Alpha (2018)

DIRECTOR: Albert Hughes; CAST: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Marcin Kowalczyk…

SUMMARY: During the last Ice Age, a friendship forms between a boy on the verge of adulthood and a wolf.

MY THOUGHTS:

Although I’m more of a cat than a dog person, Alpha was one of my must-see films of this year ever since I had seen the first trailer and it did not disappoint.

A coming-of-age story follows a developing bond between an injured boy and a wounded wolf in a suspenseful and oftentimes poignant arc that comes to a heart-warming conclusion.

The film is filled with stunning visuals and some breath-taking action; CGI is not half-bad, either. And, with a fictionalised backdrop and taken with a grain of salt as to historical accuracy, Alpha could have nevertheless been one of the versions of how people domesticated wolves.

My only ‘complaint’ is that with around an hour and a half the film could have been longer; I would not mind watching more of Keda and Alpha’s adventures at all.

RECOMMENDATION: The film contains hunting and other animal injuries, so you might want to be careful if you are sensitive to that (but all ends well for the main protagonist.) Other than that, Alpha is an engaging film that is perfect for watching on one of these dark winter nights when you need something to make you feel good.

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

This was a refresher reread for me due to the TV show Black Sails, which was created as sort-of a prequel for Treasure Island and you should totally watch it if you haven’t already.

I first read Treasure Island in 5^th or 6^th grade (I remember taking it from the 5/6^th grade literature section in our school library, so it must have been around then). That was about a quarter of a century ago, and I only recalled a handful of names (namely, Flint, Silver, and, curiously, Ben Gunn) from it. Hence, now that the show ended, it seemed a good time for a reread.

Of course, Treasure Island is a YA (before there was YA, I guess) adventure story, while the show itself is much more serious, complex, and, of course, intended for adult audience. It is also more than superior to the novel (I know, blasphemy!) and I choose to actively ignore some elements of the book in favour of the show.

That said, I actually found Treasure Island fairly interesting this time around – and I suppose also the first time, because it is the kind of read that would have appealed to me at that age. I can see why I didn’t remember it well, though.

The story is a fast-paced adventure, which tells more than shows and is scarce with details and, thus, isn’t very memorable. The main character being a boy (and also kind-of the author’s self-insert, I think) might have contributed to it being easily forgettable, as well.

Nevertheless, I didn’t hate the book and I found certain elements entertaining in the light of Black Sails. Therefore, the reread was overall worth my time. 

Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (2013 – 2014)

CREATORS: Jane Espenson, Zack Estrin, Adam Horowitz, Edward Kitsis; CAST: Sophie Lowe, Michael Socha, Peter Gadiot…

SUMMARY: A spin-off of Once Upon a Time is based on Alice in Wonderland, but rather than retelling the story, it is cantered around a twist of its own. In Victorian England, nobody believe young Alice’s stories of her adventures in Wonderland. As she finds herself on the brink of a precarious decision with irreparable consequences, White Rabbit and Knave of hearts save her from a terrible fate and bring her back to Wonderland, where Alice sets on a new series of adventures, saving her friends, herself, and Wonderland itself.

MY THOUGHTS:

Firstly, let me admit that I haven’t read Alice in Wonderland yet (I still might in the future, though) – growing in a non-English speaking country, we read other, Slovene authors, as children.

This is one of the reasons, that although I have seen one or two film adaptations, and I have been watching Once Upon a Time (OUAT) since the beginning (although I only reviewed season 1) I have only caught up with Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (OUATIW) now, but I absolutely loved it, even more so that OUAT.

Here are the reasons why:

• Alice. She is a wonderful heroine, a “strong female character” written as she should be: yes, she kicks ass, but she is not invulnerable, not masculinised as many so-called strong female characters are; she saves others but needs saving herself, too,  she accepts help when needed, she makes mistakes, and she breaks when everything is too much. But in the end, she comes out stronger and victorious. She is good hearted and selfless, but I loved that she fights for her own happiness, contrary to the cliché of a heroine only putting others’ happiness before hers.
  
• Knave of Hearts. What a splendid male sidekick! Sassy and snarky (though, Alice is all that herself as well), and not always quite willing or capable to do what’s right, but the goodness inside him gets the better of him.
  
• No love triangles drama. Almost no love drama, period. Far from the usual norm of contemporary television which focuses on romance, in OUATIW, love is in the centre of the story but is also just a part of it at the same time.
  
• The villain(s). I loved the parallels the show draws of how differently life can take people who start with things in common: one may earn the error of their ways and try to do better while the other does not do so and suffers the consequences.
  
• And all other characters and subplots. There is just so much good I cannot possibly mention everything.
  
