Book Review: Gravity (The Taking - Book One)

Title: Gravity (The Taking - Book One)

Author: Melissa West

Published: 2012

Genre: Science fiction, Young adult, Romance

This story is about 17 year old Ari Alexander. One night, she opens her eyes and sees Jackson, her academic rival, hovering above her and absorbing her antibodies.

This concept alone might seem disturbing but there’s a perfectly good explanation.

Due to humans’ own destructive nature, earth was driven to a near apocalyptic age. That was when the aliens, known as the Ancients, attacked. Earth was in no condition to fight and therefore a treaty was made. The Ancients help rebuild Earth. In return they take people’s antibodies to help them survive on Earth. So every night at exactly midnight, all humans will put on a patch that will numb all their senses and wait for their designated Ancient to arrive.

Not as creepy anymore right? I personally don't mind the whole aliens wanting to take over Earth thing but the antibody absorbing thing, I still find ridiculous. What I do think is the author purposely chose this kind of relationship so the aliens are not invasive or murderous - unlike The Host, (refer to Alex's review) where humans are cut and aliens inserted. So if I had to choose between The Host kind of aliens or Gravity kind of aliens, I’d go with the Gravity type.

Keeping in mind Gravity is aimed at young adults, I enjoyed it. If I was still in my teens, I would have loved this book. There is your female lead, Ari. A daughter of a commander, she has been taught at a young age to fight and is top at her school in combat. There is the male best friend, Lawrence and then there is Jackson, the love interest. A typical ‘young adult’ love triangle. I have mentioned before I am not a fan of female science fiction writers as majority focus too much on the love side of the story. But in Gravity, this triangle does not take centre of the story. Yay.

It is very hard not to compare Gravity to The Host. The storyline is completely different with the exception of aliens taking over earth and the lead falling in love with an alien. In The Host, the lead who is an alien falls in love with a human. I am happy to say the aliens in Gravity resemble humans and have no ‘physical’ just slight mental differences. This makes the love between Ari and Jackson much more plausible and less disturbing.

(I just had to get that out. This is just my prejudice towards Stephenie Meyer so I apologise to anyone who is a fan of hers. But it’s true, how can anyone fall in love with a bright shiny thing that attaches itself to the inside of a human?)

Melissa West makes a advanced hierarchy of our future which is refreshing. Depending on your parents you most likely will end up with their same title/career. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be what you want. The future is bright and better although there is a certain aspect in the novel that, if ventured further, might reveal a darker place.

I say it is refreshing because there have been a few novels and movies released which depicts the future being dark, dry and uninhabitable.

Gravity is a ‘light’ novel and a enjoyable read. Unfortunately this is Book 1 of The Taking series. Book 2, Hover, will not be out till the 6th of August. If you like to read series in one go then keep The Taking in mind and wait till all books have been published. I am kicking myself for not researching about this book before reading it. I will definitely be chasing Hover up and will add more to this post when I have read it.

Terri's Rating: 3.5/5

Movie Review: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Title: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Director: Timur Bekmambetov

Year released: 2012

Running Time: 105 mins

Classification: R

Genre: Action, Fantasy, Horror

Even the thought of Abraham Lincoln being a vampire hunting is preposterous and they decide on making it a non-comedy. Did it deliver? NO.

For anyone who doesn’t know this already, Abraham Lincoln was the 16^th President of the United States and is famously known for ending slavery. He was assassinated in 1865.

Oh and he hunted vampires.

For a movie like this, I expected action and/or horror and/or comedy. From the trailer, it didn’t seem like a horror or comedy. Even so the trailer looked good. It made the title Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter look appealing...... ok so maybe just appealing to me. I was disappointed. 

Personally I am not a big fan of vampire movies, but I’ve seen enough to know how standard vampire movies are. I know vampires are not real therefore vampire hunters are not real, but in the Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter world they are. The vampires still have super strength etc etc and humans are still boring with no special power. So, how can a measly human boy fight vampires without any chemical/biological/technological help?

We start with a young Abraham getting thrown into walls by a ‘bullet in one eye socket’ vampire to a older Abraham throwing vampires out of trains with no assistance. No ‘super strength biological serum’ injection was used and no advanced technology was used. This does not sound plausible.

I get that most people watch it for the action and don’t mind if there’s no reason to Abraham’s super strength but I’m just one of those people who believe if you’re going to make a movie, don’t make it sloppy.

These vampires are not very convincing either. Be romantic or be scary. The vampires in this movie just confuse me. I wasn’t sure if they healed or were just immortal with a human shell. They weren’t particularly scary and obviously not romantic. (Which is fine since vampires are a type of walking dead. Why would anyone fall in love with a corpse? I don’t care how good looking they are.) It felt like the writer wasn’t sure which vampire rules they should stick by. Vampires with powers or vampires who heal and are scared of sun?

