Allegiance of Honor (Psy-Changeling, #15) by Nalini Singh Review

The “unparalleled romantic adventure”* of Nalini Singh’s New York Times bestselling series continues as a new dawn begins for the Psy-Changeling world…

The Psy-Changeling world has undergone a staggering transformation and now stands at a crossroads. The Trinity Accord promises a new era of cooperation between disparate races and groups. It is a beacon of hope held together by many hands: Old enemies. New allies. Wary loners.

But a century of distrust and suspicion can’t be so easily forgotten and threatens to shatter Trinity from within at any moment. As rival members vie for dominance, chaos and evil gather in the shadows and a kidnapped woman’s cry for help washes up in San Francisco, while the Consortium turns its murderous gaze toward a child who is the embodiment of change, of love, of piercing hope: A child who is both Psy…and changeling.

To find the lost, protect the vulnerable—and save Trinity—no one can stand alone. This is a time of loyalty across divisions, of bonds woven into the heart and the soul, of heroes known and unknown standing back to back and holding the line. But is an allegiance of honor even possible with traitors lurking in their midst? (via Goodreads)

It’s more like 2.5 stars. This was an oddball, equal parts interesting and downright boring. Allegiance of Honor reads more like a very long epilogue and in a way it is. With this book, Singh closes the chapter on the previous changeling packs and sets the stage for new players, both changeling and Psy.

Sadly, most of the new players lack the interest that the previous lot generated. With the exception of BlackSea, the other packs are far from interesting. Besides, if you to widen the world, why not focus on another predator changeling packs, why do we have to go back to another pack of leopard changelings? I love DarkRiver but seriously, there are other predators Singh could have focused on. Why not Bears, Tigers or even Lions? Enough with the panthers and leopards!

Also, did we really have to revisit every pair through the course of this one book? Was that really necessary? This is where the bulk of the problem lay. Some of the pairs were a lot of fun (Lucas and Sasha, Drew and Indigo, Mercy and Riley etc) but there were others that were just a drag even in their own books. There were yet others that I simply didn’t care about. Case in point, Xavier and Nina, I cannot tell you how arduous those letters and his chapters were. Also, there were such long recaps every time we visited another couple, I didn’t need that. They slowed the pace of the narrative which was pretty slow to begin with.

Then there was the mystery of the missing BlackSea changeling. That may have been interesting in the beginning, but it dragged on for too long and lost all steam. The same is true for the Consortium and the people who wanted Lucas and Sasha’s daughter, Naya, kidnapped. Misdirection is good but plant too many and the mystery loses all appeal. Especially once it became clear that the Consortium is being set up as the big bad for the new set of protagonists and Singh wasn’t giving any meaningful resolution for the Consortium in Allegiance of Honor.

I’ve been losing interest in the series and this book only made that more apparent to me. The new characters are far from interesting, with the exception of BlackSea. I liked Miane. I can’t say the same for the other panther/leopard pack alpha, I wish a gave a fuck, sadly I don’t. For now, I’ll wait for the next Guild Hunter book and hope that helps. This was just such an epic disappointment.

Penny Dreadful Season 3 Finale

So, I just finished watching the season 3 finale for Penny Dreadful and rarely am I so riled up by what I see on TV. The show has been building a couple of themes throughout its 3 seasons, among them that Vanessa might have darkness in her soul but she will always gravitate towards the light. This is something that has been explicitly stated at various times by various characters and also showcased through Vanessa’s actions.

Season 3, however proved to be her biggest challenge. But even then, she took steps to claw her way back to the light. She saw a psychotherapist in order to get better, she took a chance on a relationship, she ventured out into the world once more.

But it was all for naught. With the end of the season (and arguably the show) the writers let her succumb to that darkness and not only that, the season finale saw the death. It was such an anticlimactic moment for a powerful character. One who never apologised for who she was and who always strove to be better. What did it mean that she fell for the allure of the darkness when she fought against it her entire life. Far from being cruel and bitter, she stayed kind and loved with all of her heart. With what the writers did in the finale, they stripped away her character of everything that made her who she was. Vanessa Ives lost and the writers did that to her.

