Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

Hey everyone! This week's post is going to be on another anime called Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, and it's probably one of the best that I've ever watched. So, without further ado...

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

5 out of 5 Rebellious Stars

When there is evil in this world that justice cannot defeat, would you taint your hands with evil to defeat evil? Or would you remain steadfast and righteous even if it means surrendering to evil?

Holy crap. Now this is a story about revolution, about fighting for what you believe in, fighting for justice, fighting to create a better world. Japan is now known as Area 11, having been taken over by the Empire of Britannia after several years of war and resistance. Britannia is a large area, completely taking over North and South America and moving on to other continents. The Japanese are now referred to as 'elevens' and are looked down upon by the Britannians; however, while some Japanese may have accepted defeat, there are still others who resist, who fight for their freedom from their oppressive ruler. It's during one of these rebel attacks that Lelouch Lamperouge finds himself in a truck driven by said rebels, right in the midst of a deadly fight. He then realizes that the truck he is in is carrying poison gas that is actually a Britannian weapon. After a car chase and some more action-packed scenes, the capsule that has the poison gas in it opens, but instead of poison coming out, it's a girl with green hair and golden eyes. She asks Lelouch if he desires power and proposes a contract to him. Lelouch accepts and is given the Power of Kings, also known as Geass; he now has the power of absolute obedience. Mix the power of Geass, Lelouch's extraordinary intelligence and his desire to make the world a place in which his sister can live happily, and you have the beginning of a revolution.

The world cannot be changed with pretty words alone.

Lelouch:

"If the king does not lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow?"

Lelouch Lamperouge is actually Lelouch Vi Britannia, eleventh heir to the throne. After the war with Japan and his mother's death, Lelouch and his sister, Nunnally, live in Japan, hiding the fact that they are Britannian Royalty. Lelouch, after obtaining the power of Geass from the mysterious woman C.C., decides to make the world a better place for his sister and to avenge his mother. "The world will change. I will change it." He becomes a rebel leader, known as Zero, and leads the Order of the Black Knights against the Empire of Britannia. Lelouch, when Zero, becomes a symbol for all the people of Japan; "Those of you with power, fear us! Those of you without it, rally behind us! We, the Black Knights, shall be the ones who stand in judgment of this world!"  A lot of people compare Lelouch to Light from Death Note, and that is definitely true in regards to their intelligence, but I think Lelouch is more humane than Light. The ending of each anime strongly displays the difference in the characters, and even throughout the anime, Lelouch shows how different he is from Light. While he is extremely intelligent, Lelouch is also a great leader and his love for his sister is admirable. Lelouch has a hard life, but he does everything in his power to make a difference. His knows exactly what to do with his Power of Kings, Geass, and, while he is selfish at times, Lelouch is the start of a revolution, and I don't think anyone else would have been able to accomplish what he did. The end of the anime proves how much his character has grown throughout all the episodes, and Lelouch becomes one of the most selfless characters I've ever read about.

C.C.:

Within the endless flow of time, I am alone.

C.C. is an immortal witch who has the ability to bestow the power of Geass on others. Now, after giving the power of Geass to Lelouch, she becomes his ally. She is his right-hand-man and helps him lead the Black Knights. Their only tie to each other is the contract; they consider themselves accomplices, using each other for their own benefit. C.C. helps Lelouch with his rebellion and keeps him alive so he will be able to keep up his end of the contract, to grant one of her wishes. She is definitely an interesting character, and my favorite after Lelouch. Without her, Lelouch would not have made it as far as he did. They make a powerful team, and it's entertaining watching them work together, leading the Black Knights against Britannia. C.C. is a very important character in the show, using her own intelligence to help Lelouch and keep his identity of Zero a secret. "We are Partners. If you are a Witch, then I am a Warlock." --Lelouch to C.C .

Only those that are prepared to fire should be fired at.

Suzaku:

"A victory won through dishonest means is no victory at all."

