Month: October 2013
Movie Review: Eclipse (2010)
What happened previously?
After Bella and Edward’s separation, Bella rushed to Italy to save Edward from exposing himself to humanity and ultimately getting himself by the Volturi. In Italy, Bella came face to face with some of the oldest vampires alive – Marcus, Cauis and Aro – the Volturi, a sort of global government for vampires. They wanted to kill Bella because she knew too much of their world, but Alice’s promise to turn her soon made them rescind on their verdict, promising to keep a close watch on the situation. Edward, who is able to read minds, understood that Aro, a collector of sorts, wanted him and Alice with the Volturi. With Edward’s ability and Alice’s power to see the future, Aro fully grasped the power they could give to him and his brothers.
When they arrived back in Forks, Jacob Black, a werewolf who is in love with Bella, told Edward that if he turned Bella into a vampire, the truce between the Cullens and the Quileute werewolves would be over. It nearly turned into a fight, but Bella managed to stop them with one of her self-serving righteous phrases (“You can’t hurt each other without hurting me”)
Eclipse
Edward (Robert Pattinson) and Bella (Kristen Stewart) discuss his marriage proposal, and her wishes for him to turn her into a vampire. He persists that he will only turn her when she is married to him, but she argues that in the modern world it is only acceptable to be married at eighteen when you are pregnant.
Back at home, her father Charlie (Billy Burke) makes no secret that he mistrusts and despises Edward – with good reason. Bella doesn’t really mind too much, knowing she acted very irresponsibly by leaving the country without even mentioning where she was going beforehand. Charlie surprises her when he tells her that he will lessen her punishment if she uses her time by spending time with her friends as well – meaning Jacob. Jacob (Taylor Lautner), who has been ignoring Bella since her return, is apparently going through a rough time and needs his friend. Bella knows that he was there for her when she desperately needed her, but Edward is appalled by the idea that she even considers spending time with the volatile werewolf pack.
Bella and Edward find Jacob waiting for them at school, and she heads out with Jacob. They have a fight because of her decision to give away her humanity, choosing to become his natural enemy.
Edward and Bella go to Phoenix to visit her mother. Upon her return, she learns that the Cullens and the werewolves nearly got into a fight. She hears it was because both clans were hunting Victoria (Rachel Lefevre) , who is bell bent upon destroying Edward’s reason for living – her. The Cullens and Quileute’s are all dedicated to protecting Bella’s life, and take turns looking after her and Charlie.
Meanwhile, Charlie is very concerned about the murder rate in Seattle. It would seem like a serial killer is on the loose, but Edward tells Bella that it is a new-born vampire army. New-born vampires are difficult to control, which explains the random killings. The vampires are unsure why anyone would create an army in Seattle. They agree that they will soon intervene to prevent the Volturi from arriving and taking care of the situation, and then check up on Bella’s mortality status.
Alice (Ashley Greene) sees a vision of the army heading to Forks, and the Cullens align themselves with the wolves to keep the town safe. Bella realize that it is Victoria leading the hunt, and that Victoria knows enough of Alice’s ability to keep on making decisions randomly to keep them confused.
At the graduation party Alice hosts for Bella, the werewolves and the vampires makes a pact to save the town together. They train each night in the clearing under the guidance of Jasper (Jackson Rathbone), who lived in one of these armies before Alice found him and he changed his lifestyle.
Bella is frustrated by her inability to help. Edward’s family keeps telling her that she will be no help as a new-born, only distracting Edward and endangering both of them. One night she visits with Jacob, and his father Billy (Gil Birmingham) tells them a tale about the Third Wife. The Third Wife was a woman who sacrificed her own life to save the Quielettes from a blood thirsty vampire. Bella gets the idea that she can also do something like that, maybe just less dramatic, but Edward and Jacob both get very annoyed with the idea. They agree to take Bella to a safe location in the mountains while the fight is on, laying a false trail so no vampire can find her. Edward agrees to stay with Bella after she says she is either in the clearing with him, or he is at the campsite with her.