• Despite the fact that the show wasn’t renewed for a second season, the story is perfectly wrapped up in 13 episodes of its first and only season and everything is nicely tied up. No cliff-hangers or loose ends.
  
• The fluff-tastic, but not corny, ending.

Finally, OUATIW does slightly overlap with its parent series (OUAT), but the references make sense even if you haven’t been watching OUAT.

Hence, there is no reason not to watch Once Upon a Time in Wonderland.

RECOMMENDATION: I think OUAT and Alice in Wonderland fans as well as fantasy lovers in general will tremendously enjoy this series.

Obstacles by Chris Reardon

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): A child will die. You're afraid to live. Would you go to all lengths to save him? Darkness knows no bounds, as Alcott, an African American doctor sees all too well. The man is petrified by death. His fragile existence rests at the mercy of the universe. This fact is far too much for him to handle. From unyielding nightmares to elevator terrors, he's lost in paranoia.

Assigned to look after an ill child, Alcott's horrors only heighten. Gari is a nine-year-old boy with a fatal disease. He will surely pass on within the year. Alcott bonds with him more and more each day. Part of him knows this grim fate just isn't right.

Alcott befriends a hospital patient. This lunatic forces him to lug home an ancient text on bringing back the dead. Despite the man's obvious dementia, Alcott attempts the scheme. Charging up a cliff, he recites the chant over ocean gusts.

A god woman glides in from the horizon. She instructs Alcott on the trials to save Gari's life. These fearsome Obstacles require true strength. From battling sharks to wielding a flail, he must prove fortitude against genuine danger. Alcott decides his fate at this moment.
Death's claws shall not grasp Gari's soul.

MY OPINION:

Obstacles is Chris Reardon’s first novel, so I was willing to give it some leeway. However, there is only so much leeway I can give.

What I liked:

• the premise of undertaking a Herculean-like quest in order to change fate and save someone from dying,
• the lesson conveyed towards the end of the book, stressing the importance believing in oneself in order to succeed.

However, these were unfortunately overshadowed by what I didn’t like:

• poorly developed characters:
  
  We don’t learn much about any of the characters. To start with, we never even learn what Gari’s illness is, or how Gari and Antuna can afford a live-in doctor, and what exactly Alcott does to help Gari.
  
  And is Alcott a first or a last name? We learn nothing about Alcott, besides the fact that he is a 30-something doctor (what kind of doctor?), though he acts and speaks like a teenager.
  
  Since I didn’t really get to know any of the characters, I didn’t care what happens to them and whether they succeed or fail.
  
• in contrast with the lack of information about the characters, there is too much unnecessary repetition of easily-grasped data and concepts (I don’t need to be told the same thing five times, I’m not that stupid.)
• the so-called obstacles, the tasks Alcott faces, are clichéd (sharks, labyrinth…) and there are just too many mythical elements from across cultures and genres (including humanoid aliens from Neptune) crammed together, all superficial and often rather silly.
• poor vocabulary choices: it seems as if the author was trying too hard with the language, wanting to sound sophisticated, but it has the opposite effect – it sounds overdone, especially because of a modern setting and the first person POV narrative. Nobody thinks “we need to ‘dash’ out” and “i was ‘fatigued’“, do they?
• the above said is in direct contrast with numerous grammatical errors, bad punctuation (so many ellipses), awkward or nonsensical phrasing (e.g. “I spark out” in the meaning “I say”), and colloquial language.
• the scene structure is often illogical; for example, a person stands by the window and then goes to the window (without going away first), or a character faints again when that character hasn’t fainted yet in that scene.
• And I could go on.

Overall, Obstacles suffers from insufficient revision and editing on all levels from content editing to proofreading. The teacher and the linguist in me were just itching the entire time to take a red pen and start jotting down corrections and suggestions for improvement. However, my time is too valuable to do that for free. Unfortunately, the editor, who is credited in the book and probably was paid, did a poor job.

Thus, Obstacles is basically a first draft with an interesting concept and possibly a potential of becoming a good, if not a great, book, but would need a few more rounds of revising and editing.

RECOMMENDATION: Clearly, I cannot recommend Obstacles, but if you have some time to spare and a will to try it, go ahead and form your own opinion.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of Obstacles in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

NOTE: This post contains SPOILERS if you haven’t seen the movie and/or read the book.

SUMMARY (from IMDB): The dwarves, along with Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey, continue their quest to reclaim Erebor, their homeland, from Smaug. Bilbo Baggins is in possession of a mysterious and magical ring.