Suzaku is the son of Japan's last Prime Minister and now works in the military as an Honorary Britannian Soldier. He was friends with Lelouch when they were children, and that friendship is present when the two reunite at Ashford Academy. Lelouch and Suzaku are similar in that they both want to change how Japan is treated, how controlling Britannia is, but they have very different ways in which they think this change should happen. While Lelouch wants to kill his father, the Emperor of Britannia, and fight to bring on this change, Suzaku wants change to happen from inside Britannia and spread. He believes that this change must be achieved through just ways; for Suzaku, the end does not justify the means. Peace achieved through violence is not real peace. This is a completely different perspective from Lelouch, and Suzaku causes big problems for Lelouch throughout the anime.

Overall:

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion is an amazing anime that is a must watch. It's action packed, using the weapons known as Knightmare Frames, which are humanoid war machines. It's got a bit of romance in it, a couple of brilliant plot-twists, and some awesome side characters (I especially like Kallin; she's a fighter, and a very important asset to Zero. Plus, she's badass). It took me awhile to get used to the art-style since I watched this after Death Note, but I got used to it pretty quickly and really like the style used. Unfortunately, this anime is not on Netflix, but the website Animeshow.tv has all the episodes with good quality, so I recommend using this site to watch this fantastic anime (http://animeshow.tv/Code-Geass-Lelouch-of-the-Rebellion/). I love Lelouch's character and C.C.'s too; Suzaku may annoy me - a lot - at times, but I respect his actions and his character. There is a lot of speculation on what happens at the end of the anime, but I know what I think (no spoilers) and for me, it's an absolutely perfect ending to one of the best shows I've ever watched. There's so much to learn from Code Geass; what you're willing to sacrifice for what you believe in, how far you'll go to achieve your goals. There is some religious aspect to the show, but it just makes the anime that much more complex. If you haven't watched Code Geass, I suggest starting it ASAP. You do not want to miss out on this one.

Change will never come about if you don't make it happen.

Death Note: Another Note

Hello everyone! A couple weeks ago I posted a review about the anime Death Note and today's review is going to be on a little spinoff novel from the anime.

Death Note: Another Note

   

5 out of 5 Murderous Stars

The most intelligent people hide the fact that they are intelligent. Wise men do not wear nametags. The more people talk about their own skills, the more desperate they are - their work should speak for itself.

Death Note: Another Note is a short novel that gives a bit of background on Naomi Misora and the case she works on with L in Los Angelas, and it definitely speaks for itself. It's an intelligently written mystery, and just when you feel like you might know what's really going on, the novel changes direction so quickly it leaves your head spinning. I love getting to see how L works from a different perspective than Light or L himself, and I like Misora's role in the anime, so it is nice getting to read about her too. The novel is narrated by Mello, also a character that plays an important role in the manga/anime. There are some spoilers though, so make sure you wait to finish the anime before reading this book!

Naomi Misora:

I love Misora's character in the anime and her last scene is one of my favorites; however, I'm not a big fan of her in regards to the novel until the ending. She comes off as almost snotty and judgmental - I also do not feel that her intelligence is higher than others at the FBI. But the ending makes up for that - she proves how intelligent she really is and how worthy she is to be L's eyes and ears on the field. It's when she says stuff like this that I want to smack her upside the head: "If we divided everyone in the world into those that would be better off dead and those that wouldn't, there's no doubt in my mind that he'd be the former. Such a complete freak that it amazes me he hasn't killed himself yet." But then she becomes a badass and uses her skills and brain to their fullest to solve the case, and you realize that she is the perfect person to act as L's shield. It's nice getting some background on her, and even though she annoys me immensely at times, she's a cool heroine to read about.

Beyond Birthday:

We're told at the beginning of the novel that Beyond Birthday is our serial killer, but who exactly is Beyond Birthday? That becomes a nice journey of discovery to read about throughout the novel. He's an extremely intelligent man, albeit pretty sick and twisted, but we learn why he does what he does in the novel. While his reasons do not excuse his actions, they helps us to understand why he commits these murders. He isn't trying to outwit the police or FBI by getting away with his crimes; he's mocking them, for they were never his real target. "Beyond Birthday challenged L. And L accepted the challenge." That is the main plotline of this story, and it's very entertaining getting to watch these two geniuses battle it out - not as awesome as getting to watch Light and L engage in a battle of intelligence and wits, but entertaining nonetheless.

