Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 141

Three Sisters – Thriller Novel Review

Rating: 3 out of 5.

“ONE LYING. ONE DYING. ONE HELLBENT ON REVENGE.”

The tagline for the crime-thriller novel ‘Three Sisters’ by Owen Mullen caught my attention, and I enjoy reading about things I don’t know a lot about. For example, I don’t know what it’s like to have sisters; even all my close first cousins are boys.

Set in Scotland, the thriller is about 350 pages and centers on the Kennedy sisters – Molly, Alex, and Sam. Their lives take a dramatic turn after a tragic car accident on Christmas Eve. Due to the snowy weather, Molly slips while walking on the street and collides with the vehicle of rising entrepreneur Lewis Stone. Although the police release Lewis, Molly lands in the ICU, leaving her sisters heartbroken. Alex is determined to seek justice against the affluent Mr. Stone, while Molly’s twin, Sam, is preoccupied with concerns about her failing marriage.

“Three Sisters” is told from multiple point-of-views, which was quite interesting, since readers get to know what is happening with everybody. Owen Mullen’s language is simple and reader-friendly and the pace of the novel is also pretty fast-paced. However, a sub-plot involving the romantic relationship of Lewis’ business partner, Damian, felt unnecessary, as did the excessive focus on Sam’s husband, Colin. The emphasis on Colin’s character only makes a lot more sense by the end of the story and even then, I don’t think he needed as much space as he gets.

The characters in the tale aren’t very likable, except perhaps for Lewis Stone, who is introduced as a workaholic young businessman, who wants his clothing company to go global. Unfortunately, he runs over Molly Kennedy, and even though the police let him go, his life is forever altered. Unbeknownst to him, Sam Kennedy is determined to make him pay for the accident. While Molly thinks of him as a rich, brash man with no remorse over what happened, Lewis’ reality is far removed from her imagination and expectations.

Ideally, viewers should be able to relate to Sam’s character since all she wants is justice for her sister’s death. But Sam is also a widow, and author Owen Mullen makes it quite clear that her need for vengeance is a way to redirect her grief and pent-up emotions over her husband’s death onto someone else. In fact, even Sam’s sister, Alex, calls her out on this behavior. Sam begins to stalk Lewis Stone and engages in a lot of unacceptable behavior. On the other hand, Alex is entirely consumed by her failing marriage, as her husband Colin no longer loves her, and she desperately wants to make things work.

Ultimately, “Three Sisters” is a lot less about siblings or family and much more about everyone’s individual agendas and personal issues. The only way Owen Mullen manages to keep viewers engaged until the end is by enticing us with the question, “How is Sam Kennedy going to get her revenge?” There’s also a significant twist towards the end, which did not come as a surprise to me at all but might shock some readers. Therefore, the climax felt rather lukewarm to me. Overall, though, it was a decent one-time read.

Rating: 3 on 5. Three Sisters is also available on Kindle Unlimited.

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Gen V Episode 6 Review

Thanks to episode 5 of “Gen V,” we all now know who was meddling with everyone’s memories and causing them to forget things – Cate Dunlap. With the cat out of the bag, everybody despises Cate (Maddie Phillips). However, before they can confront her about why she was manipulating their minds, Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair), Jordan Li (London Thor/Derek Luh), and Andre (Chance Perdomo) find themselves trapped in Cate’s memories. An unexpected cameo by a character from “The Boys” warns the friends that if Cate doesn’t wake up, they will remain trapped in her head forever.

Read – Gen V Episodes 1, 2, 3 Review for plot overview

Cleverly titled “Jumanji,” episode five of “Gen V” follows Marie, Jordan, and Andre’s attempts to escape from Cate’s memories and return to the real world. Along the way, they confront a series of memories that reveal dark truths they had all been concealing from each other. While Cate’s betrayal remains a thorny issue, these revelations also lead them to realize that they aren’t all without faults. Meanwhile, Emma (Lizze Broadway) rekindles her connection with Sam (Asa Germann), whom she had initially forgotten. The malevolent Indira Shetty (Shelley Conn) continues to oversee cruel experiments on Supes at ‘The Woods,’ conducted by Dr. Edison Cardosa (Marco Pigossi).

