Movie Review #2 - Paper Towns (2015)

I am still new to reviewing movies so sorry if this doesn't make much sense. I will however try to post more movie review posts here on my blog. They will all likely be book adaptations at this stage though. 


Paper Towns was actually the first ever John Green book that I read. My original review of the book can be found here. 


I was a huge fan of the film adaptation of John Green's other novel The Fault in Our Stars and so was eagerly anticipating the release of this film since it was first announced, 


I was particularly interested to see how Nat Wolff who played a minor role in TFiOS elevate to the major role in this film.


As with all book to movie adaptations parts of are omitted and new scenes created to help the flow of the film. 


With this movie I am going to talk more about the new scenes rather than the omissions (such as Sea World). 


I loved the singing scene, as (without spoiling it) the song choice had everyone in the cinema laughing. 


The biggest reaction though was reserved for a surprise cameo. 


The only negative thing I can say about this film is that I think a bit of the characters wittiness was lost in the translation from book to screen. Other than that I thought it was a very honest and enjoyable adaptation. 

Book Review #564 - Seven Days by Eve Ainsworth

My Rating: 3/5




Source: Scholastic Australia



Buy: TBD




Goodreads

This bold, compelling and topical story about bullying is told from the perspective of the bully and the bullied. You won't be able put it down until you've reached the conclusion. Jess's life is difficult enough without Kez picking on her – it’s turning school from a safe place into a nightmare. Kez has plenty of problems too but she finds comfort in knowing she is better off than Jess - or so she thinks. A hard-hitting and even-handed look at bullying and the issues facing teenagers today.

This book follows the lives of two teenage girls Kez and Jess. One is a relentless bully and the other is the spineless victim. I loved the split narration as it gave perspective to both sides of the story. 

Bullying is a really important subject and there really needs to be more books in the YA genre addressing this. 

None of the characters really seemed developed enough. The quality of the writing and its style really made up for this though. 

Overall this was a neat, short, captivating read that just fell short on depth. 

Book Review #563 - Thirst by Lizzie Wilcock

My Rating: 4/5


Source: Scholastic Australia


Buy: Booktopia


Goodreads






Karanda Hooke doesn't need anybody or anything. On her way to her sixth foster home, a crash leaves her stranded in the outback with only a backpack, a bottle of water and a faded picture of the mother she hasn't seen in years. This is her chance to escape her old life. There's only one thing in her way... eight year-old Solomon. 



I love survivalist type stories (both fictional and real life) and so I was interested to read this book. 


I loved that it was set in Australia (even if it was the only state I have yet to visit) as being Australian it made it much more easy to relate to. 


The book was a little unbelievable at times especially concerning the fact that a 14 and 8 year old were missing for who knows amount of time and no one seemed to be looking for them. Solomon's encyclopedia type knowledge of the Australian Outback was also a little unbelievable. 


The plot was rather basic. I felt like there needed to be more plot twists. 


I discovered the link between the two children a good 100 or so pages before it was revealed so in that sense it was rather predictable. 

Overall, I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would. I would recommend this book to anyone other than vegetarians or vegans.