If you haven't been watching the ten episode series event spectacular that has been Wayward Pines then I strongly urge you binge watch the hell out of it before reading this post because there will be spoilers.
Aptly titled 'Cycle', the last EVER episode (Please, FOX, make more!) was ridiculously intense as all the citizens team with Kate and her insurgent friends to fight against the Abbies in a thrilling race for survival. It's safe to say that no-one's trying to get past the fence anymore now that they know the truth. That humanity has been destroyed and all that is left is their quaint little town in Idaho...and the flesh eating Abbies that roam the empty Earth.
In the finale we see David Pilcher struggling to come to terms with the rebellion from the townspeople and the fact that the truth is out there. Seeing this as a sign that his experiment featuring the second batch of humans has failed, Pilcher shuts off all the power to the town leaving the citizens of Wayward Pines open to attacks from the Abbies.
Pilcher was a character that I wasn't sure how to feel about. On one hand, I symapthised with him. He has saved humanity, even if it is a small fraction and he has created the idyllic Wayward Pines. However, his god-complex was what got the best of him. Pilcher's need for control ultimately leads to his unfortunate demise. It was extremely sad that Pam, a character I have grown to love as the series has progressed, had to be the one to put a stop to her ruthless brother.
What I loved most about this episode was that sisters were a hundred percent doing it for themselves. Theresa and Kate are my top two favourite characters of the entire show and despite Kate and Ethan's past, I really liked watching these two strong females come to a mutual understanding - if not, a friendship - together.
Theresa's curiosity is what essentially saves the town. After Pam gives her a key to that mysterious abandoned lot, Theresa discovers a bunker complete with videos that confirm what Ethan had told her in a previous episode. They are thousands of years in the future and Wayward Pines is the only thing left of civilisation. It has been amazing to watch Theresa develop as a character and seeing the shared determination between her and Ethan to protect not only one another but Ben. Highlight of the episode was watching Theresa slap the annoying school teacher and resident troublemaker, Megan.
Kate has been a strong character from the get-go. She had to adjust to life in the Pines and we know from those flashbacks we saw of her and Pilcher it wasn't easy. Anyone who has watched the finale knows how heartbreaking it was for Kate. Yes, she was incredibly badass throughout the entire episode and when she was killing those Abbies - hot damn! (see right)
It was an utterly phenomenal conclusion to an utterly phenomenal show. It was far more emotional than I thought. We see Ethan make a sacrifice in order to save the rest of the citizens and I completely bawled my eyes out. Ethan has been the hero since the beginning and regardless of some of the bad decisions he has made in the run up to the finale, he was the hero until the end. I will miss the Burke's family dynamic so much. Even if I didn't care for Ben (anyone else feel he was a wooden actor?) and his whole story-line with Amy, the Burkes will always have a special place in my heart.
The finale of Wayward Pines has left the doors open for a second series and sets up a new journey for Ben that could possibly be explored if FOX ever decide to head back to the Pines. The end scene very much mirrors the scene where Ethan, his father, wakes up. Ben has woken up three years later in Wayward Pines' hospital to find that the First GenerationAlas, we are still left with so many questions. How did the first generation manage to seize control from Kate, Pam and other adults? Because I know Kate Hewson wouldn't have gone down without a fight. Will Ben lead a resistance much like his father, or will he fall in line with the rest of his classmates?
When asked how the first generation took over the town, showrunner Chad Hodge told The Hollywood Reporter, "That is for you to imagine. It's sort of a choose-your-own-adventure. There are many ways for it to have happened. I have my own ideas. The important thing is that the First Generation somehow put all of the adults back into stasis and took over the town." "And now Ben wakes up, just as his father did, in this town with a nurse standing above him and, in this case, it's his girlfriend who is now a nurse at the hospital. He encounters Wayward Pines the way his father did, implying that things change but they stay the same. The violence obviously endured, and is this the way this town should be run? Probably not," he added.
Executive producer M. Night Shyamalan has teased that there is an "idea" for season 2. Deadline questioned him on whether season 2 was on the cards, to which Shyamalan explained, "I'm actually not being diplomatic, I mean, I'm being somewhat diplomatic, but I'm genuinely being as open as I can...I knew where I wanted to go. I knew I wanted the fences to come down. I knew where we were heading for the finale and so we could architecture the 10-episodes in that manner." "So, I am happy to walk away, especially with such a wonderful reaction and all that stuff. But honestly, Blake [Blake Crouch]and I do have an idea," he teased hinting at the possibility of season 2, and added, "We have an idea we've discussed. That's all I'll say," the executive producer added.