At the campsite, Jacob effectively tricks Bella into kissing him. He leaves afterwards, but Edward isn’t mad at Bella, and even reluctantly impressed with Jacob’s dirty techniques.
As Bella, Edward and Seth (Booboo Stewart), another vampire, stays at the campsite waiting out the storm, Victoria arrives with her sidekick Riley (Xavier Samuel). They are both killed by Edward and Seth. Jacob gets injured in the clearing when he has to protect Leah, a werewolf who was careless in her attack on a vampire. The wolves carry him home when they realise the Volturi are on their way, and knows it is best that no one knows of their truce with the Cullens back in Italy.
Jane (Dakota Fanning), Demitri (Charlie Bewley) and Alex arrive, and they kill Brie (Jadelle Ferland), another vampire who was part of Victoria’s army. The Cullens had offered her protection if she surrendered, but the Volturi point out that the protection was not theirs to offer. Before they kill her, Edward reads her mind and sees that the Volturi might have been indirectly involved with the army – they had hoped if some of the Cullens’ had died, Edward and Alice might have been more willing to join the Volturi. Brie is killed, and Jane reminds them that Aro still waits for Bella to turn immortal.
Bella goes to see Jacob afterwards, and he is in a lot of pain. He tells her that she needs to give him space to deal with her decision to become immortal, and she leaves him. Afterwards, she tells Edward that they need to tell Charlie that they are engaged.
Rating: 6.5/10
The movie and the book had a few differences. Once again, a few fights were included that existed nowhere in the novel. The fight between Jacob and Edward in the tent was selfish and narrow minded of them, as it endangered Bella who was right there in that cramped little space.
The scene where Bella runs away with Jacob on the school grounds were also created, but it worked fine with the movie. The cutting of some scenes was understandable – the movie would have become very lengthy.
I enjoyed that they included both Jasper and Rosalie’s tales. It makes clear why they are like they are. I loved how Rosalie got her revenge on men that had raped her before the end of her mortal life. Jackson Rathbone plays Jasper well. He particularly worked well in the Confederate Army part of his story, and how it showed how horrible the first part of his mortality would become.
The scene where Edward and Victoria finally face off was great. I have to mention that in these books I admire how equally strong the female vampires are compared to the male ones. It is a great source of feminism tucked into a series that has been blasted for being too weak in terms of female power. Victoria is in the end this huge threat, while James and Laurent were but temporary ones. Jane is also this incredibly dangerous little cow, and everyone fears her so much. I thought Dakota Fanning was superb here. It is a completely new direction she takes in her portrayal of Jane – she is usually the sweet, innocent little girl with a cute smile, and here she is a psychotic vampire who loves to torture people, with a cute smile. I loved it.
Book Review: Mushy Peas on Toast (Laurian Clemence)
Book: * 55/100 *
Peas has just broken up with her long term boyfriend Anthony. She deals with her heartbreak with a lot of alcohol, partying and the support of all her friends. She has a mundane job as journalist for a food magazine, and lives under the tyranny of her Sub editor, who seems to hate Peas on principal. She meets Randy a short while after her break up, falling headlong into a relationship with him, even though she isn’t over Anthony. One of her best friends Connor starts dating Gwendolyn, a very pretentious girl. Gwendolyn doesn’t like Peas at all, and Connor initially tries to keep them separate.
Randy and Peas’ relationship gets very rocky. They are too similar, and eventually they break up. Now Peas have to deal with double the heartbreak, and also try to be more mature about things, as her friend Lizzy starts to point out that Peas can be very self-absorbed.
What will Peas do? And will she find love, or learn to deal with being single?
Rating: 7/10
The book, written by Blogger Mushy Peas on Toast, is this miraculous evidence of the power of the Blog. I had perused author Laurian Clemence’s blog numerous times, and saw that she had a published book. I have to confess, I wasn’t overly interested in the book at first. My sister brought a copy, not knowing the author had a blog, and when I read it I was hooked right away. The book is hilariously funny. It is well written, and a terrifyingly accurate account of the fast lives young people in JHB lives.
I really enjoyed the book. I read it after my own break-up last year, and it really helped me organize my mind. When I read it this time around, I cracked myself for the humor and ridiculous situations.
