We may have been given complimentary copies and/or access for review purposes to any books, products, and/or any other visual or audio media mentioned below. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.
Books: The Ascent & Whispers of Dead Girls
Today, we are talking about The Ascent by Allison Buccola. This book has an intriguing premise. It is purportedly the story of a woman, Ophelia, who, at 12 years old was the only one left when a cult of people mysteriously disappeared. However, the central mystery has little to do with that. It is also rather cliché. The major plot twists are not new and exciting, but something that's been done a million times before.
The whole cult aspect seems like an underutilized element of the plot. Although it's easy to feel sympathetic towards Ophelia, much of what she experiences doesn't seem specific to having grown up in a cult and could have come from numerous sources of trauma that have previously been explored in other books. Thus, the plot doesn't feel as fresh and new as you might think it would. Much of what Ophelia experiences seems to be due to her sense of abandonment, which is a common feeling that many people experience without having to specifically have grown up in a cult to do so.
There's not a lot of romance in this book either. From the beginning, Ophelia's husband is a controlling jerk, and even though she keeps things from him, that is part of her trauma response and not an excuse for him to be so controlling. He never really tries to understand what she is dealing with and help her; he just wants her to get therapy and get over it. He is so unlikable that you never really root for the relationship.
The main conclusion of the story is extremely clichéd and not at all interesting. The conclusion to the mystery of the cult is thrown in like an afterthought in the last few pages. Although it makes sense within the story, it is not exciting either. It would be much more interesting to read about a real cult than this one. Thus, if you're in it for that, don't be surprised if you end up disappointed.
Today, we are talking about
Whispers of Dead Girls by Marlee Bush. Years after the death of Ren's sister, Ren returns to teach in her hometown, determined to keep what happened to her sister from happening again. However, how her sister died is neither the central mystery nor that interesting. In fact, the major plot twist involving her sister is already clear if you read the book's description. Her sister is also part of the story as a ghost, but even that is not exciting, as it seems. It is merely a plot device for her to be the conscience that a best friend would provide to Ren, since Ren doesn't seem to have any friends.
The story is more about what happened before her sister died, although it is only indirectly related to her death. It is about predatory teachers and Ren's desire to protect young girls from relationships with them, particularly one young girl, Olivia. There is also a mystery that involves the death of a student and the disappearance of another, which may also be related to an improper relationship between a teacher and a student. It all connects in surprising ways that actually make the story less likable.
The main character, Ren, is not likable either. She engages in unforgivable actions that render her extremely hard to root for. Olivia also turns out to be not what she seems, and is also not likable or worth rooting for. Some of the least likely characters turn out to be the most sympathetic ones. Thus, the book is a reminder not to jump to conclusions about people. However, arriving at this lesson isn't a worthwhile reason to read the book, especially when it is likely to leave you feeling unsatisfied, sad, and maybe even a bit traumatized. If you like a book that leaves you feeling this way, you might enjoy it.
Movies: Conspiracy of Fear
Today, we are talking about the film Conspiracy of Fear. In a dystopian world where a virus that turns people into paranoid hybrids runs rampant, one man is trying to force everyone into taking a pill that is guaranteed to prevent that, but may also be deadly for some people. Despite the obvious differences between real life and the movie, it still seems too close to reality in a harmful way. Any film that promotes fear of preventative medication and raises conspiracy theories regarding their use does not seem like a good thing even if these things are raised within a fictional story.
The movie is not that interesting anyway. It is quite slow-moving and mostly unexciting. Plus, you never feel like you get to know the characters that much. Even for lovers of violent action films, there is not much to like in this film since there is not as much violence as you might think. It's mostly just boring.
And that's our view. The Ascent is publishing today. Whispers of Dead Girls will publish next Tuesday, May 27. Conspiracy of Fear is available now digitally for purchase or rental.
Tune in tomorrow for Where-To-Go Wednesday.
All images except film images used in this post are our own. Film images have been sent to us from publicists, artists, and/or PR firms. If there is a problem with the rights to any image, contact us here, and we will look into the matter
Posts
ExperienceFirst - Make the Most of Your Visit