I'd really like to see a season two of Wayward Pines. Primarily because I adored this entire show. For me, there were no flaws even with the irritating Ben and Amy subplot. From the opening credits to the script and cinematography, I adored everything about Wayward Pines. Its characters were the epicenter that truly made Wayward Pines a second home and a nice little fictional world to indulge in. For me, it's probably the best show this year which is why it's the first thing to make it onto my 'Things I loved in 2015' meme for the blog.
So for now, even though it pains me to do so, let's bid goodbye to the action packed rollercoaster that has been FOX's event series, Wayward Pines. You don't understand how much I need a second season.
Wayward Pines will be released on DVD August 17th. You can pre-order it here.
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I actually finished James Dashner's exciting and action packed Maze Runner trilogy quite a few months ago, but with college, work and other book reviews needing to be pushed up the to-read pile this draft got lost in all of the mess. Alas, time has come to finally say goodbye to Thomas and his gang.
But Thomas has already remembered more than they think. And he knows WICKED can't be trusted.
The time for lies is over. But the truth is more dangerous than Thomas could ever imagine.
Let's start with the things I loved. Cranks, cranks and more cranks.
Basically all that I thought was missing from making The Scorch Trials uber fantastic was included in The Death Cure. I absolutely love the idea of the Flare virus and how it turns human beings into maniacal, crazed monsters.
The nightmarish society of Cranks was thankfully explored so much more in this novel and provided some of the most page-turning parts with their attacks against the immune part of the race, known as the 'Munies', and some rather stomach churning cannibalism. Even though they frightened the living daylights out of me and sent shivers down my spine, the Cranks were definitely the highlight of the book for me.
Learning more about WICKED was exciting and as much as I despise the organisation, I can see their motives behind it. I do enjoy reading about apocalyptic situations where science is willing to make these rather twisted sacrifices in order to save the human race. There are still some good hearted people at WICKED and the epilogue, an e-mail sent by Chancellor Ava Paige, provides some of the answers that I've been thirsty for since book one. What surprised me was the origin of the Flare virus and how it was a means of population control by the government! It's always the government's fault! (ha ha)
Janson, aka the Rat Man, makes a return in this novel and also becomes the most annoying character I have ever encountered. Seriously, I Get Knocked Down by Tubthumping could be this guy's theme tune because no matter what crazy capers Thomas and Co pull on this dude, including beating him bloody, he never gives up on WICKED's mission. He's one dedicated employee.
The return to the Maze to save a bunch of new Immunes was nostaglic, not just for Thomas and Co, but for me, the reader, as well. It's the place where we first met the characters, saw them develop and, for some (Poor Chuck :( !), die.
It was a little lacklustre at parts. With some events, like Newt, I already knew they were coming and even if I hadn't, they were pretty inevitable. None of the revelations or deaths really shocked me or left me heartbroken. Although, it was pleasing to see good ol' Captain Gally back! I actually loved him in the first book.
I never liked Teresa and I have been suspicious of her since she did a 180 on her personality back in the Scorch, but [SPOILER] I didn't like how Thomas dealt with the whole situation regarding her death. [END OF SPOILER] He kind of just waltzed off to paradise (quite literally) with Brenda and I assume that they ended up being a happy couple assisting along with rest in beginning mankind afresh. I'm indifferent towards Brenda as a character, but I wasn't fond of the whole love triangle/jealous of Teresa thing that her at Thomas had going on.
All the ending needed was a "and they all lived happily-ever-after" and it would be complete because that's exactly what it was. I personally felt that it weak ending that didn't do such an amazing trilogy justice. Sure, it wrapped it all up nice and most of the characters ended up out of harm's way in a happy, idyllic environment. But I was left staring at the page practically wanting to scream, "Is that it?" because, for me, it doesn't solve anything.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not asking for Thomas to cure the Flare with one wave of his hand, but they're not going to work towards a cure after all. They're just going to live in the Garden of Eden, do a lot of the horizontal tango and, as Chancellor Paige hopes, begin civilisation anew. Come on! There's a still a whole world out there with deadly Cranks. What's going to happen to them?
I adored the first two books and James Dashner's writing is always fun to read, but The Death Cure has to be my least favourite in the trilogy. Four stars because I'm feeling generous!
Thank you to the lovely team at Headline for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for a review.They told her she killed her son. She served her time. But what if they lied?
Emma Cartwright has no memory of what happened but she wakes up to hear that she has killed her son. And you believe what your loved ones, your doctor and the police tell you, don't you?
Three years ago Emma was Susan Webster, and she supposedly murdered her twelve-week-old son Dylan. Sent to Oakdale Psychiatric Institute for her crime, Emma is released early on parole with a new identity, address and a chance to rebuild her tattered life.