MY OPINION:

I have mixed feelings about the adaptations of Tolkien’s work. On one hand, the Tolkien nerd in me is irritated by the things they unnecessarily alter or add in the films. On the other hand, the films themselves are state-of-the-art, both visually and storytelling-wise, and if they bring Tolkien’s work closer to new readers, so much the better.

If I do some nit-picking, I can easily find things that annoyed me:

• the mix-up with Bold and Azog which has already appeared in The Unexpected Journey is what bothered me the most as there was absolutely no need for it;
• the Dwarves actually running from Beorn was a redundant addition, there only for the sake of drama, I guess;
• Bilbo getting caught by a spider was done for the same reason, I think; and
• the same goes for the Orcs following the Dwarves through Mirkwood to the Elf-realm and Esgaroth and keeping on attaching them;
• Why on Earth did they think adding a weird love triangle between Tauriel, Legolas and Kili was a good idea?
• Naming one of the guards in the Elf-realm Elros – I’m pretty sure there would be no two Elroses in Tolkien’s universe (Tolkien of course doesn’t say that explicitly, but as Elros, brother of Elrond, is a character of extreme importance, I don’t think there would be another one, unless the wood Elves named someone after him to honour his memory. See, I said I was nit-picking.)
• Oh, and I hated Kili getting wounded and Fili and Bofur staying with him in Esgaroth, it was completely out of place, but they needed it to showcase more of Tauriel’s fighting skills and her healing skills, oh and because of the love triangle which angered me to no extent.
• Gandalf going to check the Witch-Kings tomb didn’t make sense since the Wraith-king was supposed to have vanished from the North, not die, anyway, but they already made a mess of that plot element in the first film with the Witch-King’s blade.

However, if I look at the film adaptations as some sort of fan-fiction, then all the above things aren’t that terrible; they are just a twist to the story, an alternate universe of the canon, if you want.

Furthermore, there are other alterations and additions which I actually liked, even if they don’t originate in The Hobbit itself, but were incorporated from other Tolkien’s work, such as:

• Gandalf meeting Thorin in Bree and
• Gandalf searching Dol Guldur to reveal Sauron’s true identity are both mentioned in the LOTR and I liked that they included those events here.
• Tauriel – I loved her, though she’s not in Tolkien’s works, and his Elf-women are more stay-at-home types (except Luthien and Galadriel, of course, or maybe we just think that. Tolkien does not say they were forbidden to fight or anything, he just doesn’t mention them, maybe it’s just our in-built patriarchal reasoning we base our assumptions on.) Anyway, Tauriel is super kickass, self-reliant and compassionate, and with a moral integrity of her own, and all of it makes a great character. If only they left the love triangle out of it.
• I liked how they portrayed Thranduil, very in-character both as far as Thranduil himself is concerned and as Elf-lords in general: somewhat greedy and arrogant, but also dignified and essentially good (though we haven’t seen that yet).
• Thorin actually telling Bilbo to steal the Arkenstone and Smaug figuring it out and telling Bilbo he would maybe let him take it, even if only to see Thorin destroyed by it, and later Bilbo figuring out how the greed for it is already destroying Thorin was inconsistent with the book, but it achieved the same effect as is done in the book by other means, so I’m fine with it. (And I bet we’ll get a flashback to Bilbo actually taking the Arkenstone in The Battle of Five Armies, or he will steal it later, at least he should, if they are sticking to the book as they should.)
• The Dwarves fighting Smaug is not in the book, either, but it looked great.
• Smaug. CGI well done. That’s all I’m saying.

Despite the length, two and a half hours went by fast. Though, I was bored a bit during the action sequences. Am I the only person who gets bored by action? All that fighting and improbable saves and moves and jumps and falls the heroes get unscathed out don’t work for me – or maybe the fact that too much happens too fast overwhelms my brain and I just zone out for a while.

All in all, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug was a great film and I enjoyed it.

RECOMMENDATION: If you enjoy fantasy and adventure, you will like this film. As for Tolkien fans, if you can give the film a bit of a leeway with the adaptations made, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is well-worth seeing. 

Wood Angel by Erin Bow

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): Plain Kate lives in a world of superstitions and curses, where a song can heal a wound and a shadow can work deep magic. As the wood-carver’s daughter, Kate held a carving knife before a spoon, and her wooden talismans are so fine that some even call her “witch-blade”: a dangerous nickname in a country where witches are hunted and burned in the square. A mysterious fog ruins crops and spreads hunger and sickness. The townspeople blame Kate.

The stranger Linay will exchange her shadow for escape and her heart’s wish. It’s a chance for her to start over, to find a home, a family, a place to belong. But Kate soon realizes she can’t live shadowless forever — and that Linay’s anger and grief (like the bereaved author) can "level a city".

