#honest review

[thatqueerfangirl02]

My honest opinion of Mean Girls (2024)

Even though nobody asked for it.

If you are familiar with the Broadway Musical, and you are expecting this to be a movie version of the Broadway Musical, you will be disappointed. However, it is a wonder modern remake featuring songs from the Broadway Musical.

Renee Rapp is perfect and I love her. She can do no wrong.

Aaron Samuels could have been better, but I was initially glad they didn’t just go for a “White Boy of the the Month” type. (I was informed after the fact that he is in fact a “White Boy of the Month” I just haven’t seen TSITP.)

Song wise Apex Predator, Sexy, Revenge Party, World Burn, and Rather Be Me we’re fantastic, overall beautiful execution. However they did cut some of my favourite songs, and put in new ones instead.

The songs they did keep were changed a bit to have a more “2020s “ vibe, instead of the “Y2K/2010s” Broadway vibe that they originally had.

Loved the little cameos.

Full of queer representation (gender & sexuality) as well as BIPOC representation. I even noticed some of the background/extras had visible disabilities which is amazing.

There are a couple iconic/notable lines from the OG versions that were changed for - I’m assuming - political correctness, but they were done in a way that didn’t change the intentions.

Queer icons Janice (forget her last name too lazy to google it) is played by Actual F*cking Disney Princess Icon MOANA herself!!! And I personally think that is a slay and a power move.

TL;DR Overall great movie, 7.5/10 would recommend and will watch again 👍🏼

#Mean Girls #(2024) #Musicals #Movie Musicals #Broadway #Renee Rapp #Regina George #Honest Review #i don’t know how to tag this

[mirambles]

Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahaani - An honest review

I watched Rocky aur Rani ki Prem Kahaani because everyone I know on social media and few close folks in my real life said it was very entertaining - funny, progressive, feminist , and it showed gender equality.

So I was taken aback, because the general sentiment for KJo movies should be ‘It’s so shit, but I love it’ - that is a sentiment I can live with because we all have our guilty pleasures.

KJo has his audience who love the shit he pulls off every time he ‘directs’ a film with toxic masculinity, regressive female leads , justifying infidelity (always the answer to unhappy marriages) , glorifying Indian culture, where he adds 30 mins of melodrama and lectures to make the characters redeem themselves. Kjo’s movies are as lame as they can be, but people love them. I get it - ‘this shit is so bad, it’s so good’ category of films. Guilty pleasures are exactly this!

So sell me his new offering in exactly this manner - but all reviews and social media comments were glowing words of praise of how he has addressed today’s issues and it’s a progressive film. Are people suffering from amnesia or have they not watched better Bollywood films? Because I have a whole list of films you should watch that actually deal with ‘progressive’ mindsets - way before Kjo’s time!

Rani is a feminist. A FL as feisty news anchor who gives a 5 min lecture on men’s gaze, objectification of women and rape culture, but does an absolute U-turn 5 mins later by objectifying a handsome man in front of her. This is gender equality. Tit for Tat.

Wearing open back blouses to work is sign of new age feminism (Will I get trolled for sounding old school - has KJo ever stepped inside a corporate workspace - who dresses like Rani does?) What’s next? Women CEOs wearing bikinis? And why not get all men to dress like Rocky Randhawa - that would be peak gender equality in dress code at workplace.

Infidelity is the answer to all unhappy marriages. Remember KANK? Yes, let’s repeat that here, but let’s twist it into unrequited love between the senior citizens. Then add memory loss and illness excuse to get the 80yr old grandpa smooch his 75yr old ex-lover in front of his wife and entire family. The issue is not old age love, age is never a restriction to fall in love, the issue here is infidelity. But if this isn’t cringe enough, let’s completely destroy the most beautiful romantic number in Bollywood by playing it in the background to immortalise infidelity and later lust under the garb of love.