After receiving an envelope addressed to Susan Webster containing a photograph of a toddler called Dylan, Emma is now questioning everything she believes. If she has no memory of the event, how can she truly believe he's dead? If there was the smallest chance your son was alive, what would you do to get him back?
"Here, have some of this, the sugar will help with the shock." "And the chocolate. Chocolate helps with shock." "Where did you hear that?" "Harry Potter"
Just to let you know, I am writing this review straight after finishing the last page of this book which is something I rarely ever do. But today I am doing it because I completely loved How I Lost You and am so caught up in the whirlwind of emotions that this book has caused to me feel (You could say in Tumblr speak that this book gave me all of the feels). Also, because I just have to talk about it because it was that good.
I love psychological, crime thrillers because they give me a chance to play detective - albeit, a terrible one - so when How I Lost You arrived in my mailbox I couldn't wait to read it.
How I Lost You is a flawless, addictive page-turner that will have you hooked from the get-go. Jenny Blackhurst's writing is incredible. Almost instantly you feel sympathy with Susan the supposed baby murderer and you're desperate for her to be proven not-guilty throughout the entire book.
It's such a stunning, emotional novel. There are things being set-up in the novel with flashback chapters featuring a group of teenage boys who you know are going to get themselves into a lot trouble as they go on and it was amazing how it all tied up with Susan's case.
It's hard work holding back from telling you all the spoily things especially since I am still a mess after the emotional, murderous and twisted rollercoaster that this book just took me on. I must admit I didn't think much of Susan's ex-husband Mark throughout the majority of the book, but towards the end I was practically sobbing and felt a lot of sympathy for him. If there's one lesson you should take away from this is that you can't trust anyone. Not even your friends and family. Or a dazzlingly handsome reporter...
Jenny Blackhurst's How I Lost You is a truly phenomenal novel that is full of twists, turns and betrayal. The plot is exceedingly clever and I may have shed a few tears towards the end. I look forward to reading more from this author and just putting it out there in incase any showbizzy people are reading this blog (unlikely, but let's pretend) that I would adore seeing How I Lost You as a television series. These characters and their crazy stories were such a honour to read and I think it would be brilliant played out on screen as well. Wishful thinking, I know but I'm too attached to these characters to let go.
Only she can bring his family back alive. Rose is the one that got away.
She was the prey in a human trophy hunt organised by an elite secret organisation for super-rich clients seeking a unique thrill. She paid a terrible price. Every moment since she has been planning her revenge. And now her day has come.
Chris returns from his morning run to find his wife and children missing and a stranger in his kitchen. He's told to run. If he's caught and killed, his family go free. If he escapes, they die. Rose is the only one who can help him, but Rose only has her sights on one conclusion. For her, Chris is bait. But The Trail have not forgotten the woman who tried to outwit them. The Trail want Rose. The hunters want Chris' corpse. Rose wants revenge, and Chris just wants his family back.
The hunt is on...
Wow. Simply wow.
I was promised a fast paced thriller and The Hunt did not disappoint. An action packed ride from beginning to end, it was a terrific and terrifying read.
From the first few pages, I was hooked. Completely devouring this book within the space of a few days! You're immediately dropped straight into the action from the first page and you're there every step of the way with Rose and Chris who are both on the run from The Trial.
The book alternates between Rose and Chris' story in a swift way, filling you in on the details and making the book even more impossible to put down as you root for these characters and their safety.
I absolutely adored the plot and hats off to Tim Lebbon for creating such a captivating, thrilling masterpiece of a novel. The descriptions are so vivid and well written in the novel that I could picture every detail of Rose and Chris' surroundings and it evoked in me all emotions that these characters were going through. There's grief, mostly on Rose's end for the family she lost, but there's the shared determination between her and Chris. He is desperate to save his family and Rose will stop at nothing to avenge hers.
They're both stuck in a situation which tests not only their physical ability, but also their mental agility and it's safe to say that I would not survive a day if I was in The Hunt unless I had someone as badass as Rose for company.
One thing I also loved about this novel was that a lot of it went down in Wales! Yes, finally a book that features Wales! As much as I yearn to live in the big city of London someday, I feel like Wales is under appreciated in the Book World. Finally someone has written about the beautiful landscapes that we have and I'm even more happy that it is in a book as breathtakingly fantastic as this.
A pure adrenaline rush from start to finish, I would recommend this to practically anyone. Who doesn't love a good thriller novel now and again?
The Hunt is released on Thursday 16th of July in the UK! You can pre-order your copy on Amazon now!