MY OPINION:

What I liked:

• Kate. She is a wonderful character. Definitely flawed, and with heaps of misfortune, but she is persistent to survive, to learn to better herself and her life. I loved her passion for carving, which is not a simple occupation for her, but a vocation, a gift she uses to serve and help other people.
• The way magic is explained and treated: a mix of traditional and unique concepts, especially the notion of magic being an exchange of gifts.
• The way the rusalka legend is presented.
• Taggle. I don't know how to describe him without spoiling anything. He is one of the best cats I have ever read about. Fierce, clever, loyal little thing. I loved him.

What I didn't like:

• Stereotypical portrayal (especially of the Roma people) in spots.
• Indecisiveness whether to make it a YA or adult (meaning as for older readers) novel:
  Let me explain. The main character is a 14-year-old girl and on the first impression this quite a short novel tells a story of adventure, magic and fantasy, but on the other hand the novel deals with topics that may be too mature for many a young adult, such as cruelty and neglect to both animals and people/children; poverty; discrimination against women, the poor, and the Roma people; witch-hunting; and moral aspects of using (black) magic. At times Bow uses some clichés in regard to these topics, although I generally liked the way they were dealt with.

Wood Angel managed to keep my attention and I read it quite fast, considering my recent reading manner, so this is a big compliment to the book. It made me frown and laugh a few times, and cry in the end, all of which is also a compliment. Generally, I enjoyed Wood Angel. It is a dark story, but a suspenseful and intriguing one..

RECOMMENDATION: I would recommend Wood Angel to mature teens and older due to the topics it deals with. If you like a darker fantasy and adventure, I think you might enjoy Wood Angel.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

DIRECTOR: Peter Jackson; CAST: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage…

SUMMARY (from IMDB): A younger and more reluctant Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, sets out on a "unexpected journey" to the Lonely Mountain with a spirited group of Dwarves to reclaim their stolen mountain home from a dragon named Smaug.

MY OPINION:

I saw The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey the first weekend it was out back in December. I even put down notes for a review, but I have never got around to actually write it until now.

Do I need to say I loved this film? It's Jackson's Tolkien adaptation, of course I did. Before seeing it, I had been sceptical about the length, but nearly three hours passed in no time.

The two most powerful elements of the film are spectacular scenery and magical music. The film is visually stunning and the music really is music to the ears.

Jackson surely knows how to bring places and the characters on the screen. Naturally, not everything can ever be depicted as imagined when reading the book, but Jackson's variety come very close to what I can accept. (I do have some issues, but I will get to them a little later).

I love the way Jackson connects The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey with other Tolkien's works –  The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion.

Thus, I liked Jackson's Radagast, of whom Tolkien doesn't say much beside where he lives and that he is good with animals. With his funny antics he reminded me of a character from Slovene children's stories, for which I liked him all the more.

I loved the subtle hints of Sméagol behind Gollum and Saruman's turning evil is peeking from under the facade. Goblins and trolls are gross, much more than I imagine when reading it – that's why I prefer books to movies: while reading I can reduce imagining the disgusting parts to the necessary minimum but while watching films all I can do is look away, hopefully in time.  

Now, although The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is overall and amazing film, my inner Tolkien nerd can't do without some complaints. This is where this review gets SPOILER-y for those who haven't read the book (and seen the film).

First of all, the action scenes were in some spots seriously exaggerated. I understand the film makers wanted to make it more breath-taking, but there is no way anyone could survive those kind of falls, much less stay completely unharmed. But that is a minor thing and it does not as much bother me as it is ridiculous.

While Richard Armitage did a great job as Thorin, he is too young for Thorin. Conversely, Balin is too old. Again, I understand the wish to make Thorin more appealing for the viewers as well as more active than in the book. Also, Thorin's refusal to go to Rivendell is not in the book, but it works well in lieu of the history of disputes between the dwarves and the elves.

I am mostly understanding why changes have to be made when adopting a book to film. Yet, there is at least one unnecessary change in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: that is changing the roles of Azog and Bolg. I really don't see the point of it, to me the goblins hatred of dwarves, especially Thorin and his companions, has much more sense the way Tolkien wrote it, with Azog being killed by Dain in the Battle of Azanulbizar and Bolg being son of Azog.

Next, I was confused by the presumed Morgul blade which Radagast comes across in Dol Guldur – this was not in the book, and I think this wasn't a well-premeditated addition to the film. For, if the blade that Radagast gives Gandalf and Gandalf brings to the White Council is the sword of the King of Angmar aka Lord of the Nazgûl aka the Wraith-King, how does the Wraith-King get it back to stab Frodo with it? I think a weapon like that would be a unique thing in Tolkien's world, so that was a goof on the screen-writer's part.

