A. Renee Hunt's Blog, page 57

Kellie's Diary by Thomas Jenner and Angeline Perkins

*eBook Review     Kellie's Diary, by Thomas Jenner and Angeline Perkins, is a journal into the apocalypse, from a kid's perspective.  One day, Kellie and her journal Barbie are trapped in the school's bathroom.  While she's hiding, everyone inside and on the playground are not very sick and/or biting one another.

     Kellie's Diary is different, since the story comes from an elementary school child. She doesn't understand the concept of apocalypse or zombies, so when she shares, via journal entries in the diary she named Barbie, in wording that is supposed to be childish..  

     Unfortunately, this didn't work for me, for two reasons.  One,  you can easily see below.  My examples are blown up, but imagine them on the screen of your iPad, Kindle, etc.  After the introduction, the pages all ended up small like the pic on the lower, right.  The book's not formatted well, thus a frustration for me, the reader!  

     The second loss for me was due to the simplicity of the story.  It didn't really feel as if it was from a little girl.      With the story coming from a 3rd/4th grader, there's a lot she should have understood!  She came off younger at times, but seemed to maneuver at a much older level.  She came off too young and it took from the tale.  Many kids can find their way home after riding a bus so many times, but with her being eight or nine years old, she seemed... off.  She climbed trees to stay safe (good!), took cans of food form the cafeteria (where was her can opener?) because she knew to pack food (maybe) but didn't know what a zombie was? (nuh-uh!).  It was cute, but I just couldn't stay interested enough to continue with the series.

     I'm not saying this story isn't good; I just couldn't get into it.  That and the formatting giving me a small pic to enlarge for reading just didn't make for a pleasant, comfortable read.  I read it and deleted it.  Sorry.  
Off to the next read! 

Solitude, Written by Livingston Odeon, Taylor Scott Olson and Jana K. Lensing

*Movie Review      My latest Indie movie review is here!  Solitude, written by Livingston Oden, Taylor Scott Olson and Jana K. Lensing, is a horror film that spans seventy-five years!  A family secret, rooted on a piece of forested land, holds a Native American mystery that's fueled by blood and the need to be free.

     James Erikson's grandmother passed away, leaving everything to him and not his estranged mother.  When he checks on a storage locker that's supposed to hold an inheritance, he's disappointed to find there's nothing but a box.  The box holds history, leading back to the 1930's and through a series of audio recordings, journal entries and sketches, James finds out he's the owner of cursed, riverfront property.  Can he investigate and find an explanation for the occurances of the past, as well as the future?       Solitude is a movie that struck my fancy by invoking memories of horror classics, B-movies and slashers!  From styles mirroring Dracula, to jump-scares like Friday the 13th, ending with camera tellings of REC and Blair Witch, this movie carried tributes for horror while passing on a tale of its own.   From lips moving out of sync to Dick's ignorance and death, I admired the nostalgia. The movie made me laugh, jump a few times and shake my head with adult disgust (the teen-foolery).

    The only issue I found with the movie pertains to the creature.  I have an idea on what the creature was, but it was never stated.  I understood who created it and how, but as far as what it was is never told.  I believe that information would have enhanced the story, but it didn’t cause any harm.  Other than that, the Solitude is very entertaining and brings honor to the indie film industry.

     Solitude has great special effects, an interesting storyline and an ending that lets you know all is not well.  Check it out on dvd, as well as Youtube.com and Vimeo.  It's a pretty cool vid! 

Solitude
Written by Livingston Oden, Taylor Scott Olson and Jana K. Lensing
Actors: Armin Habibovitch and Victoria Lachelle
2015​       

Into The Mud, Directed, Written & Produced by Pablo Pastor

*Movie Review      There are few short movies that throw me completely off.  Into the Mud, written, directed and produced by Pablo Pastor, is one of those shorts.  Written in the fashion of classic horror, you are subject to raw fear in a Hunter-Prey styled tale that shows you, all is not as it appears to be.

​     You begin with a woman, filthy, injured and confused, and end with your victim's vicious death, but it's all in the how.  You're made to sympathize and root for the victim, but just when you think you know the outcome- Bam!  You know nothing!  

