Movie Review: The Scorch Trials (Maze Runner 2)

Movie Review

Title: The Scorch Trials (Maze Runner 2)

Starring: Dylan O’brien, Ki Hong Lee,

Thomas Sangster, Kaya Scodelario

Director: Wes Ball

Show date: September 9, 2015

Rating: 6/10

It was an impulse motive to go watch Scorch Trials last Saturday, been meaning to watch it but a friend ditched me on uni so I had to wait. I went to the bookstore first, and I met a friend there and we went together to watch. We didn’t make it to the start but we missed a few minutes because we were late.

I’ve read the book about 3 years ago and I must have forgotten so many things because I didn’t re-read it and I might have a few recollection of the things that had happened. All I know is that I don’t hate Teresa and I was never Team Brenda and Aris.

The first thing we’ve seen was the Gladers being chased by Cranks. No, shucks, klunks and slintheads (referring to people who haven’t read the book yet) those aren’t Zombies, they’re called Cranks, where the flare virus had gotten to their system and slowly ate away their brain and humanity. They move impossibly fast huh. I don’t remember that in the book, but anyway they’re real creepy your skin will crawl. Consider yourself warned.

The dessert was there yes, they’ve got to leave friends behind like Winston, Frypan etc. And for the readers that probably hurt. The scene where they met Brenda, and oh by the way, she’s not really good-looking here and I kind of doesn’t like the actress that played her. But I remember Jordan (feel free to correct me) I’m not sure if I got his name right but I’m pretty sure he isn’t Brenda’s father. They probably screwed that up. Yes, I still remember Tom kissing Brenda at the party and saying “You will never be her”. And in case you didn’t know Clary form the TMI TV series, Missandei from Game of Thrones and Petr Baelish are all in this movie. Strange and amusing fandom crossovers.

Teresa didn’t betray them, FYI. She only did what she has to do for WICKD not to explode Thoma’s brain. They got him and he doesn’t know that. He doesn’t even remember his past that it was his idea of the maze, the scorch and the cure. It was his fault in the first place but he doesn’t remember. How could he understand? He doesn’t understand that she loves him so much she has to risk him and herself to protect Thomas and her friends. But still Thomas will turn to Brenda as if what all Teresa did was all wrong. And I kind of hate him for that. Don’t you dare judge Teresa.

Good thing there are Newt and Minho in here or else I wouldn’t watch it. They have always been my babies. It always pains me to think about Newt. It’s just- Oh anyway the movie effects was brilliant. I give them that but it wasn’t enough to portray the book right. While watching I couldn’t put things into place, it’s jumbled and from what I read it just made me more confused. Scorch isn’t an amazing movie for me, it's just good.

ARC Review: What We Saw by Aaron Hartzler

Title: What We Saw

Author: Aaron Hartzler

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publication Date: September 22, 2015

Rating: 5/5 stars

I received a copy of this book for review from HarperCollins International. Many thanks to them for entrusting me the advanced readers copies (ARCs) of the books they publish and believing in me that I will make a good book review to encourage more readers and share the book love to people. All thoughts on this review are my own.

Let me start this book review by telling you that this is a very, very important book and that it made me cry in the middle of the day.

I started reading the book when I went to bed. I thought the book will be published by Sept. 15 as printed on the release date of my ARC copy, so I had to read and draft a review by today. Turns out when I googled it and checked it on twitter, It’ll be out by the 22^nd instead. But I don’t regret reading this book earlier than what I intended, in fact I want you to pre-order the book now because this book is seriously one of the most important releases of 2015 and it shouldn’t just go unread. I read this book in only one sitting and I don’t regret it.

Amazing how some few words printed on a paper can make your heart break, can change how you feel about things, can make you cry tears. It had been a long time since a book made me cry. I can’t even remember the last time. But amazingly this book did. Kate is an amazing character. I don’t even know how I should describe her. She is not the naïve girl. She figures out the truth, no matter how much the truth would hurt her and still does the right thing. She’ll make you laugh, she’ll make you cry and most of all she’ll make you have trust issues to people. But then again things nothing is exactly how they see, the closer you look, the more you’ll see. It’s just so amazing and so overwhelming that there are still people like Kate and her family that knows to do the right thing. Morally acceptable and humane.