Let’s get back to our feminism torch bearer Rani, who has now jumped from knowing the guy for two meetings to lusting over him. She is honest with herself (not with Rocky mind you, because at no point have they had any conversation about themselves) that she is in it purely for the physical attraction, it’s just a fling for her. She is an elitist , feminist, Colombian grad, Bengali Girl (who has a terrible Bengali accent) and the crude, can’t speak English well, Gucci/Fendi wearing, Ferrari driving, protein shake drinking, loud Punjabi boy doesn’t match up to her standards. Kjo’s new level of feminism - make women pull the exact shit on men that men have put women through for decades. Tit for Tat! Gender Equality.

Btw at this point I still don’t know why Rocky loves Rani - love at first sight is always about the looks and physical attraction, so convince me why he loves her - because isn’t he this walking-talking green flag just by being understanding of his grandpa’s feelings and calling out Rani checking him out. A walking green flag who gets his grandpa’s ex-lover and his grandpa together to help his grandpa get better - because love is the cure for all illnesses. All doctors and medical researchers have been wasting their time on getting degrees and super specialisations - please enter Kjo’s school of love.

So now Rani realises she is in love - when and why and what changed her feelings from lust to love - I do not know. She drives on a 4-lane highway in the opposite direction - woman should have died there for her reckless driving, but she lives to propose to Rocky on a f&*king Highway! Bollywood I love you for pulling off this shit.

This is supposed to be the pivotal point in their relationship where she professes her love to him, going down on one knee (because hey you see role reversal - she is the feminist, the alpha female) and telling Rocky everything that HE IS NOT , listing her resume and her exes’. Therefore implying he doesn’t deserve her, but she is taking the high road and still falling for him. All the reasons she lists that she loves about him are actually about his physical aspects = Lust. She doesn’t list one meaningful quality that she actually ‘loves’ about him.

It is at this point that I gave up on the film, because after this RRKPK became a collation of scenes dedicated to social media trending topics:

1. Women burdened with household work

2. Women not liberated enough to pursue their dreams

3. Women being fat shamed

4. Cancel culture

5. Men being shamed for pursuing classical dancing (KJo research FFS - 50% of India’s top kathak dancers are males right from 1940s! )

Each topic got 1-2 scenes, tweets converted to preachy dialogues uttered by our ‘feminist’ queen and zero closures or character growth.

The only thing that works in this movie - is Ranveer , not his character, but him! He is effortless in this role, his comic timing is superb, needs some work on emotions.

Alia is a shadow of her awesome self on screen post her marriage to Ranbir. It hurts to say this, cause I have loved her in all her movies except SOTY.

Can people age gracefully, I couldn’t bear to look at Shabana Azmi and Jaya B - former was gorgeous as hell in her younger days, now is swollen with all the Botox fillers! Jaya has forgotten to act completely. Dharmendra should not even be acting anymore.

What was the point of rest of the cast? Only Alia’s dad was a decent act.

The one thing I absolutely love in KJo movies is the music and songs! These were crap too. What Jhumka? Because ruining all the songs from ‘The Golden’ decade of Bollywood was not enough, so they made a terrible mashup of Badtameez Dil & Jhumka Gira Re and killed both the songs in one go! Takes some skill doing this - well done!

Why this long rant if I disliked the movie so much, that too KJo movies? I wouldn’t have written one, if the reviews and comments were honest about the movie being average, typical entertainment; but the moment people praised it to nth level of being socially relevant with feminist heroine and gender equality - they deserved to be called out for their shallow thought process thinking that KJo actually cares about any of this stuff.

Worst people think this is ‘quintessential’ Bollywood. Please watch better films - like Amitabh’s roaring 70s, the romance films of 90s, the fun comedies, the glorious slice of life films from Hrishida, the Yash Chopra multistarrers - that’s quintessential, genuine, charm of Bollywood.

Lastly before I wrap this up - RRKPK when literally translated is Love Story of Rocky and Rani. I spent 2.5 hours on this shit show and I still don’t know the answer to why and how they fell in love! They didn’t have one decent conversation about themselves! The latter half is about them wooing their families. The film should have been aptly titled ‘Randhawa and Chatterjee Ki Prem Kahaani’ - It’s all about loving your family - K3G Part 2!