L:

We get to see L from a different perspective in this novel, and it's fun getting to see him through different eyes. He's still his weird self - eats way too many sweets, sits weirdly and doesn't really have any concept of personal space, but he still believes in justice. Plus, we get to learn the meaning behind the alias Ryuzaki. It's definitely nice getting to read about him after finishing Death Note and see a bit of his life firsthand before he got involved in the Kira case. 

Overall:

The spinoff novel Death Note: Another Note is a short but very engaging novel that provides fans of Death Note with a little insight into background information before Light gets his hands on a Death Note. A murder mystery that is not easily solved, it really makes the readers think while letting them enjoy reading about some of their favorite characters. The writing style is very smooth, and I think it is a genius idea to have Mello be the narrator of the story, even though I strongly dislike him in the anime. If you've watched the anime Death Note, you should definitely pick up Death Note: Another Note and give it a read. It's short but sweet and just an enjoyable read. However, if you haven't watched the anime yet I would hold off on this novel - and get to watching the anime! You will not be disappointed.

"Justice has more power than anything else."

"Power? By power...you mean strength?"

"No. I mean kindness."

Devoted: An Angel Academy Novel

Time for the next blog entry! I was given a free copy of Devoted by the author (Emery Skye) in exchange for an honest review. 

Devoted: An Angel Academy Novel

1 out of 5 Cringe-Worthy Stars

I don't even know where to begin with this one. I guess I'll start off with the most annoying aspect: the grammar and punctuation errors. It's one thing to misspell breathe vs breath (multiple times) but when you forget to end/start quotation marks when a character is speaking, that's where I draw the line. Also, "accept" and "except" are two completely different words. Seriously. Adding commas where they are not needed, ending sentences too early or letting them run on for too long, and the over use of descriptions just made the writing itself annoying to read. The readers do not need to know that a character has "long, wavy, thick dark hair." Personally, I think just saying "long dark hair" is enough information. And I can't ever see having a conversation with someone along the lines of "Hey, let's go to Chili's tonight. I really wanna go to Chili's. We're still going to Chili's right? Cause you said we would go to Chili's." The writing mistakes add up and makes reading the novel aggravating. This book was published through a publishing agency, so I don't know how there can be so many mistakes. And we haven't even gotten to the characters or plot line. 

The Story:

The main premise of Devoted is there are Angels and Demons on Earth, and the Angels train to fight the Demons and protect the humans from them. I haven't read an angel/demon book in awhile, but Devoted is very similar to Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead and The Covenant Series by Jennifer L Armentrout. Plus, there are so many cliches in it that I feel like I've already read it before. I can't stand every single character in the novel being absolutely gorgeous, including the heroin (who of course doesn't know it). This seems to be most of Young-Adult books lately - "if people aren't pretty, they're boring." Which is so stupid and a topic for another time before I get completely off track. Devoted has The Special Snowflake Syndrome (I came up with this name thanks to my sister), which is basically the main character is super special/awesome/amazing for no reason. Yes, we want  to read about a protagonist that stands out; some series have The Special Snowflake Syndrome and they make it work, resulting in an amazing series. But then there's books like this one, where SSS turns into a nuisance that you just can't seem to get rid of. You've got the protagonist being awesome, the side-kick, the mean girl, and the hot guy who is supposed to end up with the protagonist. Oh, and the hot-guy is older than the protagonist, which doesn't really matter to me, but when the age part ends up being brought up a lot (which it always is), all I can think of is "pedophile". Yeah, I don't wanna read about that. Also, it took awhile to get to the main plot described in the synopsis, which makes the first half of the book drag on. And when you feel like you've already read it before, feeling slowed down does not help. The all-powerful angels act like children and they are pretty dull - I would rather face off Lucifer by myself than have them "help" me. Only thing that I agree with is the emphasis on following rules. Angels are made to obey God, so heeding "the Law" is very important, but these angels just seem to do whatever they want and make up the rules as they go. Especially when it comes to our main character, in which the rules are changed specifically for her, cause she's just so special.