In the midst of all this chaos surrounding Vanessa, let us not forget Lily and her treatment on the show. Brona was murdered and then came back as Lily and she rebelled against everything that Victor and the society wanted her to be. She fought against the chains that bound women across social lines. She was the fury, the vengeance against what had been and what was happening to the women, their treatment at the hands of men. She was far from perfect, but in her we had a mouthpiece that voiced opinions that were extreme but needed to be voiced nonetheless. And what did the writers do? They once again put her at Victor’s mercy, her murderer. Yes, murderer, sure Brona was dying but she didn’t ask Victor to kill her, to end her suffering, he did that all on his own and for his own selfish ends. Let’s not give him credit where none is due. He wanted to play god and he wanted to save his own skin. Too bad, this experiment worked a little too well.

For a show that I loved for its treatment of women, the finale has left me feeling disappointed and frustrated and not to mention, deeply upset. After being with these characters through the course of 3 seasons, to see them treated so shoddily, just leaves a bad taste in the mouth and completely sullies the show and what it meant for me.

It is strange day indeed when I need to watch Game of Thrones in order to feel better, it is doing a stellar job with its female characters after going so wrong for so long.. Let me say no more, lest I jinx that. For now, I will revel in the greatness that is Sansa Stark.

The Long Game (The Fixer #2) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes Review

Tess Kendrick, teen fixer extraordinaire, returns in a pulse-pounding thriller about a deadly conspiracy at the heart of Washington.

For Tess Kendrick, a junior at the elite Hardwicke School in Washington D.C., fixing runs in the family. But Tess has another legacy, too, one that involves power and the making of political dynasties. When Tess is asked to run a classmate’s campaign for student council, she agrees. But when the candidates are children of politicians, even a high school election can involve life-shattering secrets.

Meanwhile, Tess’s guardian has also taken on an impossible case, as a terrorist attack calls into doubt who can–and cannot–be trusted on Capitol Hill. Tess knows better than most that power is currency in D.C., but she’s about to discover first-hand that power always comes with a price.

Perfect for fans of Harlan Coben and Ally Carter, the second book in this thrilling series will leave readers breathless. (via Goodreads)

I loved The Long Game. Simply put, everything about this book was near perfect. Especially considering that I started this book when I wasn’t feeling particularly excited about it to begin with. This series is pretty much one of my favourites right now.

What I love about The Long Game (and this series) is how intricate the plot is. There are so many interweaving threads with connections that aren’t apparent till you begin to unravel them and see just how they’re all connected. The plot for this book, like its predecessor, was one of the best parts of the book. It was detailed, layered, complex and very intelligent. There were a decent number of red herrings and while there were clues, they weren’t easy to solve. Like Tess, the reader had to read between the lines and not so much what the character did say, than what they didn’t. You also had to pay attention to the various connections people had with each other. And when you did make a discovery, it felt earned.

Also its narrative is so tight. The entire last act was a whirlwind of activity with constant twists and turns. The closer I got to the end, the more I felt like I was about to have a panic attack. The stakes were also high and they were of consequence, when people threatened to kill someone, it wasn’t an empty threat, they actually carried it out.

The other amazing part of the book were the characters. Almost all the characters from the previous book are present here. And while some relationships have improved, others are still in the process of getting better. I love how well-realised all the characters were, there are a number of characters, apart from the main ones and they are all memorable, easy to differentiate and identify, case in point, Di (do I spell it as Di or DI?)

As for the main characters, what could I possibly say!? I love them, I love the gang! Asher and Vivvie are hard not to love. Asher may always be ready for a laugh but when it counts, he’s right where you need him. Vivvie is the only truly harmless person in the group, but she has a sweet temperament that provides a nice foil to Henry and Tess. And as for the newest addition to the gang, Emilia, I liked her a lot even in The Fixer and The Long Game was no exception. I love that she’s not particularly impressed or intimidated by Tess or anyone really. She knows what she wants and she goes after it with a single-minded focus. This time we saw a more vulnerable side of her and far from detracting from her strength, it only added more dimensions to her personality.

