I finally meet a guy who’s interesting and who seems to have a half-interest in me and it is TOTALLY the wrong time and place” – Waterfall, Lisa T. Bergren
Initial Thoughts: Medieval Italy. Italian guys. Romance. Time travel. Need I say more? As soon as I read the premise, I was quickly drawn into this world of intrigue, battles and romance. In less than a week and a half I finished the first three books and I am hungry for the fourth.
Plot Summary
Most American teenagers want a vacation in Italy, but the Betarrini sisters have spent every summer of their lives among the romantic hills with their archaeologist parents. Stuck among the rubble of the medieval castles in rural Tuscany, on yet another hot, dusty archaeological site, Gabi and Lia are bored out of their minds…until Gabi places her hand atop a handprint in an ancient tomb and finds herself in fourteenth-century Italy. And worse yet, in the middle of a fierce battle between knights of two opposing forces” (Goodreads), Waterfall, Lisa T. Bergren
Didn’t they know who I was, what they’d trained me for? I was Eadlyn Schreave. No one was more powerful than me.
So if they thought I was going down without a fight, they were sadly mistaken” – The Heir, Kiera Cass
Initial Thoughts: In spite of my initial reservations, I greatly enjoyed the first three Selection novels. I decided to give this one a try out of curiosity. It has been nearly one year since I read this novel, however, I remember it as being the book that was my greatest disappointment of 2016. Brace yourself for this review.
Summary
Twenty years after America Singer fell in love with Prince Maxon, their daughter, Princess Eadlyn, has now come of age to choose a husband. Like her father before her, Eadlyn must go through the selection, a televized event where young bachelors compete to marry the future ruler of the kingdom. But, Eadlyn is not interested in romance. As political unrest begins to shake the fabric of her nation, Eadlyn has no choice but to put on a show as dozens of eligible bachelors make their way into her kingdom. As tension begins to grow, could one of them break through her icy heart?
Pushing his face against Raskin’s, his whisper a maniacal shriek, he demanded, “Who could want to see this? Who?” –Night Magic, Charlotte Vale Allen
Initial thoughts: I was so excited to read this book. Night Magic combines two of my favorite stories The Phantom of the Opera and Beauty and the Beast. This book is one of ten on my spring-summer reading list (which you can check out here). This is a difficult book to find as it is not sold by any of the bookstores in my area. Luckily, I was able to find a copy gathering dust at my local library.
Summary
A beautiful, sensitive young girl falls in love with a brilliant older man who is so profoundly scarred both physically and emotionally that he literally cannot face the light of day. Despite his deep apprehensions, he allows her to enter his world of darkness, where they communicate their love for each other through music” – Goodreads
She isn’t your sweet-tempered Disney’s Belle; she is a cruel beauty with a heart full of poison.
How I came across the book: I have read so many remakes of the story of Beauty and the Beast, and couldn’t resist reading yet another one. I found this book on my local electronic library and decided to give it a chance.
There are some movies out there with all the right ingredients… that become a major flop and a great disappointment. Crimson Peak, unfortunately, is one of those movies. The film had the perfect cast and crew.
Mia Wasikowska (Jane Eyre, Alice in Wonderland) stars as the lead protagonist, Edith Cushing, a budding novelist.
Tom Hiddleston (Thor, The Avengers) as the debonair secretive love interest Sir Thomas Sharpe.
Jessica Chastain (Interstellar, The Martian) as the eccentric sister Lady Lucille Sharpe.
And finally, the movie is directed by Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Pacific Rim).
Quite honestly, I really wanted to like this movie and had been waiting for months to rent it. Unfortunately I was disappointed….
Here is the trailer…
Crimson Peak is a horror gothic love story set in the late 1880s. Edith Cushing is an aspiring novelist who is not taken seriously. When mysterious stranger Sir Thomas Sharpe arrives in town, she is suddenly swept off her feet where she is taken to Allerdale Hall, a crumbling mansion sinking into crimson clay. Though just as Edith begins her new married life, she becomes haunted by sinister ghosts and terrifying secrets of the past.
The biggest issue I had with Crimson Peak was the horror aspect of the film, it overpowered the gothic romantic aspect of the film. The blood and gore degraded the story line. I have read other critics say that there was little character development which I would have to agree with. The characters have so much potential, though once again, the horror aspect of the film got in the way of the story. The reveal scene at the end was not as dramatic as it could have been. It seemed to be cut short in order to allow more time for the horror scenes. Even the ending is cut short with little resolution. When the credits began to roll all I could think of was: that’s it? Nothing else?
With that said, the set design was amazing. Allerdale Hall reflected the typical gothic movie atmosphere I adore. Fun fact: the entire film was shot in Canada, one of the locations being Casa Loma! (1) . The ballroom scene in the movie was shot in Casa Loma’s library (2). The colors in every scene really reflected the dark and romantic moods prevailing throughout the film. The movie score fit perfectly. Though it was Hiddleston’s Thomas Sharpe that allowed me to watch it from the beginning to the end.
Casa Loma, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Constructed from 1911-1914.
This is a picture of Casa Loma’s indoor skylight. (Taken by me!)
I would probably give this film a score of 4.5/10. There are some elements worth watching, but the story is lacking so much that it is barely redeemable. Therefore, beware of Crimson Peak!