The Characters:

Anna Hasdiel is our protagonist in this novel, and she is one of the biggest hypocrites I've ever had the displeasure to read about. She's all about training 24/7 so she can destroy demons and she looks down on all the other students for trying to also have a life. She places herself on a pedestal high above others, and don't forget that she's also valedictorian of her class - although she definitely doesn't act like it. The description of the other students does make them seem like incompetent imbeciles, but Anna looks down on anyone who wants to do something other than train (like her sister with liking to draw). Enter Legite Nathan Deror. Anna immediately starts crushing on him and wanting to be with him - but wait, isn't that exactly why she looks down on the other students? For wanting to have relationships? To live a little? But it's okay for Anna to want to be with Legite Nathan Deror, cause she's a special snowflake - and then she still continues to look down on her peers, EVEN AFTER SHE STARTS ACTING EXACTLY LIKE THEM. So, hypocrite. Anna also lacks even a little bit of control and has serious anger management issues. It seems to be hinted at that some supernatural force may be making her act this way, but I think it's just her true personality showing. Then there's Anna's sister, Amalie, who seems to act as dumb as a post at times and is extremely annoying. I cannot take any of these characters seriously at all, especially the ones that are supposed to be leaders. 

In Conclusion:

I feel like I've been pretty harsh with this review, but it is constructive criticism. I want everyone reading my blog to know that I'm going to be 100% honest with everything I post, and I'm not going to be timid about posting my thoughts because I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. My honest opinion of Devoted is that it is a poorly written novel that needs serious editing, and that the characters and plot line aren't that great. If you're a fan of Vampire Academy, The Covenant Series or just a big YA Fantasy fan who doesn't mind grammar errors and misspellings, then you might like Devoted. I just can't stand all these errors plus the annoying characters, so this book isn't the one for me. I read about one-third of it, skimmed a bit, then decided that I'm not going to waste my time anymore - I have better books to read that I'm really excited for. Sorry if I seem harsh, but I'm not going to hold back on my reviews. I hope to have something nice to recommend to everyone in two weeks.

Death Note (Anime)

Hey everyone! So I realize I have been very inconsistent with my reviews, and I am going to change that - every other weekend, either a Saturday or Sunday, I'm going to try a put up a new review :) Today I am going to start with a fantastic anime called Death Note (for those of you that don't know, anime is basically Japanese cartoons that are awesome).

Death Note

5 out of 5 Deathly Brilliant Stars

"The human whose name is written in this note shall die."

Wow, this is one amazing anime! It's intense, brilliantly written and filled with extremely clever characters. I remember I almost watched it over the summer, but put it off to watch Dexter instead. I'm just glad I eventually got around to watching it! I've been searching for a story with intelligent characters that would shock me, and Death Note does not disappoint. The main story line is about a genius high-schooler named Light Yagami, who one day happens to pick up a notebook that has the words "Death Note" written on the cover. After picking it up and flipping through it, Light sees a set of rules describing how the Death Note works, the first rule being "The human whose name is written in this note shall die." All you need is a face, name, and the Death Note. Figuring it is just some stupid prank, Light leaves the Death Note back where he found it, but ends up picking it up again, letting curiosity get the best of him. A situation occurs with a man holding a group of children hostage, and Light decides to test out the Death Note to see if it's real. The situation is being broadcast on TV, and after learning the man's name and seeing his face, Light writes his name in the Note. He then knows the Death Note is real once the criminal dies after 40 seconds of a heart attack, which the Death Note said would happen. Thus begins Light Yagami's quest to rid the world of evil and create a new world filled only with good, kind people.