There’s a poor effort to integrate the vampire war with the Civil War (I may me be mistaken about the Civil War). I understand the attractiveness of it. To have a non related vampire story integrated into real history would be fun but this was poorly achieved. This is due to the weak background of the story and the awful editing. One day Abraham is young, the next he has a massive beard, a cane and his famous top hat. The texture of the movie design was probably the only thing that was consistent throughout the film.

Before I forget, Abraham’s wife is played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead... not much else to tell since this movie does not play on romance either.

The only thing I was impressed by was how much they made Benjamin Walker look like Abraham Lincoln near the end of the film.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter has nothing to offer. Maybe if it wasn’t for the bad editing and unfilled gaps, the movie might have had some potential. Overall, it is not worth anyones time unless of course you want to waste time.

If your looking for a vampire movie, please seek else where as these vampires are busy trying to set their own fictional rules. 

Terri's Rating: 1/5

Book Review: Stormdancer (The Lotus War - Book One)

Title: Stormdancer (The Lotus War - Book One)

Published: 2012

Author: Jay Kristoff

Genre: Steampunk, Japanese fantasy, action adventure

In a world where mythical creatures exist along side sky-ships and metal clad samurais protect the last heir of the Kasumitsu Dynasty, a young girl and her father are sent to hunt the once thought extinct Arashitora in the high mountains where no men venture.

This book would be fantastic on the big screen.

This was my first steampunk novel and, oh how I loved it. For the people who aren't sure what steampunk is, think the Victorian age, clockwork fittings, goggles, machines run on steam and hot air balloons. Stormdancer is based in a Japanese steampunk fantasy world. Basically steampunk with swords and samurais.

The story surrounds Yukiko, our heroine. She lives in Kigen, ruled by the ruthless Shogun. It is a city filled with smoke, sweat and death. Yukiko's mentality is just to follow the Shogun's rule even if morality isn't on his side and to stay alive. Her belief is 'one cannot change the world'. Of course what good is a heroine without some character development?

Like any good fantasy novel, the main character is thrust into a situation she does not want to be in and thus allow for adventure and character development. Yukiko is no different. She is stubborn but honourable. She grows into a strong young woman but still carries enough faults to make her a 16 year old. I found her likable and relatable. I don't believe I can change the world by myself and I like the idea of a peaceful life. But underneath my content exterior is a wannabe heroine trying to break through. Also, she can wield a sword as good as any man and *spoilers* talk to animals. What makes her the bit more special than your average fantasy character is her story begins rough and tough rather than being the typical ‘princess’ having to save herself by allying and forming a ‘hero guild’ whilst on a perilous journey. (I use the word princess loosely).    

I enjoyed all the characters regardless of whether they were big or small. Their histories and relationship help give rise to the background story and nature of the Shogun's rule. I am happy to say the romance does not interrupt or cause any indentation in the plot. It sits well for the 16 year old girl Yukiko is. One of my favourite characters is Katsumi. She doesn’t get as much mention as I wish in the book but I think her story is subtly bittersweet. She is a 'more than close' friend to Masaru (Yukiko's father) and carries a sense of sorrow and pity with her love story. She is dedicated, torn but as true as she can be. She fell in love with someone who does not share the same feelings back. Katsumi might be a hunter, but underneath she is just a woman in love.

I do want to applaud Jay Kristoff for creating strong female characters in Stormdancer without them loosing their female identity. This is quite hard to do especially from a man’s perspective. As Alex has mentioned in a previous post, it can go 2 ways. A too strong female lead which leads to suspicion as to whether the writer is doing it on purpose to prove they are not sexist, or a too feminine lead that eventually needs a hero (love interest usually) to save the day.

What makes Stormdancer so great is its thoroughness. The book stays true to the Japanese culture (well to the extent that I understand) but also adds elements of a ‘might have been by-gone era.’

Everything fits in to the story perfectly. Jay Kristoff has created a history and country with its own wonders and faults. There is an evil ruler, the innocent peasants, a conspiracy, revenge, a reluctant heroine, even a religion with its own motto. The introduction of Buruu, the Arashitora and the demons open up the gate way to the mythical world. I look forward to and hoping this will be expanded on in the following books.

The writing is descriptive and simple. Jay Kristoff does not feed the reader too much that can’t be carried out throughout the novel. Only annoying thing with Stormdancer is it is the first book in the The Lotus War. Book 2, Kinsalyer will be released in September this year.

Don't let the foreign words or the late release date of book 2 deter you. If you are looking for a steampunk fantasy book, Stormdancer is a must read. I love this book and cannot wait for the second book to come out.

Terri's Rating: 4/5