Review: Reagan Youth by Rick Remender

Title: Reagan Youth

Author: Rick Remender

Artist(s): Wes Craig, Lee Loughridge

Genre: Graphic Novel, Fiction, Crime

Pages: 160

Publisher: Image Comics

Year Published: 2014

Format: Paperback Copy

"It's 1987. Marcus Lopez hates school. His grade sucks. The jocks are hassling his friends. he can't focus in class. But the jocks are the children of Joseph Stalin's top assassin, the teachers are members of an ancient league of assassins, the class he's failing is 'Dismemberment 101' and his crush has a double-digit body count. Welcome to the most brutal high school on earth, where the world's top crime families send the next generation of assassins to be trained. Murder is an art. Killing is a craft. At Kings Dominion School for the Deady Arts, the dagger in your back isn't always metaphorical."

My Rating: 1/5

I love trying different graphic novels on a whim. Sometimes those graphic novels are winners and other times, they just aren't for you. This one fell into the latter category. It just wasn't what I expected it to be. It was a lot of drugs, and a bit of killing. I was hoping for those two things to be switched. I doubt I'll continue the series, but I may be persuaded if someone can tell me it gets a lot better. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Title: Gone Girl
Author: Gillian Flynn
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Genre: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Adult
Pages:415
Publisher: Broadway Books
Year Published: 2012
Format: Library Copy (Paperback)
First Line: "When I think of my wife, I always think of her head."

"On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick's clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn't doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife's head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and media- as well as Amy's fiercely doting parents- the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he's definitely bitter- but is he really a killer?"

My Rating: 3.75/5

This was my local book clubs pick for the month and it took a lot longer for me to get through than I anticipated. The story was interesting, but due to already having watched the movie, I found that I knew where the story was headed. If I hadn't watched the movie, I think that I would have enjoyed the thrilling aspects much more. I also enjoyed the writing style, there's something to be said for being able to write really unlikeable characters and still have the reader interested in where their lives are going. That being said, if you have already watched the movie, I wouldn't say that it's necessary to read the book.

Thanks for reading,
Sidny

Spoiler: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

This story was one that was suggested by the shyest member of my local book club. So our meeting this month should be interesting, to say the least. I think that this book had many interesting elements. The unlikeable characters (I think I liked 2 people out of everyone), the thrilling aspect (had I not already watched the movie) and the look into criminal investigations/crime tv.
I think that the idea of having someone be so committed to a lie to commit self-harm was a wild idea but none-the-less an interesting one.

Characters:
Amy: There's no way around it, she's a freaking psychopath. She doles out her own means of justice however she feels she needs to. I kind of forgot all the other people she had lied about and gotten away with before Nick. It makes you wonder if she was able to do this to more people after the course of the novel took place.

Nick: He is another character that isn't likeable. He's not a good guy. He's done some shitty stuff, but the idea that he and Amy are having a child together horrifies me, to say the least. What kind of household would I child be raised in with these two?

Rand: I liked him. He was self-aware that he sounded corny and kind of ridiculous throughout everything.

Go: She's a hard character to keep up with, but she might be the only sane one in Nick's life. Yes, she doubted him for a little while, but that being said she stuck by him through everything.

Marybeth: I didn't like her in the least, to be determined that Nick was the only problem in the marriage might be some of the reasons that Amy had romantic issue (I mean besides her being crazy and unable to tell fact from opinion).

Rhonda: I wish she'd been able to get her guy. But I think that it's safe to say that not everything worked out in the novel we would have liked.

Desi: I felt a little bad for him in the movie, but in the book, he was as much as a jerk as possible. To try to buy someone's love is just pointless.


Moments to Remember:

Final Line: "I think I've earned that."


Thanks for reading,
Sidny