"This world is rotten, and those who are making it rot deserve to die. Someone has to do it, so why not me? Even if it means sacrificing my own mind and soul, it's worth it. Because the world... can't go on like this. I wonder... what if someone else had picked up this notebook? Is there anyone out there other than me who'd be willing to eliminate the vermin from the world? If I don't do it, then who will? That's just it: there's no one. But I can do it. In fact, I'm the only one who can. I'll do it. Using the Death Note, I'll change the world."

Light continues to regularly kill criminals by writing their names in the Death Note while the Shinigami (god of death) Ryuuk watches. Ryuuk is the death god that dropped the Death Note in the human world, and is now supposed to stay with whoever has the Note. Only people who have touched the Death Note can see Shinigami (so yes, Light can see Ryuuk).

Eventually, people start to connect the dots that all these criminals are dying of heart attacks, and that this is not a coincidence. Enter L, the world's most brilliant detective that has solved over 2,000 cases. Light is now known as Kira to the world, and L starts working with the Japanese Police to try and catch Kira. Both L and Light are extremely intelligent, and it's very interesting watching how the show proceeds.

"Justice will prevail." --L

There are so many points that have left me speechless in this anime, and it's definitely one of the best that I've ever seen. There are plot twists within the plot twists. It's also really cool seeing the character development throughout the show, whether it be a good change or a bad one. Light, L, Ryuuk and all the other characters make up a series that is exceptionally brilliant. It's intense, screws with your head in the worst way (at least for me it did lol) and leaves you thinking about it for a long time even after finishing the anime. It also brings up a lot of interesting concepts to think about. Is the main theme of Death Note that it's wrong to kill people even if they're bad? Or is it meant to be if you're given so much power over others, it's okay to use it for a good cause as long as you don't abuse it and lose sight of your own humanity? And, I think most importantly, what would you do if you had a Death Note? Like I mentioned before, this anime really screws with you head. I'm a bit disappointed with the ending and would love to talk about that, but I am not going to post any spoilers in this review. So, if you want a show that's going to make you think, leave you speechless, is crazy intense and has you questioning your own morals, then this is definitely the show to watch. Plus, it's on Netflix, so that's always nice :)

"Humans are... So much fun."

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

Hey everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are looking forward to the holidays! Winter vacation cannot come soon enough, just gotta survive finals first. Anyways, today's review is on......

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

3 1/2 out of 5 Revolutionary Stars

“Fire is catching! And if we burn, you burn with us!” 

Where to start with this one...

Well, first off, I love the first Hunger Games book, and like the rest of the series too. Ir has a very nice progression throughout it and I like when there's an overall arc to a story. The first two movies, Hunger Games and Catching Fire, stay very true to the book, and add in phenomenal actors like Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Woody Harrelson (and some good scenes with Liam Hemsworth in Mockingjay) and you're bound to have some amazing films. The talent of the actors and the story line are what makes this series such a big hit. However, while Mockingjay is a good movie, I was a little disappointed and that's because all the films these days wanna pull off a Harry Potter. To clarify, Harry Potter split up the last movie, Deathly Hallows, into two separate films. Now, this is an almost 800-page book filled with action and suspense and intense plot lines. To get the full impact of the book transposed for a film, it had to be split, and neither Part 1 nor Part 2 disappoints. And since Deathly Hallows Part 1 and 2 were such a big hit, Twilight decided to split up the fourth movie also. Which is a complete fail. I admit to seeing both, and Breaking Dawn Part 1 put me to sleep and Part 2 was filled with complete nonsense, even more than I expected when I sat down to watch it. Which is saying a lot 'cause I didn't really expect anything good from it to begin with. Now Mockingjay has been split into two parts, and while Part 1 was nice to watch and did have some very emotional scenes, I left the theater wondering if it was really worth the $12 to see it. Plus the third Divergent book, Alligent, is also being split up. The first movie almost put me to sleep, although I did like the novel. The trailer for Insurgent isn't so great, to put it nicely, and not sure how the third book being split is going to be a good idea, since it isn't too great to start off with. Anyway, back to the topic at hand:

“It takes ten times as long to put yourself back together as it does to fall apart.” 