     I enjoyed the film and felt it held an appropriate amount of mystery and suspense.  The movie is simple and doesn't give anything but what you want to see, until the enigma is revealed.  The actress,Maria Forqué, is the daughter of famed actress of stage, tv and film Veronica Forqué, of Spain.  The other actor of the movie,  Ramon G. del Pomar is a veteran actor of drama and romance.  Together, they make a thriller of a horror picture.  I enjoyed the shocking ending and would love to watch more by the Pastor.  

     Below, I've left the trailer for you to enjoy.  Take a watch while I move on to the next read! The Official Trailer *Blackburn next movie review.
**Into the Mud, movie trailer
Written, Produced & Directed by Pablo Pastor
Actors: Maria Faroqué and Ramon G. del Pomar
2016

Blackburn Written by Nastasha Baron and Lauro Chartrand, Produced & Directed by Lauro Chartrand

*Movie Review #element-493e2db5-ae7e-4d77-a325-28ad8ce017db .waddons_vert_divider { display: none;}#element-493e2db5-ae7e-4d77-a325-28ad8ce017db .waddons_vertical_divider_column { -webkit-box-sizing: border-box; -moz-box-sizing: border-box; box-sizing: border-box;} Vertical Divider      Movie Blurb (from IMDb)
A forest fire and rock-slide traps five bickering college friends in a small Alaskan ghost town with a horrifying history. When they seek refuge inside the torched ruins of Blackburn Asylum they must fight to survive as the angry inhabitants slaughter the friends one-by-one.

     Blackburn, is unavailable in the US but I managed a reviewer's peek.  Written by Nastasha Baron and Lauro Chartrand, the movie is sure to cause either one of two reactions: Excitement or Extreme Disappointment.  Sadly for me, it was the latter, but let me share exactly why...      As the blurb states, Blackburn is about a carful of teens headed to a cabin, set deep in the woods of Alaska for break.  None of them are really that close, but hey- whatever works, right?  Unfortunately, their trip is ruined when a landslide, along with a forest fire, keeps them from reaching their destination.  Instead, they have a decision to make, placing them in the gravest of danger and without a way to get home.       First off, let me say, this movie is definitely SyFy channel material.  From the cheesy conversations to the entertaining special effects, this pic probably won't win any awards.  There are a ton of things that just didn't work.  I'm going to share about three.  But first, the positives...

     The movie had elements I did enjoy.  The flashback scenes were awesome.  From the introduction, to its time-lapsed footage, I found appreciation in the effects and audio.  To me, it was the best part of the entire movie because it was haunting.  History on why things happened are a must, unless it's a Japanese horror.  That portion kept my attention, even if it didn't quite make sense.  Also, I liked the homage paid to other horror movies.  Blackburn, itself wasn't great, but I felt connected to various other horrors, even if that wasn't the movie's intent.  Titles like Wrong Turn and Texas Chainsaw Massacre immediately came to mind, but it had its own theme.  

     Lastly, the characters were a tad bit developed with a side story.  The side bit was weak, but I saw why they added it in.  Quickly, I forgot its mention till later, but what was given was enough for me to understand someone's decision.   Should you manage to the movie, you'll know, but... weak!  

     Now the negatives of the movie are easily identified as well as downright idiotic!  The movie held all its usual horror idiosyncricies- a pretty blonde, intelligent brunette, inappropriate sexual encounters, "Splitting Up to Cover More Ground!"  (Come on Scooby and the Gang!) and the occassional jump-scare.  But what it lacked a great deal of was intelligence!

    #element-72211faf-fffd-4b7c-bb3e-9473bd0594e6 .waddons_vert_divider { display: none;}#element-72211faf-fffd-4b7c-bb3e-9473bd0594e6 .waddons_vertical_divider_column { -webkit-box-sizing: border-box; -moz-box-sizing: border-box; box-sizing: border-box;} Vertical Divider   I've done some ignorant things as a teen, but [WARNING: small spoiler here] sleep in an abandoned coal mine was never one of them!  Not only were they warned but they had a perfectly useful car!  Okay- I have to stop!  I don't want to give the movie away, but from beginning to end, there are choices made by people who evidently didn't graduate from high school!  It was non-stop foolishness!  I found myself calling out what was going to happen next, right before it happened- they were that predictable!  I felt let down by the pic.  I congratulated the crew, more so on their accomplishment of making a movie, but on not the movie itself.