Now, be warned, some spoilery stuff will follow in this paragraph. I liked Henry in the first book, but I was never too fond of him and I always preferred Asher. In this book, I thought he had come a long way from his distrust of Ivy and Tess and that maybe they really had become friends. But that was only partly true. While Tess had started trusting him, he didn’t trust her. He joined a terrorist organisation called Senza Nome and started helping them. He gave them information about Tess and Ivy and possibly about other important students at Hardwick. All they had to do was tell him the all the people involved in his grandfather’s death hadn’t been caught. I can understand he felt alone and that he wanted to protect his family but I can’t forgive his actions. The more I think about it, the angrier I get. His choices got innocent people, students killed. All he had do was trust Tess and tell her that he’d been approached and she could have helped, Ivy could have helped. But he chose not to do that. Sure, he took a bullet for Tess later but only because she was in that mess because of him. Even now, as I’m writing this, I’m mad as hell at him and so disgusted. This isn’t something that can be brushed off. I also get why Tess told him to keep it to himself and absolutely understand her decision to be done with him and that she may understand why he had done what he did, but she could not forgive him. I cannot even begin to tell you how disgusted I am.

Now onto Tess, probably my favourite character in the series but that should come as no surprise. I love her because of her irrepressible attitude, her drive to always know more, though that isn’t always in her best interest. I love that she stands up for the underdog and uses her power and influence to help others. It isn’t easy being her, seeing the pattern, the bigger picture when those around her can’t. Knowing things that she knows she can’t share even with her closest friends and realising that it creates an invisible line between her and those she cares about. She is also more like her mother than she cares to admit but it became very apparent in The Long Game. Like Ivy, Tess was willing to make the tough decisions that others would not and if it meant putting her own life at risk , then she was willing to do that too. But I also loved that she always had a plan, a contingency. Even with everything that was happening, she still managed to come up with a plan that worked. That was impressive. And yet, she is not invincible and infallible. But it is all of those things make her the awesome character that she is.

The romance aspect in the book was between slim to non-existent. The romantic bit was probably the only thing in the entire book that felt a little forced. Sure there had always been a tension between Tess and Henry but there wasn’t nearly enough to make it seem like they were romantically interested in each other. I felt like it had been thrown in just to make Henry’s betrayal seem even more awful. Having said that, I have no problem reading a series that doesn’t have a love interest for the main character, or if the love interest turned out to be a girl (although that seems unlikely)

The adults were all present as well and this time we saw a lot more of William Keyes and even Vivvie’s aunt. Ivy was as awesome as always and just as flawed though she was making a concerted effort to make things better. I love her and I love how capable she is, we need more characters like her who are defined by their actions and not by their gender or their love interests. She refuses to be cowed down by anybody and when it comes to Tess, there is no line she won’t cross to protect her. Adam was stoic and steadfast as always, becoming a more permanent fixture in the Ivy-Tess dynamic. Then there’s Bodie, the bodyguard and friend, another permanent fixture in the Kendrick household and also someone committed to protecting both Ivy and Tess. Plus I love the nicknames he comes up with.

If there was one character who improved in leaps and bounds, it was William Keyes. He shared aspects of his life with Tess that he hadn’t with anyone else. He was the kingmaker and as ruthless as people thought him to be, but he also genuinely cared for Tess and didn’t want her to see him as the rest of the world did, as his son and Ivy did. He wanted to have a relationship with Tess that was free of the politics and undercurrents that permeated his relationships with Adam and Ivy.

I loved The Long Game and it was every bit as awesome if not better than The Fixer. While the book doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, it does leave some crucial question unanswered, leaving the door wide open for a third book. I think we desperately need another book to just tie up all the lose ends. Also, please can we avoid a romantic relationship between Tess and Henry, that would just be awful. I’m sure he’ll redeem himself but I don’t know how anything he did could ever undo the damage of his choices.. Clearly I am still not over it…

Divine Descendant (Nikki Glass #4) by Jenna Black Review

I was a huge fan of the earlier Nikki Glass books and was thrilled to hear the announcement of the fourth instalment. I had forgotten just how fast these books moved and while there were a few quiet moments here and there, they felt earned and there was sense of relief for those moments of respite.

Nikki finds herself in the centre of Anderson’s mess when Konstantin’s email reveals his true origin. The Olympians are out for blood because Cyrus is convinced that Anderson killed his father (he’s quite right) and he want Anderson’s head. That is where the problem arises because Anderson is nowhere to be found. To make matters worse, Niobe , an ancient goddess is out looking for him, seeking her own revenge and she’s willing to sacrifice all of humanity to get to her quarry. All in all, this is not the ideal time to be in Nikki’s shoes.