Mushy Peas on Toast is a great read, and I would recommend it to South-African expats who are homesick, people who want to understand Johannesburg better and anyone who needs a good laugh.
Book Review: The Witness (Nora Roberts)
Book: 54/100
Elizabeth Fitches’ decision to defy her mother was a decision very overdue. Sixteen years old and already in university, her every move is dictated by her overbearing mother. What she eats, drinks, reads, watches and wears is either controlled by her mother or a dietician/expert.
When Elizabeth’s promised vacation gets shut down in favour of her spending time as a student at a hospital, she finally puts her foot down. She tries to argue her point, but her mother ignores her and leaves for a conference. In retaliation, Elizabeth heads to the mall, makes a friend for the first time in her life, and dyes her head black. She forges IDs for herself and her new friend, and they head to a club. The club is owned by the Volkov family, who is the Russian mafia. She meets Iyla Volkov, and shares her first kiss with a Russian mobster. Her first night of freedom turns to horror when she witnesses two murders, including her friend, and is shocked when Iyla only displays irritation that the murder hadn’t happened another night. She miraculously escapes the house, and the police picks her up. She goes into witness protection, but once again escapes death narrowly when the house she hides in is blown to pieces by two corrupt Marshals.
Twelve years later, Elizabeth is Abigail Lowery. She lives in Ozarks, in Arkansas. She works as a freelance programmer and is a designer of security software, owning her own business. She is exceptionally intelligent, but her only permanent company is her guard dog Bert. She meets Ozarks Police Chief Brooks Gleason, and her rusty social skills aren’t enough to put him off. Brooks, a previous detective, is fascinated with Abigail. His detective skills tell him that she is hiding something, but that is also obvious by the state of the art security and supervision in her house, as well as her antagonistic nature. As much as he searches, Abigail has made sure that her previous life isn’t traceable to her current one.
Brooks and his mother slowly starts to befriend Abigail, who is still a bit strange, but not rude when you get to know her. Brooks and Abigail falls in love, and when she confides in him, he helps her make the decision to claim her identity and find justice for all those the Volkov’s had purposely, and accidentally, murdered.
Will Abigail be able to stay safe once Iyla and his family realize her intentions? And how will she hide herself once they know how she looks?
Rating: 8.5/10
I cannot describe to you accurately how much I enjoyed this book. It definitely falls into my favorite box. The Witness is the 200th published book by Nora Roberts, and it only serves as evidence why she is such a widely published author.
What made this book so fascinating is that you get to see Elizabeth as a teen, so desperately lonely and confused despite her brilliance. You completely support her in her rebellion, you are a little thrilled that she finds a bad boy so easily, and then you are utterly shocked by the events that transpire.
Elizabeth/Abigail may just be my favorite Nora Roberts character of all time. She is insanely smart and the ultimate survivor, and just unbelievably stealthy and no nonsense.
I enjoyed Brooks Gleason. He is amicable and intelligent and enough of a protector to keep her feeling secure.
If I had any problems with the book, it might have been the ending. I was surprised at how little fuss there was with how the book ended – I expected a lot more drama.
This is obviously, a fantastic must read.
Relevant things right now
Chemistry
My exams are starting this week. I have been preparing for ages but I am still stressing because I am writing the delightful subject Chemistry. It is extremely important to pass because I need this subject to be able to take another bunch next year. Please send through positive vibes!
My eternal warfare with being healthy
I am only focusing on being healthy now. Losing weight is not my main plan right now. I am drinking Decaf instead of real coffee, continuing with drinking plenty of water, and cutting out a lot of carbs. We will see how it goes. I have been excising a lot and am feeling a difference with my clothes. It is exciting, although I haven’t seen a change on the scale.
I’ve had this pic for ages and think it is particularly funny, as many people don’t have a clue how life in South-Africa is. Especially the US Government, it would seem, since they arrest apartheid heroes as terrorists. Nice going, guys!
