Book Vs Movie Round 1: The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick

Book Vs Movie Round 1

 The Silver Linings Playbook

by Matthew Quick

 VS 

Let me start off by saying I really enjoyed both the book and the movie. Their differences worked for both of them respectively. 

The differences between the book and movie are apparent right away. One of the books biggest reveals happens within the first 15 minutes of the movie. When I saw that I thought for sure the movie was ruined right away. However, the movie did end up making everything work. It was different, but it worked.

In regards to the characters, there were a couple personalities that were completely different in the book and movie. The characters with the biggest personality differences were Tiffany and Pat's father. It's hard to pick where these characters were done better because the book and the movie are quite different. For how the book played out, its version of Tiffany and Pat's father were great for that context. They worked well and complimented the atmosphere of the story. However, with how the movie played out their movie personalities was perfect for their roles. Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence did a great job playing their respective roles.  They had great on screen chemistry and really brought their characters to life. So do what you will with that. 

While I did enjoy the movie, I feel like if I had not of read the book before watching the movie I would of enjoyed the movie more. With that said, in this case I have to say I enjoyed the book more than the movie so for this round the book wins!

Djinn by Sang Kromah REVIEW

Djinn

by Sang Kromah

🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

Synopsis

Some believe that at birth, we’re each born with a guardian attached to us, watching from afar, but never seen. Truth is, there are certain people, special people, born of this world and of the other, who need that extra protection. They go their entire lives, unaware of the other world, and unaware of the existence of their own personal watcher, watching from afar. But what happens when fate takes a turn for the worse, and The One who needs the aid of a watcher most can’t be found to be protected?

Bijou Fitzroy is strange. With the unwanted gift of being an empath, she has spent her entire life as a sheltered recluse, homeschooled by her secretive and overprotective grandmother, who never allows them to stay in one place long enough for Bijou to settle and make friends. When Bijou and her grandmother move to Sykesville and she starts to attend the local high school, Bijou’s world begins to crumble. Town locals begin to disappear and the creatures from her nightmares begin to take shape in her reality. She finds herself at the center of a war she never knew was being fought all around her.

Review

Thank you to Netgalley and BooksSoSocial for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.Djinn is a magical tale that takes us on a journey of self discovery with Bijou Fitzroy. When Bijou finds out her grandmother isn't who she says she is, and Bijou herself isn't who she thought she was, her whole life gets twisted up in ways she never could have imagined. Being an empath has never been easy, but now Bijou is finding out how just how hard things can really be.

Bijou was an interesting main character. On top of her being an empath she was also homeschooled until the beginning of this book. It was interesting to watch her transition into normal school life.

The writing is so magical and captivating. My favorite thing ever is when an author can carry your mind away with an enchanting story and this is one of those times. From the early pages of Djinn I was swept away into their world and I enjoyed every minute of it. We did end up seeing some over used troupes such as new girl vs popular girl and a love triangle involving popular girl to be specific. However, I didn't find these to hinder the stories readability. There were some unexpected reveals that increased the intensity and emotions of the overall story.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The story was great and the characters were fun. If you're looking for a fun YA Fantasy this could be what you're looking for.

Daughter of the Sea by Sylvia Broady EXTRACT

Daughter Of The Sea

by Sylvia Broady

Synopsis

‘Well-paced … genuinely gripping’ Historical Novels Review

Jessica is grieving for her beloved father, trawler owner Jacob Kingdom, when a heated confrontation ends with her being cast out from the family home and the revelation of a shameful secret. She falls upon the kindness of strangers and meets a charismatic trawlerman, who is proud to walk out with Kingdom’s daughter.

But with her cold-hearted brother at the helm of the family business, there is discontent rising, and being Kingdom’s daughter begins to lose its charm. With Jessica desperate to prove herself worthy to the tight-knit community, does she have what it takes to weather the storm to come, or will her secret hold her back?

