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. 

Getting the Girl by Markus Zusak

About the book

Getting the Girl is the third book in the Wolfe Brothers series by Markus Zusak. It was reprinted by Definitions on 4^th April and the book is 240 pages long.  

Plot Synopsis

Cameron and Ruben Wolfe have always been loyal brothers. Ruben always gets the girls though, not that he’s ever loved any of them. He uses them and throws them away when he’s ready for someone else. Cameron has never really cared for any of Ruben’s girlfriends, until he falls for one of them himself. Octavia isn’t like the others. She could be the kind of girl to really understand Cameron but would she really be the kind of girl to go for someone like him?

What I thought

Somehow, I read this book before the others in the series which should probably have made it confusing. However, even without having read the previous two books I feel as though this one stands quite well on its own.

The beginning of the book sees Cameron (Cam), Ruben and Octavia together with Cameron narrating. Cam has such a strong voice and one which is really enjoyable to read. Out of him and his brother, Cam is the one to be seen as the weaker of the two. He definitely doesn’t have the success with the girls that Ruben does. It was easy to feel sorry for him as a character, even without having read the other two books, as he is so down on himself. From the very first page, I was routing for Cam and wanted him to get his happy ending.

What I loved about Cam though is that he knows who he is, even if that isn’t accepted very much. He knows that he has to work hard and fight for what he wants, as he states in the opening pages. Cam is also open and honest about who he is and what he wants. While that is sometimes a better life or acceptance, it is also about girls and being a regular teenager. At times, Cam seems older than this though due to the beautiful way in which he narrates. He’s wise beyond his years, he has a way of saying what he wants and what he is feeling in such a wonderful and mature way and I think this helps to really set him aside from his brother.

As I hadn’t read the previous books, I was yet to learn of the relationship between Cam and Ruben and how different they were. Ruben is the complete opposite of Cam. He’s a bit arrogant, a womaniser and not nearly as thoughtful and emotional as Cam. I hated to see him put Cam down on such a regular basis. Ruben really does think that he’s better than others and especially better than his brother, which is largely due to his success with the girls. It was a shame to see that girls were the biggest thing in Ruben’s life and most of what he cared about.  

The plot mainly follows Cam and his quest to get the girl, as the title would suggest. Seeing Cam fight for something he wanted, no matter the consequences was very heart-warming. It became clear that he had never really had anything he wanted so much before, nor ever been the first choice. However, the book also follows the whole Wolfe family and shows how their reactions/ decisions affect Cam’s life and the way he thinks of things himself. I really enjoyed getting to see him in a bigger, more social environment as he definitely wasn’t the most outgoing of characters. Being around his family gives Cam the chance to show how different they make him feel and also how much better everyone else thinks they are in comparison.

Overall, even though the last in the series and with me reading in the wrong order, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters and lives that Zusak has created are extremely real and the story wonderful to read. 

Film Review: The Place Beyond the Pines

About the film

The Place Beyond the Pines is a crime/ drama film that was released at the cinema on 12^th April. The film has a run time of 140 minutes and is rated 15.

Plot

A locally famous motorbike stuntman, Luke, works for a travelling fair. After one of his shows, an ex-lover, Romina pays Luke a visit and he finds out that he is the father of her young son. Wanting to be a part of his son’s life, as his own father was never around, Luke quits his job. However, Romina lives with her current boyfriend and doesn’t want Luke around. Determined to provide for his son, Luke turns to a new friend who advises him on the art of robbing banks – a quick, easy way of making enough money for everything he needs.

The story is split half way to follow low ranking cop, Avery Cross. After an unexpected day at work, he gains hero status but doesn’t seem to be able to live well with what he has done. Avery struggles with his new found status as well as really realising what being on the police force can mean. This part of the film follows a plot about corruption and bribery within the police force.

Split again, the film then follows the sons of both Avery and Luke and how they come to know one other. Each separate part of the film intertwines and merges the three parts together, showing how one life can alter and affect another.

What I thought

Up until now, a film with Ryan Gosling in has never disappointed me. However, that isn’t only due to his insane hoteness, it is also because he is a fantastic actor. As soon as I saw the trailer for The Place Between the Pines, I had to go and see it. In this film, Gosling stars as Luke, a motorcycle stunt man who travels around with a fair. He’s pretty carefree and known for being a bit of a bad boy. Along with his bleached blonde hair, inside out t-shirts and sleeves of tattoos, Gosling definitely looks the part. He also has a certain presence about him which makes you want to know more about his life and who he is.

Soon into the film, Luke finds out that he has a young son, something he had no idea about. As he is meant to leave in a few days with the fair, he has a decision to make. Deciding to stick around and be a father, Luke worries about money and how he will support his new family because he doesn’t want to be a low-life and failure like his own father. I loved the plot line surrounding Luke and his own dad as it helped to strengthen his own reasons for doing the best he could for his own son. Gosling gives Luke’s character a deep background and make it possible to look past his appearance and attitude at the beginning of the film.

Playing the boy’s mother is Eva Mendes who does well opposite Gosling. Her character doesn’t have the best of lives although she is sharing the home of her boyfriend. She doesn’t tell Luke about his son herself and instead, he finds out from going to visit her at home. Mendes plays a hard character but a caring one at the same time. She wants the best for her son and doesn’t want his life disrupting but she still wants Luke to be a part of his life somehow, even if that isn’t going to be easy to pull off. I really enjoyed Mendes’ gritty performance and thought the role was different from what I am used to seeing her in.

So, in order to provide for his son, Luke decides to rob banks after some encouragement from a new found friend. He believes it to be easy and quick money and something that will solve all of his problems. However, this causes him to run into Avery, played by Bradley Cooper, a cop with a young son of his own. The film takes a bit of a twist here, swapping main characters and following a different family dynamic. Cooper has recently grown on me after watching Silver Linings Playbook. However, I don’t think he was nearly as good as Gosling in this film. At times, he comes over as a bit weedy and without a backbone. He seems to just go with the flow, regardless of the fact that he has a law degree and is a cop. He also wasn’t a very likeable character but I think this was to show that people with money aren’t always the nicest or the most conscientious.

The second half of the film follows Avery's life choices and how this affects his own son and relationship with his family. The contrast between the two families and their backgrounds was fascinating and not what I was expecting from this film. While there are really two different halves to this film, they are intertwined at the same time and things are affected because of each of the characters. It is quite hard to explain the set-up of the film without giving away massive plot spoilers. Trust me when I say it sounds a bit strange but it works extremely well.

The Place Beyond the Pines was a lot more gritty and raw than I was expecting for some reason. I’m not sure why I thought this though as Gosling’s films are usually quite different and a bit dark. I think the style is helped by the camera work at times. While Gosling is riding his motorbike, the camera becomes shaky and uneven, which makes the screen seem like you could be riding the bike with him. The camera technique made the film look more real for me. It made certain scenes more exciting, even when they were quite disjointed and choppy.

The setting isn’t anything amazing, as the film is set within two areas of one city. However, these two areas are completely different from one another, which again shows the comparison between those with money and those without. This film blends the boundaries of what is considered normal for each category though, giving us characters who are far from stereotypical and those who act unlike how you would expect them to. Although mostly set within a city, there are some stunning scenes which use the motorbike to the fullest. Imagine a man on a bike in the middle of the woods, weaving in and out of the trees. The colours and images were so beautiful during this part of the film.

While I was expecting to like this film, mainly because of Gosling, I was not expecting to love it as much as I did. It has a fantastic story, great cast and characters and it was utterly fascinating. This is easily one of my favourites this year so far.