Given that there are three distinct subplots running through this episode, it maintains a well-paced narrative and never loosens its grip on the proceedings. This edition leans more towards psychological elements, featuring relatively few action scenes, which results in a less bloody and gory tone compared to previous episodes. Can the friends put aside their differences and conflicts to unite and uncover what is happening in “The Woods”? That’s going to be the focus for the story from now on. “Jumanji” ends on a pretty sinister twist, so I cannot wait to see the rest!

You can stream ‘Gen V’ on Amazon Prime Video.

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Bump Up Business Series Review

Using the pretense of stars being in love with each other is one of the oldest marketing tricks in the entertainment world to generate excitement for their work. The Korean drama “Bump Up Business,” based on the webtoon of the same name, relies on this very concept as the core premise of its story-line.

Directed by Lee Chang Han, the eight-episode series “Bump Up Business” stars members of the K-pop band “OnlyOneOf”, and the story follows the adventures of the newly-formed K-pop duo ‘Lion Heart.’ Their company introduces a marketing strategy labeled “business gay performance,” requiring them to feign a romantic connection for public appearances. While Kang Eden (Lee Yongsoo) grapples with discomfort over the concept, he agrees to the strategy as getting to debut is a rare opportunity. In contrast, JiHoon (Wookjin Jung), the other member, views this as a second shot at stardom and embraces the idea of feigning a romantic connection with his colleague. As the two pretend to be close for cameras, will a real romance brew between the performers?

The episodes are only 15-16 minutes long, making “Bump Up Business” an easy bingeable watch that viewers can finish in one go. Lee Yongsoo beautifully fits the part of Kang Eden, the younger rookie idol, who gets intimidated with the fact that he has to debut with an already established artist. He endearingly captures the soft, vulnerable shades of his character, while Wookjin Jung too pulls off the part of the older, arrogant, sexy JiHoon. However, the short length of the series also limits the characters’ room for development, and the writers resort to clichéd and contrived tropes to introduce plot twists. For example, a character from Kang’s past pops out of nowhere and inexplicably strikes a deal with the company’s CEO to get closer to Kang.

While it’s pretty evident that this show was made on a limited budget, some story tweaks could’ve made it a lot more entertaining as a romantic drama with k-pop showbiz business as its core themes. Lee Yongsoo and Wookjin Jung look incredibly good as the lead couple, but the show moves too fast to establish palpable chemistry between them. For K-pop idols who are acting for the first time, they do a commendable job. Overall, “Bump Up Business” is a decent one-time watch for those looking for a simple quick romantic series.

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Gatsby Graphic Novel Review

Sneha Jaiswal (X | Instagram | FB | GoodReads)

The graphic novel “Gatsby” by Jeremy Holt is a modern interpretation of the classic “Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, a novel I distinctly recall reading during my college years, leaving me in awe of the prose. And that’s really the allure of Fitzgerald’s work for countless readers – it’s not solely the story but the way the author weaves words to narrate the tale of a man who wholly reinvents himself to win the heart of the woman he loves. To recreate the charm of a text-heavy book within the format of a graphic novel presents a formidable challenge. Jeremy Holt does manage to make “Gatsby” stand out a bit with its futuristic concepts and a protagonist who is like a mash between Mark Zuckerberg and Tim Cook.

Jeremy Holt’s “Gatsby” follows Singaporean student Lu Zhao, who is spending the summer at his wealthy cousin Tommy’s mansion, where he meets Tommy girlfriend Dahlia and best-friend Alexis. When a new billionaire neighbor hosts a lavish party, the group is intrigued to find who the mystery host is. And thus unfolds a tale of wealth, drugs, love and obsession. And to make things intriguing, the story opens with Lu Zhao being investigated by the police for an unknown case.