Mockingjay Part 1 is a nice movie to watch, but it's a filibuster. Plain and simple. It's a way for the producers to make more money, and there is no reason to have the third book (all 380-something pages) divided into two parts. It's a nice set up, but not needed, and now we need to wait another year to watch the resolution with the incredible actress Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen. You can always read the book to find out what happens, but I wanna see it on the big screen. I just wish movies would stop being split into two parts, that it will only happen when it's actually needed (like Harry Potter). But alas, the world is a greedy place and I don't see that happening. 

“What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again.” 

So, if you've been keeping up with the movies and really like them, then Mockingjay Part 1 is probably worth seeing. If you've been on the fence about seeing it you might wanna wait until next year to watch Mockingjay Part 1 and 2 back to back. It's hard to say on this film, because once the movie ends, you're really going to want to watch Part 2. Let's just hope that the producers really did save the best for last.

I Hunt Killers (Jasper Dent #1) by Barry Lyga

Wow, it has been too long! I finished Barry Lyga's I Hunt Killers last week as planned, but didn't have enough time to sit down and write a good review on it. Apologies for the long wait, but here it is:

I Hunt Killers

5 out of 5 Killer Stars

"It’s not that he’d never seen a dead body before. Or a crime scene. Jazz had been seeing those for as long as he could remember, thanks to Dear Old Dad. For Dear Old Dad, Take Your Son to Work Day was year-round. Jazz had witnessed crime scenes the way cops wished they could – from the criminal’s point of view."

I've wanted to read Barry Lyga's I Hunt Killers for quite awhile, only putting off reading it because I would have to buy it (I'm not registered at any libraries near me yet). I admit, I'm pretty stingy with my money when it comes to buying books. I've spent more than I like on books that I end up really not liking, but not wanting to get rid of them cause, well, I paid money for them so of course I'm gonna keep them. They might be moved into the corner of my closet, but they're still there. Anyways, eventually I decided to take the plunge and spent the money. I ended up buying the mass-market-paperback one by accident, and I don't really like those because the quality isn't the best (smaller pages, smaller font, thinner pages - I just don't really like them that much). Now, after finishing I Hunt Killers, I'm debating buying the original paperback to match with the rest of the series. I love the first novel so much that I went and bought the next two in the trilogy, and I am very eager to read them. Now, onto the details:

Jazz:

"The dice had already been tossed, the cards shuffled and drawn. He was what he was, whether he knew it yet or not. Maybe he was just a guy with a crazy dad, like other kids with crazy dads. Or maybe he was something else."

Poor, poor Jazz; he's been screwed since birth. Having the world's most notorious serial killer for a father, who is intent on making him the perfect legacy, yeah, that's the makings for a royally messed up childhood. Billy Dent is a sociopath, and he raised his son Jazz to be just like him. Eventually though, the police caught up to Billy and he was arrested before he could finish "teaching" Jazz. And now Jazz is stuck living with his crazy, senile grandmother, always looking for ways to prove to himself that he is not his father, that he won't someday kill someone. For him, the best way to do this is to catch other serial killers, work with the man that put his father behind bars to stop a killer. Jazz has valuable information having grown up with Hand-in-Glove/Gentle Killer/The Artist aka his father. He can see a crime scene the way the police wish they could - from the killer's point of view. He has different takes on what's happening, has an idea of what's going on through the killer's head. But since Sheriff G. William, the man who caught Billy Dent (and is now very close with Jazz), doesn't want Jazz anywhere near his crime scenes, Jazz will have to rely on his best friend, Howie, to help him.

Howie:

"Howie had become a constant in Jazz’s life, the kid he’d come to rely on to keep him grounded and sane when the world threatened to tip him over into the Billy-style craziness."