#rocky aur rani ki prem kahani #rrkpk #karan johar #ranveer singh #alia bhatt #shabana azmi #Jaya Bhaduri #dharmendra #film review #honest review #Bollywood #kabhi khushi kabhie gham #hindi films

[eridanidreams]

#rebel moon #honest review #zach snyder is creatively bankrupt #rebel moon critical

[cookstorys]

𝙼𝚢 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝙵𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚍𝚐𝚎

Show in general

Honestly wasn't as bad as I excepted. The show itself was all over the place and was most definitely RUSHED (like extremely). However, I do kinda want a szn 2 since I feel it does have potential. It just needs to work on building the plot.

THE REST MIGHT CONTAIN SPOILERS

Opinions on it

The bi reputation shown in the show was just 💕. I was highkey cheering on Cam and Andre but I can still see them having a chance in szn 2 (if that come to be). I feel like now since Andre sees how he’s been he might be less clingy this time around? Demi and Cam felt so random if you ask me. They would’ve been so much better/cuter if their characters were thought out more (relationship rise, apart I literally love them) The way they just casually broke up a relationship outa no where had me CRYING 😭. Which is one thing I feel was very rushed but that’s for later.

Ines was so annoying. I felt bad for her sometimes but you have to admit she was acting like a baby.

Characters

Cam - I honestly loved him. He was my fav out of them all. He was so quirky and adorable, not to mention his fashion kinda ate (apart from the pants and socks 🌚)

Demi - She def seemed like a vibe. The way she kissed him while he was admitting everything was def not cute tho.

Gloria- I don’t know how to feel abt her. She didn’t really make me love her nor hate her. I’ll love to see more of her in szn 2. Her and the other dude was really cute tho 😍

Ines - She pissed me off. I understand wht she was coming from abt being treated like a baby all the time but can you blame Gloria? She was acting like one the whole mf time. She had her moments when I liked her tho.

Andre - Vibe. Deserved better. Still think him and cam would’ve been cuter together 🤷🏾

All in all, i liked it and wouldn’t mind watching it again. Ok, that’s it 😍🫶🏾

Ps. Trust I WILL be adding this to my masterlist 🤞🏾

#freeridge #review #cookstorys #honest review #kinda good tho

[www-avengersassemble]

Good morning true believers. Admin here to drop a massive knowledge bomb on y’all. Yesterday may have been just your average day of work, but last night was truly something to behold. For the first time ever, I finally got to watch the Marvels. Me and the guys tried to watch it last year but it got pulled from the theaters for whatever odd reason.

Regardless, I sat down and watched it; from start to finish. All I have to say is: I have no clue why people hate this film; I found it quite fun. Sure the musical planet part was pretty cringe I won’t deny that. Other than that, the story was pretty decent. Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan) is always a treat to watch. She’s just fun and has so many interesting character dynamics. Carol, I think, was written way better here than I ever thought possible. Despite being half-Kree, she still has flaws and gradually learns to be a team player.

Dar-Ben was a pretty quaint villainess. Her trying to do right by her people while simultaneously seeking vengeance on Captain Marvel makes a more three-dimensional character. I would’ve preferred her being Carol’s evil clone but whatever, that’s just me. Monica’s arc definitely came full circle at the end and her interacting with Kelsey Grammar’s Beast was something I didn’t know I needed but I’m so glad I got to see.

In the end where they move into Maria’s old house, I would’ve preferred if Rogue and Gambit were the ones helping Carol do so. Shows how much Carol and Rogue have grown since their initial encounter; showing that they’ve finally put old differences aside and became friends. But again, that’s just me. Plus, Kamala recruiting Kate Bishop for the young Avengers was so cool. I always knew that they were building up toward them. Couple that with the Kang Multiverse Saga and you’ve got yourself an interesting movie idea.

All in all, I really did enjoy this movie and I can’t, for the life of me, understand why people are hating on this movie. Oh well, it’s as the old saying goes, “haters going hate…dawg.”

#superior shield #avengers assemble #the marvels #honest review #Carol corps #agents of s.w.o.r.d

[yandere-kokeshi]

Honest question!!!