I liked the artwork by Felipe Cunha, it’s quite like your regular DC/Marvel comic-books, with darker warm tones dominating the panels. However, the character designs for Lu Zhao and Tommy Zhao were almost similar, especially after Lu gets a makeover, making it easy to get confused between the two cousins through the story. So some more variation in the character illustrations would’ve made the reading experience richer.

Even though the graphic novel is 189 pages long, I felt that the characters didn’t have enough space to develop or that they simply weren’t interesting. Except for Lu Zhao, who is portrayed as a middle-class kid, everyone else seems to exude privilege, residing in their own drug-fueled, materialistic worlds that are hardly relatable. Additionally, the fact that all the characters are 18-19 years old makes the Gatsby-like romance feel somewhat juvenile. In this novel, the Gatsby character met his love interest when they were just 14 years old and never saw each other again. The investigative part of the story, where a group of characters is questioned by the police, adds no substance to the tale and wouldn’t make a difference if it were entirely removed. If it weren’t for the vivid artwork, “Gatsby” would have been a challenging read.

If it weren’t for the vivid artwork, “Gatsby” would’ve been a challenge to read. It took me two days to finish the graphic novel, even though it can be easily finished in under an hour or two by regular readers.

Rating: 2.5 on 5.

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Midnight Ruin Short Film Review

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

When two old friends catch up for a drink, the conversation takes a weird turn when one of them offers the other to kill him for $250,000. The offer leads to a road that ends in a way neither of them expected.

Directed and written by Anthony Deveney, the 18-minute short thriller, ‘Midnight Ruin,’ explores the dichotomous nature of humans. Robert Palmer Watkins plays Christian, the protagonist, who offers a substantial sum to his friend Oliver (Robert Adamson) to end his life. Christian tried to kill himself in the past without success and believes that this alternative approach could benefit his wife and children financially, as suicide won’t yield them any insurance money. Oliver laughs off the offer at first, but begins to

The primary plot was slightly reminiscent of the graphic novel ‘Night at the Belfry’ by Xavier Saxon, which is about a 74-year-old former boxer on the lookout for an opponent who will fight him and kill him if he loses. But unlike the aging former boxer who did not have much to live for, Christian seems to have a pretty good life, so his desire for self-destruction is puzzling. Robert Palmer Watkins adeptly captures Christian’s capricious disposition, rendering it difficult to view his intentions with seriousness. The moment he starts speaking too much, his conviction becomes suspicious. In-fact, Christian never even explains why he wants to die, which makes Oliver suspect his sincerity too. Robert Adamson is a lot more compelling as Oliver, who grapples with a moral dilemma of taking his friend’s life for financial gain. However, his reluctance diminishes significantly when he receives assurances that the crime won’t be traced back to him.

The film commences with a brief introductory shot of a fire and then transitions to a dimly lit bar, where Christian propositions Oliver with money to take his life, thus establishing the foundation for this morally ambiguous thriller. The cinematography skillfully manipulates the film’s atmosphere, abruptly shifting to a stark, cowboy-western style scene next, which unfolds in the desolate wilderness, far removed from civilization. Here, the two protagonists plot to bring their perilous scheme to life. This transition in scenery not only alters the mood but also underscores the depth of the characters’ commitment.

With just two principal characters and limited settings, “Midnight Ruin” emerges as a tightly-edited thriller. The film veers towards becoming an absurdly comical piece, but then swiftly takes a darker turn just when you believe the friends are on the verge of achieving their desires. The climactic surprise feels a little out of an Edgar Allan Poe short story and is a conclusive ending to an unpredictable story. Christian and Oliver’s journey concludes with a fire scene, a motif hinted at in the opening, effectively completing the narrative circle.

You can watch “Midnight Ruin” on YouTube. It’s also embedded below.

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 13 Review

Hope you are here after Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 episode 12. Minor spoilers ahead.

So, the last episode concluded with an exciting cliffhanger: Yuji Itadori charges toward the location where Satoru Gojo is sealed, only to encounter the antagonistic Choso, who is determined to avenge his brothers, previously killed by Yuji and Kugisaki.