The thing that bothered me the most was diminishing the role of Gandalf. In LOTR, Gandalf knows Sauron tortured Thrain in his dungeons in Dol Guldur and also took his Dwarf Ring. Tolkien explicitly states Gandalf found Thrain there when Thrain didn't remember anything, not even his own name, but he remembered to give Gandalf the map to the secret door and the key for him to pass to his son (from which Gandalf deduced who Thrain was and kept the map and the key safe until he met Thorin and gave them to him). So, making Gandalf unaware of the danger of Dol Guldur and Sauron's return makes Gandalf's character less wise and powerful than in Tolkien's books.

However, I liked some changes which work well, such as Gandalf sending for the eagles and the Orcs and Wargs arriving at the glade together instead of separately.

On the whole, despite my quibbles, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is an amazing film adaptation, captivating to the last minute. I had been wondering how they were going to make three films out of such a short book, but seeing the film, I believe it is going to work out well.

RECOMMENDATION: As a Tolkien fan, I was sceptic about the film, but after seeing it, I definitely recommend it, not only to those who read Tolkien's works (if you didn't, what are you waiting for?) but to everyone who likes fantasy and adventure.

Prometheus (2012)

DIRECTOR: Ridley Scott; CAST: Noomi Rapace, Logan Marshall-Green, Michael Fassbender…

SUMMARY (from IMDB): A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race.

MY OPINION:

The promo and the summary for Prometheus are rather misleading, since the film shows very little of the epic battle and discoveries they mention. There is not much of a plot either, and the characters are pretty much stereotypical and mostly flat.

Interestingly, the most complex character is the one that is not supposed to be complex – David, a robot, very well played by Michael Fassbender. Charlize Theron in a supporting role of a cold and bossy Miss Vickers does a very good job, too. The same goes for Guy Pierce. Which made me think, what on earth came over the casting staff to put such excellent actors in minor roles? Oh, well.

Some scenes in Prometheus are really gross, and I admit I looked away a few times (squid- and reptile-like aliens and crawly things are really not my thing).

The story is basically a mess, although it does have a few good points.

Here are the things to learn from Prometheus:

• Don't dig up things that have been buried for centuries/millennia, there is probably a good reason for it.
• Don't go places you are not supposed to go. Again, there's a reason for it.
• Don't touch unknown substances. No need for explanation here.
• And: some questions are better left unanswered.

Overall, Prometheus wants to deliver a fascinating story about the search for the creator of the mankind, but it turns out rather stupid. In the end, Elisabeth Shaw, the main protagonist of the film, continues to chase the answer, even though she proves her own survival depends not on the truth but on what she choses to believe, which ultimately gives her strength to go on.

RECOMMENDATION: Despite all the hype, Prometheus is a rather mediocre film. If you like science-fiction, it might provide a good way to kill some time with, but don't expect too much.

Breaking Dawn Part 2 (2012)

Note: This review contains SPOILERS for Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer.

DIRECTOR: Bill Condon; CAST: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner…

SUMMARY (from IMDB): After the birth of Renesmee, the Cullens gather other vampire clans in order to protect the child from a false allegation that puts the family in front of the Volturi.

MY OPINION:

As always with book-to-movie adaptation, I was wary before seeing Breaking Dawn Part 2. It was not as bad as I had feared, though.

Let me first do away with the things I did not like. The acting of some people is not brilliant, mildly put, but I did not really expect anything outstanding, so I could live with it. The make-up department had not improved its work much (or at all, depends on an individual character's make up) from the previous Twilight films, but I expected that, too.

As far as the story goes, it is quite faithful to the books. I found Bella's extraordinary self-control underrepresented, as well as Jacob's protectiveness towards Reneesme. The fight between them when Bella finds out about Jacob's imprinting was really underdone for something that is such a huge issue for both of them. I also missed Emmet's jokes.

One thing I dislike about Twilight films is that Bella in the films is presented as much more weak and stupid than in the books. The same thing happens in Breaking Dawn Part 2 with her shield, which is pretty crappy.

Now, onto the good things. The one thing I liked the most was also the most shocking one, only once I figured it out I was so relieved that I laughed out loud. That was an amazing job from the plot point of view.

I liked the new vampires, especially Garret, Alistair, and Benjamin. Some of the regular cast did a great job, for example Billy Burke. The scene with Jacob was priceless. The Volturi were great, too: very scary and well-portrayed.

Additionally, as in all Twilight films, the music and scenery were a treat for the ears and eyes, respectively, The action scenes were stunning and really kept me on my toes.