#yandere #kokeshi!! #kokeshi rambles! #yandere polls #tumblr polls #my polls #polls #yandere x darling #honest review #yandere mw2 #cod mw2

[himitsutsubasa]

Mališa is the best movie I’ve seen. It’s honestly so compelling and speaks to the deepest parts of me. I honestly think everyone should see it.

#Mališa #movie #pigeon #honest review #best movies

[original-punks]

has anyone played World of Horror? wondering if it's worth buying 🖤

#i love the inspiration from junji ito #it looks really cool #but is the game decent?? #world of horror #kyōfu no sekai #honest review

[being-worthy]

Saturday Home Cinema: Damsel (2024)

I haven’t done one of these, but I saw Damsel today on Saturday night (well, it’s already Sunday when I'm writing this 😂) and the movie surprised me tremendously!

When I watched the trailer before the movie, it already told me that certain scenarios if not most would be predictable, but I loved the end!

But before we get to it… it is OFFICIAL! Movie directors have run out of ideas and don’t know what to make a movie about anymore as all their imagination is gone, completely and utterly GONE!! I’m watching trailers of upcoming films and series and just found out that they’re making a series of Fallout and a movie of Borderlands… 🤦‍♀️

Play the video games. They are much much better and offer hours of countless entertainment and have so many funny scenes, but I guess the money is sitting heavily in their pockets and they need to waste it. Ever thought of donating it to charity? No? Ok.

Back to Damsel. Spoilers alert below the cut!!

As mentioned before, most of it was predictable from the start. A northern kingdom struggling, with barely any food for the people, no gold in the treasury, and so on. This stuck-up lady, dressed like a cult member from a prosperous and flourishing faraway kingdom comes to them with an arrangement – all the gold they need in exchange for the eldest daughter of the northern king.

The daughter, Elodie, marries the prince of the rich kingdom, Henry (I believe his name was), and they celebrate a very pompous wedding and even make a blood pact to “honour” the ancestors of the prince; this is where they throw her into a deep pit which leads to the dragon’s lair. Here I have to say, girl, whenever there’s a blood exchange it’s never for something good, but plot gotta plot.

Basically, the former king of the luxurious kingdom slaughtered the three children of the dragon for no apparent reason, apart from your typical men’s greed. They were the last of her kin, and as the tale goes; a debt of blood can only be paid back in blood. So, the dragon demands three daughters of the king as revenge, but jokes on her because they deceive her by marrying off the male offspring to foreign women, who were not always royalty but held a high status in their country, but by combining their blog with the prince’s they become part of the family.

Well, up until here the movie was scene by scene foreseeable, but the best part is when the dragon is told the truth and saved by Elodie (with the help of some luminescent, but kind of cute worms with healing properties), and then, they get their oh so sweet revenge on those pretentious asses. 😎

In the end, Elodie and her family go back home with a new friend in tow!! I rooted at the end so darn hard because finally!!! Finally, the dragon is not the bad guy and doesn’t die either, instead she flies into the sunrise!!! 🥰

#saturday home cinema #damsel #honest review #film night #movie review

[gosmigenergy]

My sister said his butt is cursed 🙃

#strange way of life #pedro pascal #honest review #letterboxd #true story

[mythos05reviews]

3/5 stars The first volume was more lighthearted, and this continued on into this volume. A few things changed until we started to unlock more of the character's traumas. I believe the reason we started to unlock this is to understand the reasoning behind the character's actions and to see their growth. This seemed to apply more to Fujiwara than to the MC. I'm hoping what we learned about them is more about building up to something that will appear later in future volumes. At this point, I am enjoying the notes the author leaves in the manga about their process and facts about dinosaurs more than the actual storyline. I don't believe I'll drop this series but instead put it off when I need to read something to help me calm down after reading something dark, horrific, or bad.

#dinosaur sanctuary #dinosaur #paleontology #hyperfixation #manga #manga review #tbr list #tbr #book review #book reviews #bookstagram #book blog #reading #pterosaurs #extinct animals #dinos #anime and manga #manga recommendation #honest review #lighthearted #lighthearted read #volume 2 #manga series #itaru kinoshita #shin-ichi fujiwara

[catostrofiqu]

Ok I'm giving a show review for "The Imperfects" 2022

Don't forget there will be spoilers as I go on further

Let's start off with the fact that you can watch this in less then a day. I'm slightly upset there isn't going to be more because I genuinely enjoyed the plot and the characters as I found them interesting.