Studio Mappa delivers another tense and excitingly choreographed action edition with this episode, which is titled “Red Scale”. The first few seconds provide a rhythmic contrast between Yuji’s rapid sprint and Choso’s deliberate, slow steps toward his target. Once they face each other, the rest of the episode rushes by, entirely dedicated to portraying the intense battle between the two. Expect a lot of blood, especially since Choso is a special grade cursed spirit, who is exceptionally strong and his primary power is blood manipulation.

The episode is pretty fast-paced, even though it mainly consists of just Yuji and Choso attacking each other. Viewers who haven’t read the original manga by Gege Akutami will be glad that a narrator steps in to explain how his blood-manipulation works, complete with its scale and limitations. This is probably one of my favorite episodes and it ends on a very “WTF” note, but you have to give it a few seconds to understand what’s happening. Also, there’s a small scene post-credits, so watch out for that.

You can stream Jujutsu Kaisen on Netflix or CrunchyRoll.

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A Good Day to be a Dog Episode 3 Review

Quick recap: The protagonist, Han Hae-na (Park Gyuyoung), accidentally kisses her colleague Jin Seo-won (Cha Eun-Woo), triggering a curse that transforms her into a dog from 12 am to 6 am every day. The only way to break the curse is for the same person to kiss her while she’s in her dog form. If this doesn’t happen within 100 days, she’ll be stuck in her dog form permanently. The biggest problem? – Jin Seo-won is terrified of dogs and runs in the opposite direction whenever he spots one. To make matters wrose, Han Hae-na “dogerella” secret is almost exposed as Seo-won’s nephew sees her turn into a tiny doggy.

Episode three was charming, humorous, and lighthearted, with the episode’s highlight featuring an adorable dog named Mandeuk, who spends a day at Han Hae-na’s school and gives Seo-won nightmares in daytime. The screenplay is bright and comical, with several scenes featuring the cute Mandeuk, who simply naps or runs towards food for most parts. There’s a brief flashback to a different historical era to build some intrigue, but viewers still don’t have the full story on what the dog-curse is all about.

In this part of ‘A Good Day to be a Dog,’ a slow, sweet romance is steadily developing between Han Hae-na and Seo-won. Instead of their earlier awkward interactions, the two characters are finally on the path to building a warmer bond. Now that Han Hae-na is aware of Seo-won’s acute fear of dogs, she tries to save him from Mandeuk in this episode and ensures nobody finds out about his weakness. Park Gyuyoung’s comic timing as Han Hae-na is amusing, and she pairs well with Cha Eun-Woo, who plays the dashing teacher with quite the crush on her.

Han Hae-na’s efforts to protect Seo-won from his canine phobia create moments of laughter and endearment. With Park Gyuyoung’s fantastic comic timing and Cha Eun-Woo’s charismatic portrayal, the show keeps us eagerly anticipating what’s in store for this couple. As the dog-curse mystery deepens, we can’t help but wonder what the future holds for these characters and their unusual predicament. This K-drama series keeps its viewers hooked, so watch it if you are looking for a delightful mix of laughter and romance.

You can stream A Good Day to be a Dog on Viki.

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One-of-a-Kind Marcie Review

Rating: 4 out of 5.

“There’s a lot of people out there that could use a hand and I want to help them. But when I try to… I suddenly find myself surrounded by all these new people. And I never get the time to get my thoughts together and all I wanna do is… run away…”

Directed by Raymond S. Persi, the 2023 short animated film “One-of-a-Kind Marcie” focuses on the smart, sweet, kind and introverted Marcie, who is bubbling with ideas to help those around her, but feels overwhelmed when the spotlight is on her. So she finds out ways to solve her friends’ problems without drawing too much attention and being herself. The story starts with a serene scene of Marcie reading a book in a library-like room. The tranquility is abruptly disrupted by a golf ball zipping through the area, and Peppermint Patty approaches asks Marcie for assistance in practicing golf to prepare for an upcoming golf tournament.

