My Plea From The Dark

I watched a movie today.

(irrelevant but it was City of Bones. Let me know if you want a review cause that it a thing I can do!)

Besides making comments about the casting, singing songs that would have been super relevant to the scene and giggling at the puns made, my friend and I noticed a thing. And that thing was that it was really hard to see what was going in.

I kid you not, 1/3 of the screen was, in general, quite dark at any given moment. Yes, I understand that they're in a pre-electricity era mansion and that every single fight scene must be done in the dark and/or while it's raining but do you really have to make it so realistic that it is hardly possibly to tell that the protagonist's hair colour is red, let alone what she's up to?

At first we thought it could be the angle that we were viewing it from thus came the moving around the room and standing on the couch to try and get a better perspective. Which, in retrospect, would have been funny to walk into. It was kind of like Sherlock in The Blind Banker. And in that moment, we were Sherlock. (Can you tell that it is past midnight and I just ate a handful of those mini m&m's?)

well that was quite the tangent

Our efforts were futile and we were subjected to finishing the movie squinting at the screen and having to ask each other what just happened every 46 seconds.

To end this, I know that all the famous movie lighting directors follow my blog religiously so I'm talking to you guys. PLEASE make movies have better lighting. You can make it blue light to make everything seem all dark and depressing but please just give the viewers something to work with and let everything in the shot be visible. We came for a story, not to be awed by the realism of "it's pretty much exactly what it would look like if I was in a cave!"

Thanks.

Outpost Review

cover could've been better.

I don't know why this series isn't as popular as all the other dystopian books like The Hunger Games or Divergent! It is pretty original and really pulls you in. It's also not as fat (meaning around 350 pages) as the previously mentioned books so it's a nice read for people who don't like too many pages.

INFO
Title: Outpost
Author: Ann Aguirre
Previous Book in Series: Enclave
Goodreads Summary:

Deuce’s whole world has changed. Down below, she was considered an adult. Now, topside in a town called Salvation, she’s a brat in need of training in the eyes of the townsfolk. She doesn’t fit in with the other girls: Deuce only knows how to fight.
To make matters worse, her Hunter partner, Fade, keeps Deuce at a distance. Her feelings for Fade haven’t changed, but he seems not to want her around anymore. Confused and lonely, she starts looking for a way out.
Deuce signs up to serve in the summer patrols—those who make sure the planters can work the fields without danger. It should be routine, but things have been changing on the surface, just as they did below ground. The Freaks have grown smarter. They’re watching. Waiting. Planning. The monsters don’t intend to let Salvation survive, and it may take a girl like Deuce to turn back the tide.

I really, really enjoyed this book. It was never slow, you got all the intenseness from the beginning and it kept you hooked until the end. Where it obviously leaves you with a minor cliffhanger.

Regarding the plot, I was a little sad for Deuce and Fade and everyone that things weren't calm for a long while before the storyline got more interesting but what kind of book would that have been.

Regarding the characters, I just love Deuce so much. I am her, pretty much. Minus the lack of knowledge surrounding normal human things and the fighting ability. But her determination to prove herself capable of anything a guy can do and to not be seen as weak is an attribute I have as well. I hate talking about feelings and things like that and don't do it often if I can help it.

Regarding the love triangle, I am kind of glad it is less of a thing than it could be. Deuce makes her choice and though she doubts herself, she's not one of those wishy-washy girls that can't decide between these two boys that normally she doesn't even deserve. (Except Deuce does deserve amazing guys.)

Regarding the fact that it is a second book and doesn't suck, I am pleasantly surprised! Even Insurgent didn't really meet my expectations and succumbed itself to second book syndrome but Outpost steered pretty clear of it! At the beginning, Deuce and Fade were a little distant and that was kind of annoying since authors tend to make the love interest not hang out as much because of some HUGE misunderstanding but they resolved their differences soon enough that I wasn't too put off. And the book did have some content as well, it wasn't just a huge lead-up to the third and final book; actual things happened. So I am pleased.

I really recommend this series! It deserves all the recognition of all the hot and popular books of the moment. And do tell me if you were ahead of the game and already know about this book or even if I have introduced you to something that you love/hate!