, there are fabulous views of frozen lakes while contrasting with the lush and extravagant ballrooms of the aristocracy. Much of the fabulous scenery within the film was in fact constructed on the stage, instead of using external locations. I found it fascinating that making a film could be done in such a way and for it to still look amazing. Ok, it may have looked even better had authentic and real locations been used instead but the style and originality is definitely there within this film.

Kiera Knightley plays the leading lady Anna Karenina. She is in a loveless marriage but has managed to gain a son she loves very much out of it. Acting ability aside, Knightley looks absolutely stunning in this film as she does in any other period drama. Karenina is seen in lavish and expensive gowns which Knightley does not let overpower her. Playing the role of a woman searching for something more in life, Knightley does a really good job. She plays the role of confused and unsure socialite with perfection but then, she is known for these kinds of roles now as she has done a fair few. As Karenina meets love interest Count Vronsky, she is torn between her life at home with her husband and son and a life of excitement and true love. Knightley manages to let her character convey emotions with the smallest of glances. Never does she completely give anything away but there is always a look her in eye saying there is something more going on inside her head.

Supporting cast members include those such as Jude Law as Anna’s husband, Alexei Karenin, and Matthew Macfadyen as Anna’s brother. Each secondary character has their own plots going on throughout the film but each is obviously overpowered by the main story between Anna and Count Vronsky. Law does exceptionally well as Anna’s unloving and seemingly uncaring husband. He is extremely cold towards her and doesn’t show emotion at all. No wonder Anna wanted something more out of life than a convenient marriage. While I don’t normally like Law, I am beginning to warm to him more and more with each film I see him in recently. Although he plays an unlikeable character in this film, I strangely did end up liking him. Macfadyen provides some humour in his role as Stepan, which is a huge contrast to Karenin and the dramatics of Anna and Vronsky’s relationship.

However, while some secondary characters were great, others were not given enough time to develop. The story of Anna Karenina and the subplots within it is a lot to fit into a two hour film so there had to be a bit of leeway somewhere. For me, the richness and diversity of other characters helped to make this film more interesting than it could have been. I would have loved to have seen other plotlines developed more and for other characters to have received more development and screen time. While the story of Anna and Vronsky was obviously the most important aspect of the film, I think that it could have cut down on the time spent with the two in order to make time for other things.

Anna Karenina is one of the classic love stories and within this adaptation, it sees a bit of reinvention. I’m not overly sold on the way in which it was done however and the styling definitely won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. However, the story is a good one and well-acted throughout.