Scandy novel time!Honestly, this has been on my to-read list forever. While I don't often read smutty novels because some of them can just be way to over the top with a ridiculous plot, I'd seen so many positive reviews from GoodReads friends and blog friends alike about Alice Clayton's novel and decided it was time to give it a read.
Caroline Reynolds has a fantastic new apartment in San Francisco, a KitchenAid mixer, and no O (and we're not talking Oprah here, folks). She has a flourishing design career, an office overlooking the bay, a killer zucchini bread recipe, and no O. She has Clive (the best cat ever), great friends, a great rack, and no O. Adding insult to O-less, since her move, she has an oversexed neighbor with the loudest late-night wallbanging she's ever heard.
Each moan, spank, and—was that a meow?—punctuates the fact that not only is she losing sleep, she still has, yep, you guessed it, no O. Enter Simon Parker.
When the wallbanging threatens to literally bounce her out of bed, Caroline, clad in sexual frustration and a pink baby-doll nightie, confronts her heard-but-never-seen neighbor. Their late-night hallway encounter has, well, mixed results. Ahem. With walls this thin, the tension's gonna be thick...
You have no idea how much I wish that it had been Wallbanger that had achieved worldwide success and had a film adaptation instead of Fifty Shades of Grey. While I must confess I didn't think Fifty was wholly bad, but I would much rather see Simon and Caroline brought the big screen than Christian and Anastasia.
The first in Alice Clayton's Cocktail series, I must admit that I was surprised with this book. As I've said in the past, most smut novels tend to end up being a miss for me rather than a hit purely because I think the authors are so focused on trying to replicate Fifty's success with their book that they end up having too much sex and not enough plot. However, I think that Alice Clayton did a great job of balancing the two. Of course, some may argue that there was too much plot and not enough of getting it on, but each to their own.
As far as scandalous novels go, this was a hit for me. From chapter one, I knew I was going to love it. Packed full of instantly likable characters and witty, hilarious one-liners, Wallbanger was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I don't think there was a single dull moment.
The will they-won't they Simon and Caroline story line really kept me hooked. Especially after that unfortunate night in Tahoe I was beginning to fret for this ship's future. Despite their ups and downs, I adored Simon and Caroline almost as much as they adored each other. Their banter and relationship had me giggling from start to finish. None of their characterization felt forced, nor did Clayton rush them 'getting on'. I thought that the build up was brilliant as it allowed me time to follow their journey and grow fond of them.
As unfortunate of a title as Wallbanger is, it is an appropriate term to describe Simon. (I can imagine most wouldn't want to be seen dead reading this in public with that title adorned on the cover. My advice - Find a PDF or buy it for your Kindle if you know smut books are your thing).
Overall, this book was hilarious. Although I enjoyed reading about Caroline and Simon, I don't think I will be picking up the sequel any time soon. Purely because I love the way it ended. I'm not craving answers and I'm very happy with how I, the reader, left off with Caroline and Simon. I don't particularly want to ruin that image of them being a delighted new couple and while I'm sure in the next book, their bond and relationship will hopefully remain intact I don't want to tarnish the way it ended in Wallbanger in any way for me just in case.
I would like to say a big thank you to the team at Headline for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for a review.EDIT: The novel has since been retitled to A Girl Named Love.
He's the man every woman wants. Private Investigator Florence Love is out to get him.
Florence has ten days to meet, charm and entrap Scott 'Scat' Delaney. Whilst sticking to THE Cardinal Entrapment Rule: One kiss, with tongues, five seconds - case closed.
Scat, a superstar jazz musician, is stunning. He's also a reclusive hypochondriac with a Junta-like entourage - it's going to take a special woman to make him fall into the trap.
Florence Love will tell you at length why she's that woman. She's beautiful, resourceful and relentless. A master of body language, evolutionary science and Shorinji Kempo. She'll use every tool in her armoury, especially when it comes to discovering the truth about Bambi, her absent mother - a twenty-five-year-old mystery she's determined to solve...
Cardinal Entrapment Rule #2: Never EVER fall for the target (even when they're the hottest man on the planet) That would be very bad form indeed.
Florence has ten days to meet, charm and entrap Scott 'Scat' Delaney. Whilst sticking to THE Cardinal Entrapment Rule: One kiss, with tongues, five seconds - case closed.
Scat, a superstar jazz musician, is stunning. He's also a reclusive hypochondriac with a Junta-like entourage - it's going to take a special woman to make him fall into the trap.
Florence Love will tell you at length why she's that woman. She's beautiful, resourceful and relentless. A master of body language, evolutionary science and Shorinji Kempo. She'll use every tool in her armoury, especially when it comes to discovering the truth about Bambi, her absent mother - a twenty-five-year-old mystery she's determined to solve...