I've seen some people say the plot is fast but I personally prefer a faster plot otherwise shows loose my interest. I'm also aware that the faster plot was probably needed for a first season.

I liked the main cast. So I'm going to rate them aswell

Abbi as an Ace succubus is fun and she did seem not ditzy but definitely seemed to forget she could be helpful in some parts but she was continually show reluctance to use her own powers so I rate her a 7.5/10

Tilda annoyed me a bit in her personality but it's also because I've met people like her other the banshee powers were cool, I did enjoy her being on screen however. 6/10

Jaun, I was calling him baby boy by episode 3. I put him in the "looks like a cinnamon roll but can kill you" category. His chupacubra form being called chupi gives me life. 10/10

Alex Sarkov... I hate him :D. But in the sort of way one hates umbridge because he has the perfect puchible personality whilst also subverting several tropes 9.5/10

Sydney was probably the most boring of the main cast but she did have some moments. 5/10

The things that I'd say put the show down is the fact that it was probably going to be cancelled from the start meaning everything was rushed and a cliffhanger finally hoping to grab more viewers.

Some lines and scenes also didn't quite work.

Scenes and other things I enjoyed (heavy spoilers that weren't in the trailer)

The amount of bodies buried by the main trio

"Chupi"

Sarkov having an Australian actor

The whole discussion over dogs over people

The whole Sydney escape scene I enjoyed

The fact that the Aussies actors best friends name is Sydney

Jaun being introduced by lying in a field covered in blood and being confused.

My Nose

Also add in Jauns niece not being a snitch and Abbi's brothers.

Overall I put the show at a 8.5/10 because I feel like it could have been better if it had the budget. I do love the actors chosen for it however.

Currently the show is cancelled so I'm doing this to hopefully get people to watch it so I can either watch more of a show or have more fanfiction to read

#show review #review #the imperfects #the imperfects 2022 #please watch it #please watch the show #netflix #netflix the imperfects #the imperfects netflix #imperfects #honest review #its a good show i swear

[nex-does-film]

Across The Spiderverse - ☆☆☆☆☆

#across the spiderverse #film critic #film critique #film review #one minute review #film is not dead #honest review #animation is cinema #animated film #miles morales #gwen stacy #miguel o'hara #spiderman atsv #atsv #spiderman #spoiler free #no spoilers

[theuniversalscat]

I will do an honest review of mother jeans since clearly no one else is doing one….

No no no no no no no no no no no.

Here’s the deal:

When you call your brand “mother” you may want to make sure they’re cut for most women. Not just Asian men. (& women with very narrow hips and tiny buttockses buttock-i? I dunno… you get the gist …🤷‍♀️🤣)

I wear a size 6 normally now. I used to be a solid 4, but I have sized up. And I admit that. But when I wear 4 different sizes within the same brand, that’s some ass manufacturing. There is absolutely no continuity whatsoever from one pair to another. Very. Cheaply. Made!!!!! I fit in 28s with the cut that has more give, great. Some 28s in the mother jeans were even too big, and I had to roll them on top to fit my waist. But then in another style jean by them I’m a solid 29. Fine. I can even accept that. But when I keep buying these orange leopard jeans and I end up in a size f’n 30 and STILL can’t sausage into them and when I finally paint them on I get the tight crotch that don’t accommodate my thighs BUT they did leave room, however, for my nonexistent peep. I mean, a whole 3 inches of dead air, cause I have woman’s hips and not a peep to put in there and I have a purse and wallet so I don’t need that much space in my crotch to keep my keys and my lipstick, ok?! and then the a ten foot crotch that is most unflattering, it’s longer than my torso rise, making me look like Ed Grimley, not to mention the muffin edges I get on the very top of these jeans, no. Just no. How can you name yourself “mother” when it’s for tween boys and some women with no hips?