Purchase Link:

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Daughter-Sea-unforgettable-families-secrets-ebook/dp/B081S2XHDG/

US - https://www.amazon.com/Daughter-Sea-unforgettable-families-secrets-ebook/dp/B081S2XHDG/

Can - https://www.amazon.ca/Daughter-Sea-unforgettable-families-secrets-ebook/dp/B081S2XHDG/

Extract

Chapter One

February 1937, Hull, East Yorkshire

She slammed the door behind her and raced across the lawn towards the Humber Estuary wanting to obliterate their angry voices. Along the rough path she trekked, her heart racing with fury and her mind and body incensed with the knowledge of how they planned to treat her so.

After some time, she slowed her steps, uncertain where she was. Fog rolled in off the Humber, and swirled round her, its dampness clinging to her face. She peered into the murkiness for the familiar landmark of the dock office and safety, but it wasn’t there. She must have taken a wrong turn because she didn’t recognise the area, seeing only ghostly shadows of an unknown street. Shivering, she clasped her arms about her body, wishing she wore a coat and hat now that the hot anger, which had filled her body and mind, had evaporated.

Suddenly, she heard the raucous laughter of men. Listening, it came nearer. The dank darkness of the fog protected her as she edged along a brick wall of a building, and with relief she backed into a shop doorway. Attempting to be invisible, she wrapped her arms tightly around her trembling body, feeling the rapid thud of her heartbeat. She screwed her eyes tight shut and held her breath as they lumbered past.

And then a rat scuttled across her feet and she screamed. A loud piercing noise filled the eerie space around her.

Three young trawlermen backtracked their steps and appeared in the doorway. They stared at her. She froze, hoping they would move on and she just stared back, taking in their snazzy onshore suits. The whiff of strong beer caught the back of her throat and the ingrained odour of fish on their skin made her cough. She wanted to run, but her feet felt set in concrete and refused to move. Never before had anyone from the fishing community confronted her and she was uncertain how to address them to make them move. Hastily, she scrambled words together, but before she could say them, one of them spoke.

‘Well, well, what have we got here?’ he slurred.

His breath reeking with alcohol hit her face, making her wince. ‘I know I fancied a quick shag, but I didn’t expect it so soon.’

He lunged forward and made a grab for her, but she dodged him by moving aside, scraping her back on the metal door handle. ‘Yer wanna play it rough, eh, lass?’ He swayed as he made to thrust at her again. at her. She froze, hoping they would move on and she just stared back, taking in their snazzy onshore suits. The whiff of strong beer caught the back of her throat and the ingrained odour of fish on their skin made her cough. She wanted to run, but her feet felt set in concrete and refused to move. Never before had anyone from the fishing community confronted her and she was uncertain how to address them to make them move. Hastily, she scrambled words together, but before she could say them, one of them spoke.

‘Well, well, what have we got here?’ he slurred.

His breath reeking with alcohol hit her face, making her wince. ‘I know I fancied a quick shag, but I didn’t expect it so soon.’

He lunged forward and made a grab for her, but she dodged him by moving aside, scraping her back on the metal door handle. ‘Yer wanna play it rough, eh, lass?’ He swayed as he made to thrust at her again.

His two mates laughed and egged him on, enjoying the banter. ‘Go on, yer drunken bugger, show us what yer made of. Get stuck in there.’

Anger rose in her throat and she shouted as loud as she could over their voices. ‘Don’t you dare touch me! I will set my brother Claude on to you.’

‘Claude,’ he mimicked, ‘Who the hell’s he?’

‘He’s Claude Kingdom who pays your wages!’

The men, struck dumb at the mention of the hated name of the new trawler owner, stared at her, peering closer. ‘Lord Almighty, it’s Kingdom’s daughter,’ one of them said in a shocked voice. ‘What the hell are you doing here?’

