Hello, all!
I recently finished watching the Netflix original television show, The Punisher. I want to talk about the show a bit without giving any spoilers. Well, not really.
I thoroughly enjoyed it for a few different reasons. For one, people died, even main characters for no reason. This show is about military conspiracies and cover-ups, so you can bet your ass there was plenty of gunfire and hand-to-hand combat. The thing is, so many movies and TV shows are afraid to kill off characters right from the start. Usually, you want to have an elaborate backstory or reasoning as to why they were killed. The thing is, it isn't always like that in real life. Some people are just in the wrong place at the wrong time and you are given little time to grieve in that moment.
The main reason I loved this show was because it drew parallels to my favorite graphic novel of all time: The Crow by James O'Barr. Now, I have not read Marvel's The Punisher comics, but I was familiar with the story itself before watching the show. Frank Castle is a soldier who was back home with his family when they were all gunned down right in front of him. His wife and two kids, gone in the blink of an eye. This begins a cycle of revenge that soon appears to be never ending.
The Crow is also about revenge for a lost loved one. Eric Draven witnesses his girlfriend's murder before dying himself. He later comes back from death as The Crow, an agent of revenge.
Now I am a sucker for a good revenge story, but what makes these two stories so special is the way they show the main character's suffering. Frank Castle and Eric Draven both go to extremes for their revenge, leaving pools of blood and dead bodies in their wake. They don't care about consequences. They don't care about right and wrong or crossing the line. In most cases, this would make them more of a villain than a hero. The truth is, they are more of an anti-hero: someone who doesn't do the morally right thing, but someone you can relate to and root for nonetheless.
Why relate to savage killers? With The Punisher, we are shown the world through Frank's eyes. Every day, he wakes up after dreams of his family. Whether they are pleasant memories, nightmares, or a cruel mix of both, it doesn't matter. We see how his loved ones are never far from his thoughts. He relives his pain over and over, again and again, and all he wants is his own form of justice since the system failed him.
The same is true with Eric Draven. Between scenes of violence, we are shown his memories of Shelly, the greatest love of his life. Even after his own death, he mourns her still and we are given every painful detail of his suffering.
This suffering is what makes these characters so relatable. Even as they break bones and fill men with bullets, we can't help but to root for them. The line between right and wrong is blurry, for sure, but these emotionally gutted individuals still elicit sympathy from the audience.
And last but not least, The Punisher is a new favorite because Jon Bernthal is an amazing actor that played the part so beautifully, that I was often trying not to sob out loud. His performance was powerful and moving. Plus, you know, eye candy!
I recommend this show to anyone who loves their action fast, their violence hard-core, and their hearts being ripped to shreds with those deep feels.
After having read very little in February, I tried to make up for it in March by reading a lot. A lot for a busy person like me, anyway. I read twelve books last month! The best part is, I thoroughly enjoyed every single one of them. Nothing under four stars this month!
I read more trade books than indie books this month so I will only be posting reviews for indie books in the YA or adult market. The children's books I read are reviewed on my other blog.
Jade
by Rose Montague
Rating: 4 Stars
Review:
Action packed and fun! I loved the tone of this book and how Jade's true
nature is kept a mystery for a time. A real page turner.
My only
complaint is the pacing. It was a tad fast for my taste, I would have
liked to slow it down and see more of the initial spark between Jade and
Jane, let that romance build more.
Great read!
To purchase this title, find it on Amazon here.
Demon Within
by Julie Nicholls
Rating: 5 Stars
Review:
I couldn't put it down!
This story was exactly what I look for in a
romance. The author took her time introducing us to each character,
leaving a bit of mystery to be discovered along the way while letting
the reader become emotionally invested in their own stories. The action
was exciting and the romance sizzling. Some twists were predictable,
others less so, but all done so well that it felt genuine.
A great read that hooked me, reeled me in, and left me wanting more.
To purchase this title, find it on Amazon here.
Five Seven Five
by C. E. Wilson
Rating: 5 Stars
Review:
This story sucked me in from page one!
A colony that lives
underground. Strict enforces of the rules, rules that no one really
understands. A girl curious about the world above. A death that will
change everything.
I couldn't help but to root for White from the
start. Her character is flawed, headstrong, and endearing, everything I
love in a protagonist. The vivid details and original story line made
this book very hard to put down! Excellent read.
To purchase this title, find it on Amazon here.
Stake Out
by Lily Luchesi
Rating: 4 Stars
Review:
A great start to a promising series!
A killer on the loose, a doomed
romance, and paranormal creatures functioning in modern society make for
an exciting story. It has issues that usually accompany an author's
first book like head-hopping confusion and showing versus telling, but
the story itself shines through. I enjoyed the bit of mystery and
romance just as much as the action and fight scenes.
Very well done and can't wait to read the sequel!
To purchase this title, find it on Amazon here.
A few other books a read include Hollow City, the sequel to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Excellent book, can't wait to read the third and final story! The Sandman Volume 9, which, geezus, almost killed me with that ending. I also finished off a manga series I started reading many years ago, Descendants of Darkness (Yami no Matsuei).
All in all, it was a great month for reading!
Ah, the month of love. Or the month where people in love go out of their way to make single people feel like crap. However you want to look at it.
I got a new cell phone for Valentine's Day (Yay!) and my husband and I went out to eat at Cheddar's, where I'd never eaten before. The food was good, I love my new toy, and all in all it was a decent Valentine's Day. (I gave my husband a PS4 and two games to go with it. He just about shit bricks when he saw it. He even did a little happy dance.)
I bought myself a box of Whitman's Samplers too and didn't hesitate to wolf those delicious morsels of nirvana-reaching bliss down in a matter of days. Let's just say, I like chocolate.
I've been reading a lot of books this month. No really, a lot. I started off by finishing a manga, Death Note Volume 1. I'd been meaning to read this series for years and finally got around to it. I hope to read the rest pretty soon, there are eleven more volumes and I know I'll enjoy them as much as the first. Next, I finished reading the September/October 2014 volume of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction that my brother subscribed me to as a birthday present last year (thanks Kyle!). It always takes me longer to read a compendium of short stories than it does a full length novel because I like to sit back and dwell on each one for a while before moving on to the next. As with most fantasy and science fiction magazines, I found these short stories to be well written and often containing better plots than full length novels I've read.
I stayed up an entire night earlier this month to read Shadow's Claim by Kresley Cole. It was a great read but honestly, not one of her best. It was hot and steamy, to be sure, but it felt a bit rushed compared to her other works. Her original Immortals After Dark series is better, methinks. On Valentine's Day I finished reading The Walking Dead Compendium 2. Oh, how I love those comics! The drama! The gore! Awesome stuff that I can't get enough of.
And then on the 19th, I read two books in one day. They were pretty short so it was no biggie. I had ordered Kaichou Wa Maid-Sama Volume 6 and it finally came in the mail. This is a manga series I started years ago and adored. I don't often watch shoujo anime but I will read the crap out of a shoujo manga. And as expected, it was wonderful. Funny, cute and heartwarming, just as I expected. The other book I read that day was called Curses and Kisses by Channing Harris. Another sweet, humorous story about Valentine's Day and the poor chick who's cursed to have a horrible one every year. It was pretty short but packed full of steamy fun.
So yeah, lots of reading and the month isn't even over yet. I plan on completing at least two more books before February draws to a close. The shortest month of the year just might be my most productive when it comes to checking books off my to-read list. That says a lot considering I'm also beta reading for someone and editing my own novels pretty much every day. Not to mention those four kids running around raising hell and stealing my heart. I like to keep myself busy!
By the way, I'd recommend every book in this blog to you guys. Check them out!