What I really enjoyed about this series were the characters and the plot and Divine Descendant does well on both counts. The characters are amazing and always and some of them grow in ways that’s refreshing and welcome. Especially Jamaal, I remember that in the previous books I wasn’t very fond of him because he kept giving Nikki mixed signals. But in this one, I was pleasantly surprised to see that he grown in leaps and bounds since the last book and not only did he have better control over his temper, he also had better control over his death magic. Sita and Nikki also had a heart-to-heart which involved a lot of snarling but thankfully no blood was spilled.

Nikki remains a fun character as always and I love her asides. Her irreverent attitude is also always fun to read. Her sense of survival is still sketchy at best since she doesn’t hesitate to get in the middle of gods hell bent on destroying each other and the rest of the planet while they’re at it. But I also like that about her, the fact that she’s willing to put herself in the middle even when she knows that things may not work in her favour. She is also the one who comes up with viable alternatives when everyone else comes up empty.

In terms of plot, it was simple enough yet not too simplistic. The gang was dealing with adversaries much older and far stronger than them and to make matters worse, a number of Olympians old guard had switched sides making things even more difficult for Cyrus. Having said that, I do think that the plot was a wee-bit thin but balanced well enough that it didn’t bother me too much.

The part I was least excited about was the relationship bit, while I liked Jamaal as a character, he sucked as the love interest and I had no interest in seeing Nikki in a relationship with Anderson. Thankfully with the improvement in Jamaal’s personality and the fact that he was finally ready to deal with his demons, marked a turning point in their relationship. Though to be fair, the change was a little too quick, for someone who had been harbouring such deep pain within himself. And while they do reach an understanding where their relationship is concerned, it in no detracts from the main plot.

Divine Descendant was a fun read if a little low on reader involvement, when I was reading the book I enjoyed it but I was in no tearing hurry to find what happens next. Also, while there are no current plans for a fifth book, Black ends this in such a way that there is an opening for another book and I think I would like to read more about Nikki Glass and her crazy band of misfits

A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses #02) by Sarah J. Maas Review

Summary:

Feyre survived Amarantha’s clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can’t forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin’s people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two.

With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas’s masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights. (via Goodreads)

I loved A Court of Thorns and Roses and knew without a doubt that I wouldn’t be able to keep myself from reading this as soon as I got my hands on it irrespective of when the third book comes out. I wanted to finish as soon as possible but decided to savour it instead and for the most part, managed to succeed.

I loved ACOMAF and I prefer it to ACOTAR, mostly because of how much Feyre grows in this one. The writing is evenly paced and while it may a little on the long side, it is by no means dull or uneventful. In fact, so much happens in this that it almost felt like I was reading two books instead of one. The final few chapters were especially engrossing and more than a little painful. All I can say is that I am so glad that it didn’t end with a cliffhanger, that would have been just too much.

My only grouse with the book was that while it is Fantasy, Maas used words that I felt were out of place with regard to the time that this book takes place in. Words like pinkie and prick, to name a few, just felt jarring and we could have done without them. Then there were the flushing toilets. Usually we have chamberpots in the fantasy novels and yet here, flushing toilets, this was probably even more jarring. Did they exist only in Prythian or even among the humans? If not, then why wasn’t Feyre impressed or even a little befuddled by the technology? Just these small things that could have been avoided.

ACOTAR introduced us to Feyre and Tamlin, both as characters and as love interests and made sure that we were very invested in the relationship. Indeed, it seemed like the perfect relationship. ACOMAF turned that relationship on its head. Feyre had changed Under the Mountain. The things that she had to do to free Tamlin and all the other Courts cost her deeply. Not just in terms of her life but also who she was. She was changed into Fae after Amarantha killed her and the other High Lords brought her back by giving her a bit of their power.

Tamlin too, underwent change, he regained his power and became as he was once was, unbound by Amarantha’s curse. But this powerful Tamlin was a far cry from the Tamlin we and Feyre had fallen in love with. He had no problem having sex with her but didn’t wake when Feyre couldn’t sleep and woke up every night from nightmares. She threw up almost every night and Tamlin didn’t even stir. What kind of love was this?

Tamlin was the very definition of an abusive lover. He was controlling and couldn’t see beyond his own selfish needs. When Feyre tried to talk to him, he usually shut her out or lost his temper. Of course, he would then apologise profusely and once again have sex with her, as if that solved everything. Very rarely do I hate a character as much I hated Tamlin and still do. It pains me that he couldn’t see that she was wasting away, that she was barely eating. He wanted to continue treating her like she was a frail human except that as a frail human, she had managed to complete all of Amarantha’s challenges and free the High Lords. She wanted to go for walks, be included in what Tamlin and Lucien were doing and at every turn, he shut her out. He was so condescending and patronizing. And that wedding scene was especially painful, like getting my root canal done without the anaesthesia.