Author Bio

Sylvia Broady was born in Hull and has lived in the area all her life, although she loves to travel the world. It wasn’t until she started to frequent her local library after World War II that her relationship with literature truly began, and her memories of the war influence her writing as does her home town. She has had a varied career in childcare, the NHS and the EYC Library Services, but is now a full-time writer.

Social Media Links

Website: https://sylviabroadyauthor.com/
Twitter: @SylviaBroady

Amelia Unabridged by Ashley Schumacher REVIEW

 Amelia Unabridged

by Ashley Schumacher

🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

Synopsis:

Eighteen-year-old Amelia Griffin is obsessed with the famous Orman Chronicles, written by the young and reclusive prodigy N. E. Endsley. They’re the books that brought her and her best friend Jenna together after Amelia’s father left and her family imploded. So when Amelia and Jenna get the opportunity to attend a book festival with Endsley in attendance, Amelia is ecstatic. It’s the perfect way to start off their last summer before college.

In a heartbeat, everything goes horribly wrong. When Jenna gets a chance to meet the author and Amelia doesn’t, the two have a blowout fight like they’ve never experienced. And before Amelia has a chance to mend things, Jenna is killed in a freak car accident. Grief-stricken, and without her best friend to guide her, Amelia questions everything she had planned for the future.

When a mysterious, rare edition of the Orman Chronicles arrives, Amelia is convinced that it somehow came from Jenna. Tracking the book to an obscure but enchanting bookstore in Michigan, Amelia is shocked to find herself face-to-face with the enigmatic and handsome N. E. Endsley himself, the reason for Amelia’s and Jenna’s fight and perhaps the clue to what Jenna wanted to tell her all along.

Purchase Links:

CAN - https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1250253020
US - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250253020

Review:

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. 

Amelia Unabridged is a beautiful story about friendship, love, loss and finding yourself. Throughout it's pages it will take you through a journey that will have your emotions running wild. Beautifully written and emotionally engaging Amelia Unabridged is a book that belongs on every contemporary lovers shelf. 

Amelia isn't a bold, outgoing character, she is more quiet and just goes with the flow of things. When she suffers an unexpected tragedy Amelia starts to question everything, including what she actually wants out of life and if she is willing to put what others want for her before what she wants for herself. One day she receives a very special book from an unknown sender. Believing Jenna had something to do with this it sends her on a trip to the bookstore that was used as the sender address. Once she arrives at the bookstore some unexpected things happen that may just help Amelia get the closure she desperately needs. 

To say this book is a tear jerker would be an understatement. Instead of just causing a few tears Amelia Unabridged breaks your heart and puts it back together again. This isn't a book you can walk away from without feeling something. The characters are all extremely well done, from the main characters to the smallest side characters. Each one of them is memorable for their own reasons. 

The writing is beautiful and engaging. The pacing is perfect for the story. There's a lot to love about this book. If you are a fan of YA contemporary that tangles with your emotions I strongly suggest giving this one a shot. 

Preserved by Fiona Sherlock PROMO

Preserved

by Fiona Sherlock

Synopsis:

When a local farmer announces on social media that he has discovered a bog body in Ardee, the world’s historians are keen to explore the secrets of the life and grisly death of the victim.

Antique journalist January Quail is fighting to keep her newspaper job and uncovers far more than she bargained for. The victim is actually a recent murder, and January uses her nose for the truth to investigate the County Louth town. From shopkeeper to the publican, everyone is a suspect, but when the Gardai can’t find the killer, can January?

Once she sets down the liqueur glass, January gains the confidence of the lead garda investigator. Within days, the case unravels into a much more dangerous situation with a killer on the loose.

Despite the risk, January is electrified that this newest discovery has come at the perfect time to inject some colour into her flailing career. January relinquishes her old ways to fight for survival, abandoning her antiques column and vintage corsets to solve a cryptic crime that has the experts puzzled. This woman who longs to lives in the past must now fight for her life in the present.