    So Blackburn was a wash-up for me, but you may like it.  Check the video trailer and see for yourself.   It was well-worth the free, screener opportunity, but it will never be in my movie library.  On to the next viewing... Cheers!     Blackburn
Written by Lauro Chartrand and Nastasha Baron
Produced and directed by Lauro Chartrand, Nastasha Baron & John Sereda
2015

Tales From the Scaremaster: Werewolf Weekend by B. A. Frade and Stacia Deutsch

     When I received this book, I just knew it had to be one of those books I read with my son.  He's not in to horror, but spooky stories are a thing for him too.  Heck, he read and played the Five Nights of Freddy thing before I knew of it!  

     So we decided to write this review together.  We began Wednesday, Sept. 8 and finished it a few days later!  It was such a fun ride, we couldn't stop reading!  For the first time, since fifth grade, he was more eager to read a book than I was!  He said it was more than funny, excitable and so interesting, WE finished it in four days!  The only reason we didn't finish it sooner is because it's a book we're reading for school.  

When my boy is happy and excited to read, I feel I've accomplished a great deal.  Last year, we read some pretty cool books, but this one is number one so far!  Check out this cool read.  I don't know when the second book will be released, but the epilogue already has us hungry for more!      The story is about a girl who find a book that's totally meant for her.  Meaning, the book wanted her to find it.  But what she doesn't realize is, there's a plan with her name written all over it, and it tells her.  YES, the book speaks with her and she follows along, like a nut!  It's not until a sleepover that she realizes how much trouble they're all in.  And what is that thing that's lurking outside, that the book keeps telling her about?

​     What I think we enjoyed most was the ease of the story.  It was perfect for his age, maybe even a bit simple to get in to and kept us hooked until the very end.  There's a huge difference of interest between Joshua and I, yet we both were caught up in the mystery and haunting lead that kept our main character in trouble..  

​     It's not a mega-hit hit, but for the middle graders who want the scare without all the fright and gore, just like Goosebumps, this is the read!  Check it out while we move on to the next read.  Cheers!

The Grieving Stones by Gary McMahon

*Audiobook Review      First, let me say I loved the narrator's voice.  The Grieving Stones, by Gary McMahon is read by Chris Barnes- making this 2-hour listen nostalgic.  His voice was mellow and set the tone and location.  It was perfect for me, a lover of accents and haunts.

     In this tale, Alice is doing her best to get through the grief of the loss of her abusive husband.  She decides to get away from the melancholy of her quiet home, with its ghost, and sets out with a small therapy group.  They go to a place called Grief House, but their grief is deflected for something worse.  Something that doesn't want them there.

​     The story plays out like an old Vincent Price movie.  Spirits that belong to the land and the house call to Alice and lure her in.  I love tales like that.  This story is a classic in form and anyone who loves haunted houses, and vengeful spirits.  It's very entertaining.  There are times the narrator's accent is a bit thick, but he's not difficult to listen to.  Check it out; I'm sure you'll eat it up!  
On to the next read!

The Girl with All the Gifts by M. R. Carey

*An Audiobook Review




     I found this book purely by accident!  There's an account I follow on Twitter (@ScaryMoviesClip) that shows horror movie trailers.  I happened to see a thumbnail for this one and there you have it.  I viewed the trailer and knew it was a Must See!  Now there are a few things in the movie that you'll immediately notice aren't the same in the book, but does it really matter?  Does it...?      Let me start off by saying, the book is beautifully written.  There are no zombie references and other commonly, overused phrases.  The story is unlike the other apocalyptic ones I've read or seen before.  Sadly, there are some issues because of what's called White Washing, but I don't care about that.  The movie, in both the UK and US have received negative reviews as far as I can tell, but it won't stop me from watching myself, because now, I'm invested.
 
     When you boil it all down, the book is about a girl who could be the answer to a cure for any survivors of a plague. All of London is gone; everyone's been dead so long; there's a soldier who never knew of the world before the fall.  And the few that are alive, they're not the same.  