5 Things Friday: 5 Things happening right now
South-Africa’s multiply disordered government
Our President put his foot in his mouth – Again
E-tolls is a new tolling system on the roads in Johannesburg that the South-African government hopes to implement. It is angering motorists because it is going to be ridiculously expensive, we are already paying an astronomical amount of tax and fuel prices are already so high nobody needs extra expenses.
Mr. Jacob Zuma released a statement saying plenty of unsavoury things about the anger directed towards E-tolling. Read it here. Great job, sir. We know you can’t run for President again but I’m sure your political party is super chuffed with you calling their primary voters backwards. GREAT JOB. I am actually imagining the Democratic Alliance (another political party in South-Africa) hosting a party in your honour.
Watching
I am currently watching Suits now. I expected it to be good, really, but was surprised at how much I am entertained by it. It is cut-throat, fast paced and high powered, and the characters are incredibly sarcastic and driven, and I love that.
Movies
There are finally good movies being released. I love the whole experience of the movie – going to the cinema, getting popcorn, sitting in the dark and watching something come to life on a huge screen. I haven’t been the movies for a bit – mostly because I was broke, very busy and there weren’t any great movies on. THAT is why I am so excited. I’m going to make some time soon and go see at least one or two the next few weeks.
On the 8th of November, Thor: The Dark World is being released here in South-Africa. I can’t wait to see what Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman have done as Thor and Jane again.
Next on my watch list is Catching Fire which will be released on the 22nd of November. Part of the Hunger Games series focuses on Peeta and Katniss when they get sent back into the arena only a year after they won the Games together. Katniss knows President Snow hates her, but will she be able to be victorious again? I am skeptic about the actor cast as Finnick Odair, but I am willing to be open minded and see if they bring the second book justice.
Excited
In a month’s time, I am traveling to Cape Town, South-Africa, to go to the WSPID conference. Cape Town is one of the places I haven’t visited in my own country, and I am honestly excited to go there.
Desperately in need of:
A car,
A new haircut.
Time: For studying, Reading, Relaxing, Sleeping and Watching Series. All these tasks are crammed into the little time I have in the evening, and it is exhausting me. Luckily I am on study leave next week, so I have time then to study.
What’s happening in your life right now?
xX N
Book Review: Face the Fire (Nora Roberts)
Book: 53/100
When Sam Logan left Three Sisters Island, he broke Mia Devlin’s heart. Now, years later he returns, and finds that she isn’t willing to accept him back as her lover. She is still a stunningly beautiful and capable witch, and has built up her bookstore and café to a thriving business. She is part of a powerful circle of witches, who are the descendants of the original Three witches, who created the island to flee the Salem witch trials 300 years ago. Her two coven sisters Nell and Ripley already won their battle with the demon who wants to topple the island into the sea. For Mia to finally beat the demon, she needs to make peace with her own feelings, and forgive those who broke her heart. At first it seems unlikely that she will ever forgive Sam, but then they reach a point where they can civilly discuss their past. She starts to see that while Sam was mostly at fault for her heartbreak, she also was wrong by never really seeing his insecurities or need to prove himself to his father, and smothered him with her ideal image of their lives.
Sam and Mia starts sleeping together again, but she only allows him back as a bed partner, and nothing else. It frustrates him that she is always blocking herself and her feelings from him.
Meanwhile, Mia and Mac, now Ripley’s husband, are researching different ways to disband the curse. Mia finally realises what needs to be done – either sacrifice herself or accept whatever feelings she has for Sam, and peacefully move on with her life. Will she be able to break the curse and love Sam again? Or will she sacrifice herself and let her sisters live?
Rating: 6/10
The book was fun and easily readable, though the end left me disappointed. What should have been an epic show down became a hastily written conclusion to the series. I am coming from a Harry vs. Voldemort world, so perhaps it isn’t fair to compare romance novels to that level of mastery.
Mia and Sam made an interesting couple; though I don’t agree with her decision to sleep with him after a few weeks back in her life (I know it is only a book). Sam seemed the most difficult of all the men in the series, more temperamental and more powerful. I enjoyed him; I just thought he was a douchebag. It was a good idea for him to also be a witch, it added something interesting to the last book.