Purchase Links:

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Preserved-Fiona-Sherlock-ebook/dp/B08R7QNCSN
US - https://www.amazon.com/Preserved-Fiona-Sherlock-ebook/dp/B08R7QNCSN
CAN - https://www.amazon.ca/Preserved-Fiona-Sherlock-ebook/dp/B08R7QNCSN

Author Bio

Fiona Sherlock is a crime writer from Bective, in Ireland. Her murder mystery games are played across the world. She also writes poetry and prose but cannot stay away from a good murder. After spending a decade in Dublin working in public relations and journalism, she moved to the country for mid-day fires and elder flower champagne.

Social Media Links:

Instagram - http://instagram.com/fionasherlock
Twitter - https://twitter.com/fionasherlock
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/DionysisDiary

The Visitor by Louvie G. Tucker REVIEW

 The Visitor

by Louvie G. Tucker

🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑

Synopsis

Nusans don’t cause trouble. Peter is a good Nusan. Single, annoyed with his best friend’s constant blind dates, and comfortably provided for with his job as a genmod technician, he spends his days telling expectant parents what their unborn children will look like. For a fee, he can modify physical and mental traits.

To ensure Nusa’s perfect society, however, it is law that all babies must be born with white skin, an IQ 120 or above, and without any illnesses or disabilities. These modifications are free of charge. It’s the law. And good Nusans obey the law. The people of Susa, however, are known to be troublemakers.

Thank goodness the dark-skinned Susans all live south of the border, in Susa. The closest Peter ever has to come to a dangerous Susan is either on the silver screen being vanquished by a heroic Nusan hero or on the news as deporters -- the force charged to keep Nusa safe -- prepare to send them south to Susa.

That is, until a dark-skinned visitor is suddenly inside the four walls of Peter’s quiet existence. Snarky. Irreverent and without any regard for the rules, the stranger should be a Susan but is he? Why is he claiming to have fallen from the stars?

Everything Peter knows is suddenly in question and even his status as a good Nusan is under threat as deporters seek him out on suspicion of a capital crime. Has Peter caused trouble?

Life as Peter has known it is fragile. Can he survive long enough to learn the truth? And will he even want to believe it once he finds it?

Purchase Links:

US - https://www.amazon.com/Visitor-Corrupted-Genes-Book-ebook/dp/B08SKTB2CQ/

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Visitor-Corrupted-Genes-Book-ebook/dp/B08SKTB2CQ/

CAN - https://www.amazon.ca/Visitor-Corrupted-Genes-Book-ebook/dp/B08SKTB2CQ/

Review

Thank you to Rachel's Random Resources and Louvie G. Tucker for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

In the world of The Visitor we are brought into a world where everything is "perfect". Expectant parents can have their child's "flaws" medically fixed to anything they can afford. The government will also pay for a child to have light skin and an IQ of no less than 120 before the parents even have to pay a cent. These are called "Nusan". Anyone who dares not to have their children corrected are called "Susan". Susan are dark skinned and live in the South of the border, tucked away where they won't cause trouble. One day a man believed to be a Nusan is discovered. That is when things start to get weird for our main character Peter. Now Peter must decide if he believes this new comer or not and what he is willing to risk to act on his beliefs.

First, let's get right to the negative and get that out of the way. The thing I really disliked about this book was the terms "Nusan" and "Susan" and how often they were used. I just found them to be really tiresome to keep saying over and over, especially with how similar the two words are. 

Thankfully, this book has a lot more positive aspects than negative. The plot of this story was really good. It was interesting and a little different. I was quite happy with the visitor and how everything played out. The writing was engaging and well done. This is such a quick read, even for a short book it just flies by quickly. Louvie G. Tucker did a great job at drawing me into this world. I really enjoyed it. 

If you're looking for a quick sci-fi fix this could be what you're looking for. 