Being Jazz's best friend and a hemophiliac isn't the best combination, but Howie makes it work. He's the humor that balances out the darkness in this novel, the one who lightens things up a bit. After Jazz beat up some kids who were bullying Howie when they were younger, they became best friends. Howie doesn't let the fact that Jazz's father is a sociopath scare him off, and the two make a pretty good team doing illegal stuff to try and stop the new serial killer in their town, Lobo's Nod. However, not everything always works out for the two, as we learn throughout the novel. Nevertheless, Jazz and Howie have a bond of friendship that is unbreakable, and I love Howie's character not only for having funny lines, but also for reminding Jazz that he's not a serial killer, and he's not programmed to be one either.

Connie:

"Connie was different. Connie was the one girl – woman, really – he could be himself with. 'Being himself' meant a whole host of things – good, bad, grotesque. Connie accepted all of them, and most important of all, he allowed her to accept them, something he’d never done with anyone in his entire life. Did that mean there was hope for him? Hope for something beyond what Billy Dent had planned for him?" 

Connie is Jazz's girlfriend, and like Howie, she reminds Jazz that he isn't his father, isn't destined to become a serial killer just because his father is a sociopath. She's a stable constant in his life, and even though she doesn't like Jazz looking into the new murders in Lobo's Nod, she understands his need to. No matter how many times Jazz tries to scare her off to "protect" her, Connie stays by his side because she knows that Jazz isn't his father, even if he thinks he might be. Yes, she gets frustrated with him, but she can see the good inside Jazz that he doesn't think is there. Connie provides Jazz with some normalcy in his life, an escape from his crazy upbringing, but don't make the mistake of underestimating her. Connie isn't just some girlfriend that sits on the sidelines - she's an important character in the novel, and without her, things would turn out very differently, in a not-so-good way. 

Final Thoughts:

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga is an amazing start to a fantastic series. It's got suspense, mystery and creep-factor. I am very curious to see where Jazz's life leads him; what happened to his mother, what's going to happen with his father, what repressed memories are trying to make their way to Jazz's consciousness through his dreams? I'm going to start the sequel ASAP - I need to know! Jazz's internal struggles, hearing his father's voice, are interesting, and I can't wait to see what's in store for Jazz, Connie and Howie. If you don't like some gory details, serial killer hunting, or good old-fashioned creepiness, then I Hunt Killers might not be for you, but for everyone else, don't waste another second not reading this amazing series! You won't regret it.

And always remember.....

People matter. People are real.

Side Effects

Midterms are over! Finally, a little bit of relaxation time - which will be used to catch up on reading! I'm still working on Barry Lyga's I Hunt Killers, but hope to have it finished and reviewed by the end of this week :) So far it's a fantastic read! Now, onto today's review:

Side Effects 

5 out of 5 Intense Stars!

"I'm not crazy."

I think I saw this movie a little over a month ago, and would definitely rewatch it again. Side Effects starts off with the main character Emily (Rooney Mara) greeting her husband Martin (Channing Tatum) after he is released from prision. We soon learn though that something isn't right with Emily, as she goes and drives head first into the wall of a parking lot. Emily's had depression in the past, and it seems that her husband's release has caused her to spiral out of control. After this, Emily starts to see a new psychiatrist (Jude Law) in the hopes of getting better. She agrees to be part of a test run for a new drug, but is this new drug really helping, or is it making her worse? Not everything is as it seems, and as new information comes to light, the viewers are left wondering, what is really going on? Is it the depression, the new drug, the psychiatrist, the husband - what is causing Emily's life to change so drastically? The atmosphere of the movie, the music, the acting - all aspects of Side Effects has the viewers questioning everything they're being told. Just when you think you know what's really going on, a new piece of information is provided and you start questioning everything all over again. Each piece of dialogue has meaning to it, and then another hidden meaning too. The ending, in my opinion, is perfect for this movie, and overall I was very satisfied with Side Effects. It's an intense watch that keeps you on the edge of your seat, and if you find you have some free time one evening, you should definitely give Side Effects a watch.