The book itself was a good conclusion to the series, even if it was a bit hurried and vague at some parts.
Movie Review: New Moon (2009)
Background
This is the second installment in the movie franchise built on Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight book series. In the first movie, Isabella Swan met the vampire Edward Cullen and they fell in love. Edward saved Bella from James, another vampire, inciting the revenge that would bring James’ mate Victoria to try and kill Bella.
New Moon
Bella (Kristen Stewart) dreams that she and her grandmother are in her and Edward’s special meadow. Grandma is acting very strangely, and Edward (Robert Pattinson) doesn’t seem to mind that her grandma will see his diamond encrusted skin. Edward walks to her, and she realises she is her grandmother – an old lady who is loved by the still young Edward.
Bella wakes up and realise it is her birthday. Her dad teases her about aging, quickly realizing that it is not a joke to her. She is depressed that she will officially be a year older than Edward no matter what, even though Edward is technically 109 years old.
No one at school knows about her birthday, except the Cullens. She is ordered to attend a small gathering in her honor at their mansion, and she reluctantly goes. She gives herself a paper cut, and all hell breaks loose. Jasper (Jackson Rathbone), the Cullen vampire who is newest to their vegetarian diet, is immediately ready to attack, and Edward pushes Bella into the piano to protect her, which means more blood all around. They muscle Jasper out, and Carlisle (Peter Fascinelli) fixes Bella up.
It doesn’t take Edward long to dump Bella. He secretly feels Bella is in danger around him, but he tells her he isn’t interested anymore. He and his entire family leave Forks, erasing their entire existence.
Bella’s reaction to her break-up startles everyone. No one truly understands what she went through with him, or that he is truly her soul mate. Her father Charlie (Billy Burke) babysits her for a few months, and tries to calm her down when she has nightmares. When he realizes that she isn’t getting better, he tells her it might be better to move back to her mother. Bella immediately refuses. She can’t leave the only place where she knew Edward. She goes on a girl-date with Jessica Stanley to prove to her dad she is getting better. Bella realizes that when she is in a dangerous situation it brings an illusion of Edward. She gets on a bike with a random guy, terrifying Jessica.
Bella hikes to her and Edward’s special place, the meadow, but finds more danger there. Laurent, one of the vampires that hunted with James, who was killed by Edward, finds her there, and tells her Victoria, James’ mate, is searching for Bella to get her revenge on Edward. He attempts to attack her, but is stopped by the strangest animals – huge wolves.
Bella starts getting close to Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), who is Quileute. He is obviously interested, but she tells him that she will never be able to love someone else. He persists, and despite his relationship wishes they manage to remain friends. One day he disappears, and Bella has a suspicion that Sam Uley, a sort of ringleader to a bunch of adrenaline junkies in the reservation, is behind it all. Jacob persists he cannot tell her what has happened, but that she already knows. Armed with this dubious information, Bella tries to remember, but she only finds out when she has a dream, and remembers what he said about his tribe turning into Werewolves when vampires are around.
Bella confronts Jacob and his pack, and after another werewolves’ angry outburst, the wolf is literally out of the bag. Jacob assures her that they only hunt vampires, and Bella tells him that the redhead they are trying to catch is Victoria, and why she wants to get into Forks so much – to kill her.
Jacob and his pack are on full alert now, and Bella barely sees him. Depressed again, she turns to extremes to see Edward’s vision. She goes cliff jumping, and Jacob saves her from death. They head to her home, and Alice is waiting. The return of her presence is marred when Rosalie (Nikki Reed) tells Edward they think Bella has died. The only way to kill a vampire is when the Volturi – the vampire “government” – is willing to kill you. The Volturi is situated in Italy, and Alice and Bella needs to go there before Edward exposes himself. Jacob begs Bella to stay, but she simply needs to save Edward one last time – she is tormented by the fact that he is willing to kill himself out of guilt.