Overall, Breaking Dawn Part 2 is a solid companion to the books, despite its flaws. If you do not expect too much, watching it can be an enjoyable experience.

RECOMMENDATION: Naturally, fans of The Twilight Saga will enjoy the film, even those more demanding ones like me if they squint their eyes a little.

Skyfall (2012)

DIRECTOR: Sam Mendes; CAST: Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes, Javier Bardem…

SUMMARY (from IMDB): Bond's loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.

MY OPINION:

I saw Skyfall last weekend and I really liked it. Although, it has taken me a while to review it because I  have no idea how to do that without spoiling it for you. So, my review probably sounds pretty vague.

I think one of the main reasons I enjoyed it so much was that I had known next to nothing about it before seeing it, apart from the fact that it is a Bond film and all the expectations I had had from seeing the previous 007 films. Therefore, some things caught me completely by surprise, which I did not mind at all. 

The breath-taking action is worthy of the Bond franchise, and the scenery and settings are spectacular. When people (i.e. mostly Bond) are not shooting, running, jumping, etc. and things are not exploding, there is emotional intensity and British wit to keep your mind whirling. And the fact that I noticed the music should say something about how good it is, since the score is one of the things I pay the least attention to in films unless it is really good.

I love the story arc of the last three Bond films, revealing Bond's backstory bit by bit. Skyfall gives us a few interesting pieces of information in that aspect.

All in all, the almost two and a half hours of watching Skyfall were time well spent.

RECOMMENDATION: If Daniel Craig is not a good enough reason for you to go watch this film, then a mix of action and drama, and an interesting story, spiced up with humour and stunning visuals are definitely the things worth seeing Skyfall for.

Tiger's Curse (The Tiger Saga #1) by Colleen Houck

SUMMARY (from Goodreads):  The last thing Kelsey Hayes thought she'd be doing this summer was trying to break a 300-year old Indian curse. With a mysterious white tiger named Ren. Halfway around the world.

But that's exactly what happened.

Face-to-face with dark forces, spellbinding magic, and mystical worlds where nothing is what it seems, Kelsey risks everything to piece together an ancient prophecy that could break the curse forever.

MY OPINION:

Tiger's Curse has an intriguing premise, but the execution is mostly not to my liking.

What I liked:

• the premise of breaking the tiger's curse
• the adventure
• the exotic setting: the jungle, India – well described
• Ren: upstanding, gentle, loyal
• Kelsey, in the beginning, when she seems brave and smart

What I disliked:

• telling instead of showing, especially because of feelings, too, are mostly told not shown
• everything playing out so quickly and easily: Kelsey's and Ren's adventures require a lot of effort and involve plenty of danger, yet everything works out smoothly, there is always a convenient solution to a problem at hand, they seem to  overcome any danger or hardship effortlessly
• in relation to the previous two points: the discrepancy between what Houck shows and tells us: for example she tells us Kelsey feels scared and tired, or that she is hurt and beside herself, and yet she doesn't act like it – she just keeps going as if everything was a piece of cake
• the ease with which Kelsey accepts everything she learns – I think an average person would have much more trouble believing and dealing with all the strange, irrational things she finds out and experiences
• Kelsey: I liked her in the beginning, but then she became really annoying as she started showing or rather telling how low self esteem she has (do all these YA heroines have to have be self-deprecating?)
• consequently, the teenage thinking/drama: Kelsey's reasoning is rather immature for an 18-year-old at several spots, and her creating imaginary obstacles between herself and Ren made me want to scream at her
• the amount of thinking Kelsey does during a kiss: pages, literally. How can she think so much while kissing?

Overall, what kept me reading Tiger's Curse was wanting to know what happens to Ren and the curse. I am interested in finding out the final outcome (although I can probably predict it), but I am not particularly eager to read the sequel. I might if I happen to come across it.

RECOMMENDATION: If you like YA adventure set in exotic places, and don't mind teenage romance angst, you might enjoy Tiger's Curse.

Have you read Tiger's Curse? How did you feel about it? Perhaps I'm just too old for YA and silly angst to really enjoy this book.

The Crystal Skull by Manda Scott

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): Ancient prophecies say that if the thirteen skulls already in existence are not reunited, the world will end on December 21, 2012. Cedric Owen, the skull’s last Keeper, died so that it might keep its secret for the next four centuries. Now Stella Cody has found it, and someone has already tried to kill her. Like Owen, she’s being hunted—but by whom?