Cardinal Entrapment Rule #2: Never EVER fall for the target (even when they're the hottest man on the planet) That would be very bad form indeed.
"He mistakes me for someone who gives a shit"
Right away I knew I was going to love this one! The Last Honeytrap makes a change from the gritty crime novels filled with merciless and twisted psychopaths that I've spent the past few months reading. While gory murder novels can be..ahem, how I do put it?...fun, it's always nice to pick up a little chick lit to brighten your day and Louise Lee's debut novel did just that.
If I was asked to pick a fictional character that I would like to be out of all the ones I've encountered in my reads so far in 2015, I would pick Flo Lo any day! Without a doubt.
Not only is Florence Love utterly hilarious, but she's confident, bright and brutally honest. It's Florence's tenacity and tendency to tell it like it is that makes the book so incredibly entertaining, not to mention her capers in the, as I've learned from this book, not-so-glamorous world of entrapment.
The Last Honeytrap is much like Bridget Jones' Diary humour-wise. However, Flo Lo doesn't quite bag herself a Mr. Darcy. Not that she needs to. 'Independent Women' by Destiny's Child could easily be her theme tune. She doesn't need no man..or woman for that matter.
What surprised me was that, despite being an ultra funny novel about Florence's latest PI case to entrap Scat Delany, at the center of The Last Honeytrap there is a lot of heart. More specifically, Florence's bond with her brother, Michael, a budding actor who sometimes assists Florence on her cases. Also, Florence's quest to find her mother, Bambi, who she believes is missing. I don't want to spoil anything, but I think it's the family orientated moments that really drive the novel. They definitely brought out the sweet, soft side to Flo Lo as opposed to her professional, sassy demeanor.
The Last Honeytrap is full of twists, turns and genuinely laugh out loud humour. I had a blast reading it and was sad that it had to end. This novel totally surpassed my expectations. Going in, I thought I had made a generally good guess as to what would happen, but all of my predictions were wrong which is something I could not be happier about.
A gem from start to finish, I absolutely cannot wait to read the second book in the Florence Love Series, The Last Bigamist when it comes out.
The first thing you see isn't always what you get!
Arthur Dreyfuss is a young mechanic at a garage in the little community of Long, France. He has a small flat and leads a simple life. So, imagine his surprise when he opens his door one evening to find a distraught Hollywood starlet standing before him.
But although feigning an American accent, this woman is not all that she seems. For her name is actually Jeanine Foucamprez - and her story is very different from the glamorous life of a star.
Arthur is not all he seems, either; a lover of poetry with a darker past than one might imagine, he has learnt to see beauty in the mundane. The First Thing You See is a tender story about two fragile souls trying to love each other.
I'll admit that I didn't love this one right anyway. It took several attempts and a quick Google for a plot summary (I was just very confused by the Scarlett Johansson character, ok?) to understand what this book was all about.
While mildly entertaining, it definitely isn't one of my favourite books. I just couldn't get into that state of reading where you're hooked and can't put the book down, I found myself losing interest and getting distracted by simplest mundane things while trying to get through this novel.
The concept is interesting. Had it been told in a more animated and fun way then perhaps I would have felt differently about this book. However, I felt like the writing was dull. It didn't do anything to capture my attention.
In some parts is it quite sweet, what with Arthur's naivety in believing actual Hollywood superstar and Avenger, Scarlett Johansson, would casually turn up on his doorstep.
If you're one of those hipsters who enjoys drinking copious amounts of coffee while leisurely sifting your way through a book that tries to be insightful and intelligent, then this is for you. But it's a very slow moving story and not for those who like fast-paced romance novels with a lot of humour and adventure. If, like me, you're part of the latter then you should probably give this one a miss.
Upon researching the book a little more for my review, I discovered that Scarlett Johansson actually sued the author for making defamatory claims about her marriage to Ryan Reynolds and several other aspects of her private life in this novel. While I'm not sure what the outcome was as neither Delacourt or Johansson were present in Paris court, I would say if you generally aren't a fan of Scarlett then you'd do better not picking this one up as the first half certainly centers around the American actress - or Jeanine Foucamprez who is impersonating her.
Overall, this book wasn't for me. I hate to say it because I truly wanted to like it. Reading the synopsis even now for this review makes me wish I had liked it more because the idea sounds so interesting. Despite this, Delacourt's vision may have been intriguing but his writing was not. Maybe if another author had executed this story better then I'd be giving it way more stars, but that is not the case. With a heavy heart, I have to give it one star.
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