Bella and Alice arrive in Italy just in time. Bella throws herself into Edward’s arms, saving him from stepping out into sunlight. Their reunion is very sweet, until the Volturi arrive. Alice appears, evening the odds. A very sadistic little Vampire shows up, Jane (Dakota Fanning), and everyone meekly follows her to where Aro, Marcus and Caius are waiting. Dimitri, a burly vampire, nearly kills Edward when he tries to protect Bella from dying because she knows too much of their secret world. Bella offers to die, but Aro senses that she will make a fantastic immortal because her mind somehow repels vampiric intrusion. He gives them a choice – turn Bella, and she lives forever, or she dies immediately. Alice promises to turn her herself should Edward refuse. They are allowed to leave intact.
Back in Forks, Edward swears to Bella that the only reason he left is because he wanted to keep her safe, and he still loves her. They reunite, but have to deal with both Charlie and Jacob. Charlie is angered because she left for Italy without one thought to what her father might think. Jacob has so much reason to hate – not only does he turn into a monstrous being because Edward is around, but also because Edward has Bella’s love. Jacob warns Edward that a full blown war will commence between the two species should Bella be turned, and the two nearly fight.
Back in their meadow, Edward proposes to Bella, telling her that he will turn her into a vampire if she marries him.
Rating: 6.5/10
New Moon is by far the saddest movie of the entire series. Watching Bella’s grief is like relieving a broken heart. Kristen Stewart is a much more developed actress in this movie than she was in the first. Her portrayal of a girl nearly mad with grief is shockingly real.
Robert Pattinson is once again a good Edward Cullen. Those golden vampire eyes are so beautiful, especially on him. The scene where he nearly steps into the courtyard in Italy made me so sad – that expression made him look like he had lost everything in the world.
Kudos to Taylor Lautner for the impressive physical transformation he made between Twilight and New Moon. In order to keep his role, he went through unbelievable physical changes to be able to look like an overgrown teenage boy. His acting is always a bit dodgy – he still has the same acting abilities he had in Shark Boy vs. Lava Girl.
The movie contained a few unnecessary changes to the storyline – Edward and Dimitri’s fight was so not needed. It probably does add more punch to things, but it seems that whenever Edward fights in the movies, he is always portrayed as the weakling. In Twilight, he had his ass handed back to him by James until his brothers showed up. Here in New Moon, Dimitri is kicking his ass very easily. I get that the Volturi keeps Dimitri around because his strength is his vampiric specialty, but during that fight his opponent a 109 year old immortal, and that has to count for something.
What I love the most about the entire series is that it is about exceptional love finding a way. I am not even ashamed that I love Twilight – so many girls try to hide it to get attention from guys. So sorry guys, I love it, and if you have any sense you will at least watch it, because it is good enough for simple entertainment.
xX N
PS: Read my review on Twilight here
Book Review: Heaven and Earth (Nora Roberts)
Book: 52/100
Ripley Todd isn’t like her two coven sisters. She doesn’t embrace the power she has been born with it – she knows the danger it can wreck. Determined to not use it, she is now forced to take another look. The three hundred year old curse is in full force now, with all three descendants of the Three original Sisters present on the piece of land created by the original coven. Ripley feels the power leaking through, unable to hold it back. She knows it is because she unleashed it to save Nell alongside Mia, but can’t blame them.
She is reminded how different she is when Mac Booke arrives on Three Sisters. With his PhD in paranormal science, he is searching for evidence that his theories about the island are true. Mia Devlin agrees to work with him on his research, annoying Ripley as a side benefit. The two ladies were tight as children, but they drifted apart after Mia got her heart broken, and Ripley couldn’t hold back her anger at seeing her friend hurt, sinking her brother’s ship with a thunderbolt. He was unharmed, but Ripley knew that embracing her power meant endangering others. She never told Mia her reasons for turning away from power or from their friendship, and their relationship stays thorny years after the incident.
Her attraction to Mac causes her some distress and anger, as he studies the very thing she rejects. After she loses a bet, he gets an hour from her to interview. They discuss his theories, looking at the curse from all the angles.
The dark spirit intent on destroying the Three Sisters moved from Evan Remington, who is locked in a mental institution, to a reporter who wants to write a book about Nell’s escape and journey. He goes on the path that led Nell to the island. Even though he initially has good intentions, the spirit corrupts his mind and he sees her how Evan saw her – as a manipulative whore.