“It’s who you have on the back that matter, with Marcie on her side, she will be fine,” a friend confidently exclaims, when the two are friends are at the golf-course. The little dialogue establishing the kind of faith Marcie’s friends have in her, even though she might not be aware of it herself. With a 39 minute runtime, “One-of-a-Kind Marcie” is a simple, leisurely paced animated short film, which would delight introverts. And even though the animation is plain and frills-free like the original “Peanuts” comics, there are a lot of subtle clever metaphorical scenes, that make it worth a watch for both children and adults.

In one scene, Marcie has a conversation with Charlie Brown, expressing her feelings of discomfort when surrounded by a crowd. They engage in this discussion at a small bridge where the water below contains a solitary dry leaf amidst several green ones, serving as a powerful metaphor for how introverts can feel out of place in large gatherings. Marcie drops a stick into the water, causing it to nudge the dry leaf, which then drifts apart from the others. It silently conveys the idea that some people may only require a gentle push to take the lead. It was one of my favorite scenes in the film.

Much like its title suggests, “One-of-a-Kind Marcie” is all about celebrating one’s uniqueness and discovering ways to live your best life without compromising your core identity. This film can charm both children and adults; however, I believe that adult viewers may find its themes more appealing.

You can stream “One-of-a-Kind Marcie” on Apple TV.

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Duck And Cover Issue #2 Review

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Insta | FB | GoodReads)

So, “Duck And Cover” issue 2 is giving off a “War of the Worlds” meets “Stranger Things” vibe, and it’s pretty fun so far. Created by Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque, who also worked together on the comic series “American Vampire”, it features giant aliens, massive destruction, fear, chaos, and a group of young protagonists on the brink of becoming heroes, or at the very least, leading us readers on an exhilarating journey, one that may or may not culminate in their eventual deaths!

Issue #1 of this series quickly introduced the protagonist Del and his friends, ending with a scenario resembling World War III, where cities are bombed and taken over by giant machines. While the teens believe it’s Russia attacking America, the truth is far more incomprehensible than they can imagine. So, issue #2 follows the survivors’ attempts to understand what is happening and find refuge.

Fast-paced and gritty, “Duck and Cover” is a vibrant burst of colors, with Rafael Albuquerque’s illustrations standing out as the highlight of this dystopian series. The comic’s color palette is curated by Marcelo Maiolo, who incorporates a wide array of tones and shades, skillfully manipulating light to maintain an arresting atmosphere. While the debut issue depicted massive machines assaulting cities, this installment also introduces some giant murderous creepy creatures that reminded me of the horror film “A Quiet Place.”

The fact that everything wraps up in less than 30 pages and leaves you hanging until you get your hands on the next issue is obviously a bummer, but this sci-fi dystopian comic book series by Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque is a winner for now.

“Duck And Cover” is also available on Kindle Unlimited.

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Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions Episode 3 Review

Episode three of the anime series “Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions” begins with discussions at BLUE over Ron’s status as a detective. Episode two explained that BLUE is the world’s top detective training academy, which issues its students a detective license that grants them permission from police agencies all over the world to help solve cases. While Ron was undoubtedly the most accomplished student at the academy, a bona fide genius, he was banned from performing any detective work, as all his cases would inevitably (and often gruesomely) conclude with the culprit’s death. If BLUE finds out that Ron is back to solving cases, the repercussions could be grave.

For a plot overview, read – Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions Episode 1 Review

Titled “The Case of the Benizome Hot Spring Murder – Part 1”, episode three begins with BLUE dispatching a person from the academy to investigate what Ron Kamonohashi is up to. And despite the tense beginning, the episode immediately switches to a comical tone, with Ron shopping at a supermarket and making his new rookie cop friend Totomaru Isshiki run silly errands for him.

This was a largely comical episode, where Ron and Totomaru go to take a break at Hot Spring after Ron wins a stay for two at a raffle. The writers weave in a dark legend around the hot springs to add to some intrigue to the otherwise silly proceedings. During the night of their stay Ron convinces a bunch of other guests to play a board game with him. Their fun little stay however ends on a shocking note when one of female guests is found dead. So this edition of “Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions” ends with a cliffhanger and we will probably find out about the killer on in the next episode.

Watch the series on Netflix.

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