Author Bio

Louvie G. Tucker lives and works in the Pacific Northwest with his wife. Born in Buffalo, New York, he’s called various U.S. states, Japan, and China home at points in his life. When he’s notworking in cyber security, he enjoys rock climbing, staying up to date on current events, keeping up with his Japanese language skills, and riding his bicycle. He is currently working on the second book in the Corrupted Genes series. 

Blood of the True Believer by Brandann R. Hill-Mann REVIEW

 Blood of the True Believer

by Brandann R. Hill-Mann

🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕

Synopsis

Only a couple of years after rescuing the unicorn Yelena and defeating the Adept Evan, Kahrin and Innes navigate their lives as new adults.

That’s no small feat under the best of circumstances. Balancing college and blossoming social lives in separate towns, their friendship remains strong as ever even as it deepens in new and confusing ways.

Innes tries not to judge Kahrin's myriad questionable dating choices, including her budding taboo tryst with André. Kahrin doesn't hold back her opinions about Innes' beautiful but intense new neighbor, Evangeline.

Are Kahrin's suspicions and prickly interactions with Evangeline simply conflicting personalities?

Is Innes just too judgmental?

Or is there some other, supernatural force at play?

Dating and self-discovery is tricky enough without the world of magic creeping in. Either way, romance sure feels like a matter of life and death.

Review

Thank you to Brandann Hill-Mann for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

When I read the first book, The Hole In The World, I ended up giving it 3 moons so I was kind of expecting the same thing with this book. Oh boy was I wrong in the best way!! I freaking LOVED this book! Blood of the True Believer is the type of book that makes you want to hide away so you can relish it in peace. It's the type of story that has your body on the edge of your seat while your mind is in the book held captive by the magic within.

One thing about Brandann's writing that hooked me is the way she suggests certain sexually charged situations without actually going into a lot of detail. Her writing excites and teases in a way that allows the reader to imagine how far it goes. These scenes are written in a way that your mind can go to as little or as far as you are comfortable with.

At some point in this book I fell totally in love with Innes. There was just something adorable about him that I can't quite put my finger on. Kahrin won my heart in this one too. I am crazy about both of these characters. I love their relationship and the way they are able to openly communicate with each other about everything. I ship them so hard!!!

There is so much to love about this book. The story is wonderful, the characters are everything, and the writing is enchanting. It seriously should be made into a movie.

All the Tides of Fate by Adalyn Grace REVIEW

 All the Tides of Fate

by Adalyn Grace

🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕

Synopsis

Through blood and sacrifice, Amora Montara has conquered a rebellion and taken her rightful place as queen of Visidia. Now, with the islands in turmoil and the people questioning her authority, Amora cannot allow anyone to see her weaknesses.

No one can know about the curse in her bloodline. No one can know that she’s lost her magic. No one can know the truth about the boy who holds the missing half of her soul.

To save herself and Visidia, Amora embarks on a desperate quest for a mythical artifact that could fix everything―but it comes at a terrible cost. As she tries to balance her loyalty to her people, her crew, and the desires of her heart, Amora will soon discover that the power to rule might destroy her.

Review

Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review and for having me on the blog tour. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. 

Wow! That was a wild and exciting ride! 

Adalyn Grace's long awaited book All the Tides of Fate, sequel to All the Stars and Teeth, is finally here! This new adventure brings us back to our old crew with all new exciting adventures and the same exquisite writing we have come to expect from Adalyn Grace. The adventures are bigger, the stakes are higher and the execution couldn't be more delicious. 

Once again, Amora proved to be an amazing main character. I loved watching her grow yet again as she fought to break her curse and make life better for her kingdom. Seeing her vulnerable human side and her powerful magic side clashing and struggling during her trials made her come to life as a dimensional character that you can't help but adore. 

The ending could not have been more perfect. It was not the ending I saw coming but it was absolutely amazing and better than I could have imagined. This entire duology has been wonderful, but that ending really made it one of the best fantasy stories I've ever read.