This book is such a brilliant comparison to reality. After all it’s based on true-to-life events. Maybe that’s why. The friendship on this book is actually friendship and squad goals. Rachael was so funny I loved her, but in the end they didn’t stick with her until the end. And I loved Ben, the love-interest; the relationship was perfect, from childhood friends to lover. And yet, one single lie, one small seismic shift like Kate is always saying-can change everything-can even ruin what most people think as perfect. I don’t know what to feel about Ben about abandoned friendships and ruined lives and after I’ve read this book. There are just too many emotions.

This book gives a specific lesson to the guys, and the girls. This is why it is so important. Rape shouldn’t be taken lightly. Girls don’t deserve anything such. Guys always have an option. It goes on. But the most important thing is sometimes we don’t have to keep things we saw only for ourselves. If we see people being abused we have the right to go against it. We don’t cower in fear from people who has influence in such things and just let them go on continually abusing and stepping on rights of other people. We have to see past the storm. We have to see ourselves in the victim’s shoes and do certain precautions. We don’t shut up about all things wrong, we speak up, we fight for what’s right, we fight back.

Now get going and pre-order the book or mark your calendars. Out September 22. What We Saw by Aaron Hartzler. Once again this book is so important you need it in your life. Afterwards share it to people.

ARC Book Review: Dreamland by Robert Anderson

Title: Dreamland

Author: Robert L. Anderson

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publishing Date: September 15, 2015

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

 

I received an advance copy of this book for review from HarperCollins International. I thank them a lot for entrusting me the advanced readers copies (ARCs) of the books they publish and believing in me that I will make a good book review to encourage more readers and share the book love to people. All thoughts and words on this review are my own.

Synopsis:

            Odea Donahue has been able to travel thorough people’s dreams since she was six years old. Her mother taught her three rules of walking: Never interfere. Never be seen. Never walk the same person’s dreams. Dea has never broken the rules.

          Then a mysterious new boy, Connor, comes to town. For the first time in her life, Dea feels normal. But as she is increasingly drawn to Connor’s dreams-and nightmares-the boundary between worlds begins to deteriorate, putting everyone she loves in danger.

Favored Quote:  “Maybe everyone was carrying ugly monsters and dark little corners, nightmares and broken pasts.”

This wasn’t really a new concept of a book that I’ve read. It is kind of the same with Sleep No More by Aprilynne Pike. Though not as much. But walking in people’s dreams to find out the killers and to solve the mystery it is like that.

Dea may be weird, yes. Her life is. Her mom is. Her friend-Gollum-is too. Good kind of weird, with a huge reason behind it. She had spent her life running from something she doesn’t exactly know what they’re running from. She was tired of running and everything and decided she wants to experience what are real teenager was supposed to be like, to be doing, to be experiencing. I’ve decided that Dea is one of the characters in books where she’ll do everything to find out the truth, no matter how hard and brutal it is. She’s also the kind that does everything for the few people she loves. No matter what comes the cost.

Connor is the boy next door, and the love interest that in the first seems to be like freaked out and detached of the girl’s secrets once she’d revealed them already to him but deep inside he doesn’t care because why? He had getting a hang of loving her. Also Gollum is the perfect book sidekick best friend.

Aeri, though is the character I sought after the most. I’m rooting for him. He’s the literal dreamboy from the literal dream world. The kind guy who makes the girl confused and wonder if she had liked a guy in default. The kind that makes the girl, have no control of her heart, mind and body. These are my kind of fictional guys.

So, the plot was steady and really intriguing. You have to read, and try not to stop for the anticipation of what’s coming next. Robert did his trick to-slowly but surely unfold and reveal what comes next. It won’t be a shock on the plot twists because everything will just fit and click in to place. Its theme is fiction, suspense, mystery and love rolled into one dream, one book. It’s been a while since I’ve read a happy ending from a book, even if it’s only in a dream. If you’re a very much reader on mystery I insist that you read this book. You’ll like it like I did.