This is Ed Grimley. (See below)

No. I’m now forever calling mother jeans, “tiny hipped, no ass, long crotch, man jeans and yes, Asian men do fit that bill, so call me a racist if you will but I’m not one so go scratch with that! Cause one time I saw a literal Asian man in drag modeling a pair of jeans (full disclosure: may not have been mother jeans) as if i wouldn’t notice!

So, am I still trying to lose weight? Always and No! And I shouldn’t have to! Their job is to make bigger sizes so I can fit my bigger self inside the pants to clothe me! And yes I do try to be healthy even though I don’t have to justify my weight to anyone, but a lot of times I fluctuate in weight like a lot of other human beings. The fact that I usually wear a size 6 bottoms, and 28 inch jeans this is unacceptable. What about ladies who are bigger than me? Should we wear a tarp, or sew two pairs of your jeans together to make a Normal cut for my ass?! No! Ain’t nobody got time for that!

So ladies, if you have any kind of curves like me, steer waaaaaaaaayyyy clear of the mother brand. And if you are shaped like them, then they’ll be perfect. I’m pissed, cause I now have to find another brand, and since I’m not in the know, I have to look online for a new brand, and I hate that. Pft! Caca fitting jeans! I’m sticking to leggings until I figure out a better brand to invest in.

#life blogging #me #mother jeans #no #no no no #just no #my face #selfie #selfies #honest review #review

[found--family]

i finally finished Bridgewater season 2!

(i know i'm way behind but i was listening on my drive to and from work but then i lost my job and suddenly listening at home felt weird but i binged the last handful of eps this long weekend so now i wanna share some thoughts..) 

best finale bits: 

- realising francine was spn alumn/battlestar galactica's tricia helfer (wish I'd realised this sooner bc i think i would've enjoyed her character more) 

- jeremy becoming an unexpected father to a time travelling kid he spent the whole season vocally not giving a shit about (serious s13!grieving!dean vibes here) 

- the setup for season 3! would love to get some pov from folks in the fae realm! 

best s2 bits: 

- aside from misha, soni has been my fave thing about this series (his voice acting is So Good) and this season we got more vippin and more of him interacting with other characters! 

- learning more about jeremy: he visited fairyland as a kid! he was a teen wiccan! he just wants a friend! he's happy without a partner and kids! (the phonecall to his british colleague was a fave scene) 

- peyton! wish we'd gotten more of her, hope she returns next season. 

- more hillary! she's not in it much but we got a few long scenes with her and it was great to hear her flex her voice acting chops. 

- tudyk! i was sceptical at first (i'd really been looking forward to fillion) but he was stellar. his distinct voice is perfect for voice acting and his vocal control and timing was really superb. his and misha's scenes were a highlight but there were also a few delightful and emotional scenes with other characters (including a makeover!) 

- MONSTERS. one of the huge draws of this podcast for me was the supernatural element. this season had a bunch of different creatures appear and there were mentions of way more that had me googling and learning so much (yay fic fodder!) 

a few s2 cons (imho): 

- this season is a lot compared to season 1. more characters, more plot, more at stake. it was hard to keep up with what was going on specifically with all the fae stuff. i had to relisten to numerous scenes multiple times to grasp what was happening.

- it kinda feels like season 1 was written not knowing how everything would play out bc all the fae stuff feels shoehorned into the relevant parts of the s1 narrative. they make it work but some explanations seemed like a bit of a stretch. 

- as much as i love her on-screen, i didn't really enjoy helfer in this. i don't know whether it's because i found her character annoying from the jump or if it was her vocal style being a little too overdramatic and on the nose (that could've been a director's decision in which case it makes sense, but i really didn't enjoy her personality as the legend tripper or her almost comical portrayal as fae) 

- the finale was a lot of exposition, and it got very convoluted with different characters wanting to sacrifice themselves over each other, and the whole fae deal thing was still unclear and confusing despite being explained. tbh i was bored for most of it. 

- the first 19 minutes of the finale was an uninterrupted convo between jeremy and francine. that's too long, it's half the damn episode. and francine was doing most of the talking (almost monologuing) and since she's the badguy of the season it felt like a poor choice (or maybe that's just my bias for not liking her portrayal?) 