Desperate to unravel the mystery of the crystal skull, Stella must decode Cedric Owen’s coded writings, sketches and ciphers no scholar has been able to unravel. What she discovers is astounding: a shocking secret prophecy…and the staggering puzzle of four terrifying creatures, thirteen precious stones, and what will happen if Cedric Owen’s crystal skull falls into the wrong hands. But time is against Stella. She has only days – hours – left to uncover the only secret that may yet save the world.

MY OPINION:

I absolutely loved The Crystal Skull. It pulls you in right in the beginning. It reads like, though I can only imagine, flying a fighter jet.

The Crystal Skull is a plot-driven novel. The characters reveal themselves mainly through their actions and still give the readers all they have to know about them. Likewise, the reader gets a solid impression of the settings as seen through the eyes of the characters without being given any excessive detail. 

Stella’s and Cedric’s stories unravel parallel to one another, each complementing the other. Both Stella and Cedric are faced with the same task – to keep the crystal skull from getting into the wrong hands, discover its purpose, and enable it to be fulfilled.

The Crystal Skull is a suspenseful read from cover to cover, and the ending remains a puzzle to the very end. It is an absorbing and memorable story which stays with you long after you have finished reading.

RECOMMENDATION: The Crystal Skull is a brilliant combination of the modern and the ancient, science and myth, adventure and mystery. If you like all of the above, you will love this book.

*****

As an after thought, although I enjoy reading a good end-of world-theory-based book, I am not a believer of the apocalyptic 2012 prophecies. At least, I do not believe the world will end just like that on a particular date.

However, I do believe that if we do not start treating out planet and each other differently, we are facing dark future. I think the Mayas might have been on to something in terms of our civilisation coming to an end of a some sort of a cycle and a major shift happening in the way we live.

How about you? What do you think about this topic? Do you believe any of such predictions? Do you like reading books about them? I would love to read more of this (sub)genre, so if you have heard of or read any good books of the kind, fiction or non-fiction, please, let me know in the comments. 

Flight of the Falcon by Susan Geason

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): Set in eleventh-century Normandy, this adventure novel is an intriguing glimpse of the life of a young noblewoman in the early Middle Ages. Sybilla St-Valery, the daughter of a nobleman and soldier, has been staying with relatives in the Duke of Normandy’s castle. When news of an imminent English attack reaches them, Sybilla must undertake a dangerous journey home to her mother and the family estate. But these are treacherous times to be on the road. En route, she is kidnapped by her father’s enemies, who demand that Sybilla’s mother hand over the deeds to the St-Valery estate in exchange for her daughter’s safe return. With only her faithful hound, Hannibal, and falcon, Merlin, to help her, can Sybilla escape her captors and reach St-Valery before her home is lost?

MY OPINION:

This is the kind of book I would read when I was ten or eleven. All right, obviously I would read it now too (since I did), but you know what I mean.

Flight of the Falcon is a short historical adventure novel, which I read in an hour. It is a gripping read with some unforeseeable twists. I liked the heroine, Sybilla. She is a smart girl on the verge of womanhood. She is a little rebellious, but good-natured, and self-reliant.

Moreover, this book is also educational, especially for children and teenagers who come across it as the first representative of the genre. It provides some historical facts about France and England in the eleventh century as well as an insight into the life of people and of what was expected of aristocrat girls at the time.

I think children and teenagers would find this book a suspenseful and rich read both for the plot and the characters. Since I have read lots of historical fiction, this book seemed very simplified to me, but I still enjoyed it as a relaxation read.

RECOMMENDATION: Flight of the Falcon is an entreating book for readers of all ages who like reading about history and adventure.

The Recruit (Cherub #1) by Robert Muchamore

SUMMARY: James is an eleven-year-old boy whose mother unexpectedly dies. He is separated from his sister, the only person he loves, and put into a juvenile facility until social services could find him a foster family. However, after getting into a lot of trouble in school and with the police, a mysterious organisation called Cherub approaches him with the offer to join them and become a secret agent. Thus, James sets in an unpredictable journey of adventure and growing-up.

MY OPINION:

This was an unusual but entertaining read for me. The Recruit is an action-packed book I could not put down, and I read it in one day.

The characters quickly grew on me, especially James. James is a smart, but troubled boy who always finds himself a trouble. Though he does not lack any material goods, he suffers from being emotionally neglected, which results in aggressive outbursts. Eventually, he realises this will not bring him any good. He recognises his last chance for making something from himself, and he takes it. Doing so, he starts his way towards maturity.

James, as well as other children, act older then they are, due to their life situations. On the positive side, they are street-wise, know how to survive, and they look after each other. However, on the negative side, there is a lot of violence and bad behaviour, such as smoking, drinking, and using moderately strong language.