     A disease has taken root and it keeps you alive for a while, then you're a 'Hungry'.  One who requires a particular taste yet senseless.  When it comes to children, the disease is quite different; that's where the story kicks in.  The military is doing their best to discover why children receive a different reaction,  then come up with a way to eradicate the cause of it all: a viral fungus.  But there's a catch and the solution isn't what one would call... an antidote.

     The story is one of those where there's not a good ending, no matter what happens.  I won't share any SPOILERS , but it's a situation where you walk away with one of those, "Oh- okay..." looking faces.  The main focus of the story was pretty cool though.  

     The book seemed to really be longer than necessary, filled with a lot of unnecessary dialogue.  And then there's a subplot, similar to Lord of the Flies, which added to the danger, but it could have gone another way.  There wasn't much of the action I thought would be there, but when things did happen, it was pretty gruesome.  
I liked those parts most!

     The Girl with all the Gifts, by M. R. Carey, is interesting but not as good as I'd hoped it would be.  I expected more and it just didn't come through.  When it ended, I was like: "Wow... okay.  I get it, but (shrug)... okay."  Yeah, it was like that for real.  If you're a Carey fan, then you'll love it.  I enjoyed the fact that it was in London, but London was destroyed and that's not cool.  No sir, not at all.  LOL I will, however, see the movie, because like I said, I'm invested now.
I'm off to the next book!

Shutter by Courtney Alameda

*A Physical Book & Audiobook Review      I wanted this book because of the cover.  I saw it and knew it belonged in my library- LOOK AT IT!  Doesn't it look cool?  Oh, I also purchased the audiobook, so I could listen while I walked, then read the book when I was home (in between working NaNoWriMo and book reviewing).  Did Shutter have me shuddering in my boots or demanding the narrator to simply "SHUT UP"...?        First, let me answer my own question by saying: I returned the audiobook to this novel within 2 hours of downloading it.  The narrator, Pamela Lorence was the worst!  Not to be mean, but she was dead.  Her voice carried no animation, no inflection.  She was monotoned, like an incessant buzz and I couldn't take it!  I returned it for another book that I'll review later.  I finished with the physical copy, which took me a bit longer than normal since it was during NaNoWriMo month, but I read it.

     So the story is on the Van Helsing bloodline.  His grand-daughter and a set of teens that go ghost busting and vamp-hunting.  I understand, so much is expected of these kids; they are not your normal, run of the mill teens.  They were raised for training and meant for more than boyfriends, X-Box's and pizza, but they were automatons.  Micheline was a terrible bore and not a cool representation of a female hero.  Her boys, which are practically the same age as her, were supposedly top on her list, but she was selfish and she kept secrets that could have gotten them killed.  And then there are others, outside of their clique, who are belittled because they don't fight.  It was unreal.  The attitude shifting, needless belittling, acting tough but calling the guys 'macho' and more was just too much for me.

     The mission was to go hunting for an entity that left the team with a countdown on life.  Running about with glowing, spiritual lights within their guts, a soulchain, they have to find it and destroy it before the end of the seventh day.  What's the deal with ghosts killing people in a week's time?  Anyway, there was action and outside of the dull monologues and Micheline behaving like Rambo one minute and moody like Batman the next... it simply didn't hold me.  I felt let down.

     The story was not horror to me, but more YA thriller.  Also, Courtney Alameda, the author didn't write in a way that made the story easy for me to enjoy.  It read almost like a study manuel, though I understand she was just trying to explain the techy side of their equipment and history.  The wording was just stagnant and don't get me started on the conversations that felt forced.  It was like watching a B-grade 80's movie.  I coulda gagged myself with a spoon!
  
     I'm sorry to say that Shutter was a shudder for me.  I'm not being mean, but I didn't enjoy it and the bits I did were far between.  I'm on to the next read.