- anne and thomas going through the portal made total sense and I'm glad that's what happened bc thomas was sick and anne had missed her life BUT that made all the arguments over who should go that much more pointless. the arguments felt like filler, going round in circles with people ignoring each other's sound reasoning. 

- there were quite a few noticeable editing mistakes this season: chopped dialogue poorly stitched together, misspoken words, and dead air that did nothing to set the tone but instead felt like they hadn't bothered fixing. 

closing thoughts: 

i preferred the mystery of season 1. this season was a lot of focus on the how's and why's of all the monster and fae stuff with character studies crammed between, whereas season 1 was more concise in the investigation and character focus and there was always room to wonder what was going on (i preferred that) but there was also room for the narrative to breathe; season 2 is crowded. it's a lot of fast dialogue and info dumping, a lot of characters - some interesting, some annoying, a few pointless. I'd listen again for clarity and enjoyment of particular scenes and dynamics, but more often than not i found myself confused, left with more questions than answers, and therefore not being able to enjoy the journey. there were definite high points, including the many monster cameos, but it lost that eery feel that season 1 did so well; this season felt like multiple genres rolled into one with all of them fighting for dominance - horror, fantasy, drama, mystery - whereas season 1 melded themes and genres effortlessly. season 2 also didn't have the emotional chords that season 1 played so beautifully (I'm looking at you, emotional jeremy realising his whole life was a lie) the finale should've been a tear-jerker, it wasn't. 

it's always hard to follow the success of a first season, especially when the second decides to explain all the mysteries season 1 set up - and given how season 1 ended there was a lot that needed explaining. unfortunately (for me) the story felt caught up in the details and yet it explained things without explaining things leaving me wanting for clarity that never came. often it didn't bother setting the tone (or an intriguing tone) and more characters meant less misha which is always disheartening. 

i'm looking forward to season 3 with papa!jeremy(?) and fae realm content (I'd love more fae) i just hope they can recapture the thematic feel of season 1 (it can be a different vibe but it has to permeate the narrative) and refocus on our main folk (jeremy, vippin, anne, thomas, olivia) instead of introducing too many new characters and elements that will steal more scene time. 

#Bridgewater #thoughts #spoilers #honest review

[author-a-holmes]

Book Review: The Stray Spirit by R.K Ashwick

I, admittedly, went into A Stray Spirit with some hesitance because it's not my usual brand of fantasy. The magic in the world of Thalis is softer, and quieter, than I've grown to expect from my fantasy favourites, and yet…

It works.

It works beautifully. So much so that by the time I'd realised I'd fallen in love with the characters, I was already seven chapters into this masterfully woven adventure. R.K Ashwick weaves the story through your head much like the lutesong that our protagonist, Emry Karic, plays at the Red Rat inn.

Emry is kind, and relatable. He has goals that anyone can empathise with and understand, and a backstory I was eagerly waiting to discover as the tale progressed.

Cal is headstrong, stubborn, intelligent, and a perfect companion to work alongside Emry, balancing out his character. I can see their character developing even more beautifully as the series progresses and I can't wait to see where she goes next.

Aspen is an absolute sweetheart. They stole my entire soul the moment they caused trouble with Stef in a fabric store. If you've read the book, you know exactly the scene I'm talking about. It painted such a vivid picture of innocent mischievousness, I laughed aloud, and if you don't know the scene I'm talking about, then you should absolutely pick up this book and find out!

This is an entirely enchanting tale, with enough adventure and tension to keep you engaged, while weaving affection for the characters through every line you read.

A truly beautiful piece of writing. I wasn't intending to purchase a copy in paperback, but now I've finished it I think I'm going to have to (I have, in fact, already put my order in!). It would be a crying shame not to add this book to my shelves, and I'm eagerly awaiting more stories of Emry, Cal and Aspen in the future.

#Book Review #Arc Review #The Stray Spirit #R.K. Askwick #Ashen-crest #Honest Review #5* Review #Emry Karic #Aspen #Low Fantasy #Ari Speaks #Arista Speaks #Ari Reviews #Arista Reviews #Indie Authors #Indie Author #Cozy Fantasy