The Recruit is a suspenseful page-turner. It is a fantasy work which deals with family relationships, friendship, growing-up, and taking responsibility for one’s actions through an adventure story.

RECOMMENDATION: This is the kind of book I imagine teenage boys would enjoy – I am thinking from the age of 14 or so on – and everyone else who loves this kind of a book. 

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)

DIRECTOR: Rob Marshall; CAST: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush…

SUMMARY (from IMDB): Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) crosses paths with a woman from his past (Cruz), and he's not sure if it's love – or if she’s a ruthless con artist who's using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. When she forces him aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, the ship of the formidable pirate Blackbeard (McShane), Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn't know who to fear more: Blackbeard or the woman from his past.

MY OPINION:

I did not find On Stranger Tides as good as the previous three Pirates of the Caribbean films. For one thing, I missed Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightly. I enjoyed the film, nonetheless.

The story seems to be a little mellow in comparison to the previous films. It does not have the same gripping focus, at least not to me. It did not hold me in suspense from the beginning to the end.

Nevertheless, I had a fun two hours. Jack Sparrow is amusing enough and he always saves the day. He always manages to find trouble, too, but that is more or less one and the same thing.

The part I liked the most was the mermaid story arc. It added something fresh to the whole brand. I was bored a couple of times by too long action sequences, but that is just me – a sword-fight longer than thirty seconds with a predictable outcome does not enthral me.

All in all, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is the kind of film one would expect after seeing the previous three. Still, it is a good film with great actors and some compelling moments.

RECOMMENDATION: This is a nice relaxation film which makes you hold your breath and laugh a few times. Perfect if you like pirates, action, witty humour, and a pinch of romance.

Random Magic by Sasha Soren

SUMMARY (by the publisher): When absent-minded Professor Random misplaces the main character from Alice in Wonderland, young Henry Witherspoon must book-jump to fetch Alice before chaos theory kicks in and the world vanishes. Along the way he meets Winnie Flapjack, a wit-cracking doodle witch with nothing to her name but a magic feather and a plan. Such as it is. Henry and Winnie brave the Dark Queen, whatwolves, pirates, Struths, and fluttersmoths, Priscilla and Charybdis, obnoxiously cheerful vampires, Baron Samedi, a nine-dimensional cat, and one perpetually inebriated Muse to rescue Alice and save the world by tea time.

MY OPINION:

Random Magic is unlike anything I have ever read. It is an adventure story full of magic. The way it is put together is magical in itself.

I really loved the writing and the language in Random Magic. It is witty, humorous and sarcastic. Its beauty lies in its unusualness. Random Magic is a kaleidoscope of references to basically everything from strict or absent-minded teachers, mythology, literature, history and science, to sports, technology and modern world’s every day life of ordinary people.

Henry is an average boy with a sound, although sometimes slow, sense of logic. He is not particularly good or bad at school; he gets bored during classes, struggles with some subjects, sneaks out of his room in the middle of the night, likes some teachers and fears the others. He is moderately adventurous, but his natural curiosity draws him into the adventure of his life. He is good-natured and always willing to help, but a little clumsy and sometimes too slow to react or too quick to speak, which often gets him into trouble.

Winnie is an atypical girl, with a strong common sense. She is resourceful, smart, helpful and fearless. She is a girl who never gives up and finds a way out of every predicament. She makes Henry and the reader see things in a new light. She breaks down stereotypes and prejudice. Winnie is the driving force of Random Magic and even though Henry just seems to tag along, together they make an invincible team. Winnie is a strong person, because she is hardened from always being alone, so she finds it hard to show weakness. She is open-minded, loyal, generous and ready to open her heart to those who deserve it. She shows the reader the worth of making sacrifices to achieve our goals and help people we love.    

Random Magic is an exceptional book in every aspect. It demands a lot of focus while reading, but the effort is well rewarded. It makes you laugh and cry, but most of all reminds you not to ever give up love and most of all hope. 

RECOMMENDATION: Random Magic is a complex, beautifully written book with an amazing plotline and characters which re-teaches a few forgotten life lessons and enchants the reader with the forgotten wonders of the world. 

Thanks for stopping by, hope you had fun reading this review. Here's another

interesting tour feature you might also enjoy:

The main Rum + Plunder treasure hunt is open internationally!

Here’s a fun way to win something piratey and cool:

Browse prizes or join the hunt…

(Click on the coin)

AND

Bonus: Find even more pirate plunder with Little Pirate Prizes.

The Little Pirate Prizes are cute and cool -- but they're not marked,

so they could be ANYWHERE on the tour.

You're welcome to find some buried treasure, if you like: Follow the

tour HERE.

Have fun and good luck!