If Feyre was fierce and independent in ACOTAR, then she was doubly so in this one. But she was also suffering from PTSD and without any kind of emotional support, she was drowning in her own pain. Except when she was with Rhysand. He always managed to incite some kind of reaction in her, some emotion that wasn’t full of hatred for herself and what she had done. She was now a powerful Fae in her own right and with him supporting her, she began to discover just what those powers might be. She has a little bit of all of the High Lords’ powers making her something new and utterly unique. What I loved was that she refused to be a bystander, a trophy. She was responsible for herself and after everything that she had sacrificed, she had earned the right to decide for herself.

If you loved Tamlin in ACOTAR, then I don’t have words for what you will feel for Rhysand. He was everything that Tamlin isn’t. He’s dark and the High Lord of a brutal and cruel court, but is he? Just as he presides over the Court of Nightmares, he also rules over the Court of Dreams. The former is a necessity, one that has long existed while the latter is his dream, something he cherishes above all else, even more than himself. More than that, he truly loved Feyre and is willing to leave her be with Tamlin if that was what made her happy. Even though he knew she was his mate. Once he realised that she was not safe at the Spring Court and brought her with him, he never imposed any kind of limitations on her. She was free to come and go as she pleased and more importantly, do as she pleased. He never coerced or forced her into doing anything. Gave her the space and time to heal herself.

He also revealed a past where his mother and sister were slaughtered by Tamlin’s father and brothers after he betrayed Rhys, painting a very different picture of Tamlin. He had always been selfish and weak and that didn’t change with him becoming the High Lord of the Spring Court.

Rhys also had an inner court that consisted of Morrigan (his cousin), Cassian, Azriel (two of the finest and most powerful Illyrian warriors) and Amren, something wholly foreign and one of the most dangerous beings on the planet. And yet, they were free to make their own choices as well and disobey Rhys if they disagreed with him or his methods. This is in stark contrast to Lucien where he refused to help Feyre even though he could see that what Tamlin was doing was killing her. He tried but never very hard.

I also fell in love with this ragtag group of misfits. Mor who had gone through so much and yet was still bright and irreverent, Cassian, who was loud and lovable, Azriel, who was quiet and steadfast and even Amren, who was perhaps the most dangerous of them all and yet still chose to protect instead of destroy. I loved that Feyre shared a bond with all of them independently of what she had with Rhys.

Feyre’s relationship with Rhys also wasn’t instant love. She hated him in the beginning and didn’t trust him at all. That changed over time when she saw the way he treated his friends and the people of Velaris (his Court of Dreams) When she saw the loyalty and love of his friends for him and saw that it went both ways. She saw that he wasn’t cruel and cold but that it was facade he presented to the rest of Prythian so that he could keep his people safe. She saw that he would never hold her back even if he wanted to protect her. Most of all, she saw that he was willing to let her live with another man if it meant that she would be happy. How could you not love a guy like that!?

Now, let’s talk about this thing called agency and how much I love Sarah J. Maas for giving it to Feyre. She was the master of her destiny and everything she did, good and bad, was her choice. And I loved that! It was so empowering to see her come into her own after being in the shadows of pain and nightmares for so long. She wasn’t just powerful, she was a Power and she wasn’t to be trifled with. She could take care of herself and even save others while she was at it. She and Rhys were perfect for each other.

We met Nesta and Elain again and they were, for the most part, unchanged from last when we saw them. I have a feeling that we’ll be seeing a lot more of them in the next book as well and I am looking forward to that.

The big bad this time was the King of Hybern. He wants to break the wall and take over even the human lands. He is ancient, cunning and cruel and a worthy adversary to Rhys and his team. He didn’t feature very prominently in ACOMAF but that will change, I’m sure with the next book .

I can’t wait to get the next book and watch as Feyre destroys those who betrayed her and Rhys. I want Lucien to redeem himself, for the other Courts and High Lords to rally behind Rhys and for Tamlin to get what he so rightly deserves. Sadly, I have a long wait ahead of me and with no cover or blurb, it seems even worse…

10 Cloverfield Lane Review

 

10 Cloverfield Lane

Director: Dan Trachtenberg

Cast: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman, John Gallagher Jr.