Mac and Ripley fall deeply in love, and it is a learning curve for both. For their relationship to work, they need to accept the respective course each takes in life, and their beliefs. Ripley makes peace with her power to a certain extent and Mac starts to interview and test her as part of his research.
The reporter shows up on the island, and the three witches immediately know why he is there. Ripley confronts him, and he places her under the impression that he killed her beloved dog. She is faced with her anger, and her desire to kill him. She fights back without violence, breaking her third of the curse. When her Sisters show up they brand the monster that haunts them so that they can recognize him in another form.
Rating: 5.5/10
I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the first book, Dance Upon the Air, but it was still a good read. Ripley is so much different from Nell – she is fiercely independent, loves getting into confrontations, and is brutally straight forward. These characteristics made her dependency on Mac (when she started trusting him) a bit contradictory. Mac is endearing as a braniac who specialises in supernatural powers. I like how he finds ways to prove things that aren’t logical. Their relationship was amusing – Ripley dating a guy that explores what she represses.
All in all, an enjoyable read.
Read my review of the first book, Dance Upon the Air, here
Book Review: Dance upon the Air (Nora Roberts)
Book: 51/100
This is the first book in the trilogy Three Sisters written by my favorite author Nora Roberts. Helen Remington, the protagonist in Dance upon the Air, died so that she could live. She was the wife of entertainment mogul Evan Remington and her marriage was marked with emotional and physical violence. She eventually realized that if she didn’t leave she would die. Escaping her marriage meant staging her own death, and running as far away from her psychotic husband as she could manage.
When she arrives on the Three Sisters Island, as Nell Channing, it is a place quite literally from her dreams. She meets Mia Devlin by sheer luck – right when Mia’s café loses its cook. Nell, a qualified chef, gets the job, and Mia offers her a place to stay.
Nell discovers her power as a witch with help from Mia. She learns that she is part of an ancestry of the three witches who formed the island as a hideout from the Salem witch trials three hundred years ago. Now, with impending doom, the three witches alive must do what their ancestors couldn’t. Nell must face her fears and conquer her abusive husband as Air couldn’t. Ripley Todd, deputy police chief on the island must be able to act her justice out without harming anyone, unlike Earth who murdered in her grief. Mia, the leader of the trio, must face and overcome her own heartbreak, unlike Fire who killed herself in grief for her lost love.
When Nell starts to become close with Sheriff Zack Todd, Ripley’s brother, she needs to reassess her situation. Even though he is a monster, she is still legally married to Evan Remington. She knows she cannot marry an officer of the law with legal ties binding her to another, no matter the circumstances. She confides her true identity in the other two Sisters, and in Zack, and initially he is angry with her, even though he understands that she needed to flee.
An acquaintance of the previous Mrs. Helen Remington sees her on Three Sisters, and believes it to be either a ghost or a lookalike. She tells Evan’s sister, and when she mentions to him that someone saw a Helen lookalike, he immediately makes arrangements to go to the Island. He is sure that his wife tricked him, and already within a murderous mind-set. He is not only now an abusive man, but he is also being possessed by the evil spirit bent on destroying the Sisters.
Nell finds the courage to trust Zack, and contact authorities that will protect her. The week after their engagement, Evan lands on the Island, and starts searching for his wife. Will Nell be able to fight an old curse as well as her extremely dangerous husband?
Rating: 6.5/10
I enjoy this book every time I read it. It is my favorite book in the Trilogy. I always have a soft spot for books where women flee abusive relationships, finds her strength and her happiness. Although I definitely do not think that every woman should immediately turn to another man, it is a Nora Roberts book, so things like that will happen.
If I had to associate Nell with a color, it would be a warm yellow, like her little cottage. She exudes so much warmth as a character, and caring and heart. She is the sweetest of the Three, and her journey to enlightenment is delightful. Zack made such a good match for her. He could be her protector, and he was already predisposed to accept her magical abilities, because of his sister’s power.
All in all, a good book for a good series.
Life of this city girl 