The Other's Voice by Lou Yardley

     I love to be scared.  This book wasn't scary per se, but it was, from beginning to end, a sickening ride of wonder and grossness!  I don't remember how I came across the title- maybe Goodreads, but when I received the book mail, I knew right away that I could not have a giant spider on my page!  LOL  They're totally gross to look at.  BUT, I then decided to still have it, just with it's hideous face covered up.  For any entomologists out there, I apologize for hurting your feelings...         So what is this story about?  The Other's Voice, by Lou Yardley, is about a family in trouble. There's a presence in their home, in a small town in England, and it's taking over, starting from the smallest critter to the humans that reside there.  I would say it begins with Denny, the son of the 5-person family, but it doesn't.  It starts with a poisonous spider and its web, inside the Chamberses household. (I looked it up, the 'es' is correct!)

     The story offers up the perspectives of many: Kimberly (mom), Grayson (dad), Denny (second oldest), Mia (oldest) and Lily (the toddler).  And then from each of the spiders, who dwell within the home.  Thousands of them!  And then there's The Voice.  The disembodied shadow, lurking in everyone's mind. Able to manipulate and destroy at will.  There's something The Other wants and is willing to use everyone and thing in order to get it.  But it will begin with Denny.

     The story is written like a late 80's horror movie; I loved it.  From Denny's slightly autistic counting before getting things done to his obsessive compulsive activity.  Mia is the typical teenager, looking for attention but gets upset when she receives it, then there's Lily.  I don't remember when I finally picked up on cognitive thinking as a toddler, but I don't think it was her age.  Either way, the story gives you their POV's, but you also know what the spiders are thinking.  It's crazy because I can totally see them thinking these things.  But it's the thoughts of The Other that keep you reading.  

     I do have to warn you, there are various errors in this book.  More than one time I found a word or two missing, but caught it mentally.  Words like to or with, so my brain instinctively ran over it, inserting the word I knew the author meant to say.  It's not bad, but because it happened so much, it is quite obvious.  For many reviewers, that's a huge turn-off, but if you appreciate the story, you won't mind it.

     The story is a wild ride and it was totally different from prev reads.  And never mind it's in the land I'll be visiting later this year!  I can't wait to see what someone else thinks of this horrific, novel!  You can find The Other's Voice anywhere book are sold.  Check it out- I'm off to the next read! 

Reaper Harvester by Warren Brown

Thrill Shot Series      Reaper Harvester is a short story series written by Warren Brown.  I have to say, I really admire authors who create worlds.  J. R. R. Tolkien  created The Shire and lands of Mordor but they were very similar to the real world.  In Reaper Harvester, everything is different.  Nothing is the same, from trees and animals to water.

      The story is about an alien who's job resembles the Silver Surfer.  He goes to distant planets and studies the inhabitants and ecology for his masters, the evil Guzon.  They are galactic terraformists.  They destroy everything, but kindly send in Seeders to plant everything that belongs on their planets.  They are the ultimate genocide squad.  But one decides to not follow the rules.  He is assigned to a planet, Frosho. where he infiltrates and falls in love. That's when all the rules change...     Like I mentioned earlier, I have a great admiration for those who sit and create an entire world, language, culture and so forth.  The idea wasn't very original but the story was different, because our reaper didn't just get to know the planet and its inhabitants, it got involved.  Too involved, but that's okay.  I liked what Brown was trying to do, but it wasn't executed very well.

     Sadly, I found the story extremely repetitive.  Filled with run-on sentences and a plot so simple and fragile, it literally shattered before my eyes and left me wanting.  I found myself not caring for our hero, nor his family (and whatever happened to Harena's first child?).  There was so much repetition, I think I growled!  For example: 

A few days later I was back at the shores of Cordesta to kill the Serpent of Cordesta, which had caused havoc on the seas and killed many sailors and destroyed a thousand merchant ships. The seas of Cordesta held a secret as I soon found out and that secret was the Serpent of Cordesta. I waited on the red shores of Cordesta for two days for the Serpent to appear. I lit a fire on the shores

BROWN, WARREN (2016-08-12). REAPER HARVESTER (THRILL SHOT SERIES Book 1) (Kindle Locations 193-197). WARREN BROWN. Kindle Edition. 

       You see what I mean?  I just couldn't take it!  If the story could be professionally edited, it could come off cleaner and neater.  I don't know, but I wasn't too thrilled with this read.  There's potential in a story like this, but it has to be executed differently.  Maybe in the next book...  
I'm off to the next read!