Runtime: 103 minutes

I recently saw this film with zero expectations and knew very little going in since I only saw, maybe the first and second trailer. And I didn’t revisit them before I saw the film. It is difficult to talk about it without giving out spoilers, but I’ll try.. Let’s see how that goes.

We start the film with Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) packing up and leaving an apartment. Just as she exits the door, she also leaves her engagement ring behind. While she’s on the road and avoiding her fiancée, she suffers an accident when her car is suddenly rammed by another car. When she wakes up, she finds herself in a basement, with a drip in one arm, a brace around her knee and restrained to the wall. Her captor is is Howard (John Goodman) and he tells her that she was in an accident and he saved her life and she must now stay with him or risk certain death outside.

It turns out that Howard believes that an alien attack has taken place and this bunker is the only thing keeping them alive and safe. There is one other inhabitant of this safe haven, Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.).

What makes this film so compelling is the many twists and turns that come the audiences’ way. Is Michelle being held captive by a psychopath? Is there an alien invasion or is everything that Howard is saying a lie? Are there other survivors? And with Michelle, we find ourselves asking all of these questions and often deciding on an answer only to be proved wrong.

The film also lulls the audience (and Michelle) into a false sense of safety. I say false, because there is always this sense of impending doom hanging over the characters. The film achieves this in part through pacing. The middle section of the film feels slow as the characters have fallen into a daily routine, almost behaving like a family. But you know that it can’t last as new discoveries are made that make you question everything you know so far. (That’s pretty much all I can say without spoiling the film)

What I also loved about the film was its use of the usual horror film tropes. You come across a number of them before they get turned on their heads, often in unexpected ways. As someone who watches a lot of horror films, this was very gratifying.

Now, onto the characters and the actors portraying them. John Goodman was amazing as Howard. The saviour who may be a little unhinged. He displayed so many facets of Howard’s personality that it drew you in one minute and made you wary the next. Sometimes there were subtle indications, just the expression on his face, a shift of expression, not immediately noticeable. Other times, it was more apparent, like the clenching of fists, like he wanted to lash out and was barely restraining himself. But this was coupled with him being almost gentle and caring at times. He was a volatile person but was he evil or the saviour he claimed to be?

Emmett was the loveable country boy, played very well by John Gallagher Jr. He was locked inside the bunker of his own volition because he believed Howard and his theories. And while initially, one is under the impression that he’s nothing but a small-town guy and not particularly bright, when it comes down to the crunch, he’s willing to help even if it means placing himself in jeopardy. Through the course of the film, we find out about his hopes, dreams and regrets that paint a different picture from what we expected. Gallagher Jr.’s performance added to the hidden depths of his character who could so easily have been a stereotype.

And finally onto Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s Michelle. I loved her character! She’s on that steadily growing list of kick-ass female characters that defy expectations and stereotypes. She was injured and tied to a wall, then she was told that there had been an alien invasion and then she finds out that everything that she’s been told so far may be a lie and she’s stuck with a very disturbed and dangerous man. Yet through all of it, she keeps fighting. She doesn’t believe Howard just because he saved her life, she keeps questioning him and doesn’t stop till she sees something with her own eyes that backs-up what he told her.

I loved how persistent she was, she literally never let her guard down and when she found something that didn’t add up, she didn’t ignore her instincts, she followed through and dug deeper and she was careful about it. She never gave up even when the odds were stacked against her. She was calculating and kept planning. It is even more commendable because of the genre where women don’t often have much to do (in the event that they do eventually survive)

It struck me while I was watching the film, just how feminist this film was. And you only need to look at the female lead, her character and the treatment of said character to come to that conclusion. There are no gratuitous scenes of undress or senseless and unnecessary violence against a female character (always looking at you Game of Thrones)

10 Cloverfield Lane is one of the better horror films this year (another film worth watching is The Witch, more on that in another post) It will keep you hooked to the edge of your seat and always questioning what’s happening on-screen. It is sharply written by Josh Campbell and Matthew Stuecken and very well directed, made even more commendable since it is a debut feature for director Dan Trachtenberg. It is a crisp film with nothing except what was absolutely essential making it a very tight and well put-together film.