Subplots & Storylines – March 2020

Well, this feels weird, not gonna lie. If this edition of Subplots & Storylines looks a little short to you, it’s because of the change I announced earlier in the week. You can find all the details HERE, along with the big reveal of my “secret” project, but as a quick refresher… S&S will continue to be a roundup of my usual book and movie reviews, but the writing/personal updates are packing up and moving house! In other words, they’ll be in my brand new newsletter instead. 😉 The sign-up form for that is now in the blog’s sidebar!

*clear throat* Now that the self-promotion is out of the way, onward to the review stuff! There’s quite the mix of genres going on here….

Screen Subplots

Jumanji: The Next Level

I didn’t have high expectations going into this one, since the previous modern reboot (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle) was a typical action flick littered with some crude humor. But even though there were a few crude jokes in The Next Level too, I found it way funnier overall!

Proooobably because Danny DeVito played the grouchy grandpa who got sucked into the videogame with his grandson and the gang. The ensuing avatar swapping meant that several characters took turns acting with his personality and mannerisms, which was hilarious. (Well-acted, too. Dwayne Johnson as a confused old gramps was pretty great.)

The action scenes and special effects didn’t hurt either! Anyone else love the scene with the swinging bridges?

TV Shows

Once Upon a Time Seasons 4 and 7 // I watched only one episode of each of those seasons this month. Nothing new to report on S4, but the way S7 is wrapping up, I have a LOT of thoughts on how not to write a story’s conclusion. Maybe I’ll have to do a rant post disguised as writing tips?!

Attack on Titan Season 1 // My siblings are all in love with this anime and have been telling me for months that I need to see it. So we started together about a week ago! And my goodness, the first two episodes don’t pull any punches. Looks like I’m in for a BIG serving of feels…

EXO Climb the Ladder Season 2 // More of my guilty pleasure Kpop reality show, haha! I lose track of the episodes, but maybe that’s because I’m having too much fun watching the members of EXO play games and eat amazing food? 😛

Page Storylines

Golden Son // Pierce Brown // 4 Stars

(Technically I read most of this in February, but didn’t finish it in time to review in that month’s Subplots & Storylines post.)

Brutal and terrifying and moving.

This series is becoming one of my favorite examples of how to write a revolution story. The choices are nuanced. The moral questions at times seem impossible. The consequences are messy. You may cut down a tyrant, but will you become the tyrant rising in its place?

I also loved the camaraderie between Darrow and his friends amidst hellish circumstances. Trust, sometimes shattered, sometimes mended, is a big theme throughout the story.

After being surprised by Red Rising, I had a better idea of what to expect here in terms of grit. Maybe that’s why I found Golden Son less of a shock to the system, lol. (Just a warning for more sensitive readers, though: this series carries a lot of violence, some swearing and coarse language, etc.)

Okay, now for a list of random things I liked:

— SEVRO. The little idiot is one of my favorite characters. I got so excited when he and his Howlers made a comeback.

— Ragnar. I didn’t expect to love him, but this terrifying warrior of an Obsidian surprised me with his depth in the end. Such a thematically powerful arc!

— So many character deaths made me SAD, and I fully expect the body count to continue climbing in this series. But key deaths were given a lot of meaning and they were mourned and remembered.

— I saw a friend on Instagram say that Darrow is an INFJ, and after this book, I 100% agree.

— Twisty plot. Backstabby politics. Much cleverness.

— One of my favorite characters went off the deep end and I should’ve seen it coming, but ow, my poor heart.

— The beginning was slow-ish and hard to get into because I’d forgotten about so many characters, but the entire book had this way of sneaking up and doing to ME what it was doing to DARROW, if that makes sense. The names of each segment of the book aptly labeled its arc from loneliness and despair to confidence and conquering… and, well, back to despair in the final pages, because—

— WHAT IS WITH THAT ENDING. Somebody get me Morning Star, stat.*

*I actually snagged it from the library before it closed, so yay!

Whose Body? // Dorothy L. Sayers // 3.5 Stars

It’s been a while since I read a good ol’ mystery book, and Lord Peter Wimsey’s rather whimsical approach to crime-solving made it a fun return to the genre.

There’s a missing person, a body in the bathtub, and a good many loose ends that don’t make sense until the end. As is the case with most mysteries I read, I failed miserably at guessing the criminal. But of course that’s what Wimsey and his detective partner, Parker, are for.

*slight spoiler*
Wimsey, by the way, showed a surprising side to him when he had a panic attack near the end. And the little biographical letter from his uncle shed some light on his past in the war. All of which should prove to have an interesting affect on the sequels…
*spoiler over*

I found the writing style intriguing, in that it depended heavily on dialogue, even to the point of omitting action beats. But the way the dialogue is written clues you in to the characters’ gestures and movements if you pay attention.

The Duchess (Wimsey’s mother) was hilarious, by the way, and played her part in the detective work magnificently. I hope she shows up again in later books.

I gave this one three stars on Goodreads just based on personal enjoyment, but it’s really more like a 3.5 in my mind. Definitely a fun read with some little twists and fascinating moments!

Thanks to Blue @ To Be a Shennachie for the book recommendation! I’ll have to pick up the next book in the series… whenever the library opens up again, that is.

Let the Ghosts Speak // Bryan Davis // Ebook // 5 Stars

I reviewed this one in a blog post last week! Definitely check it out if you like historical fiction and unreliable narrators.

(By the way, I got the release date wrong in that post! The print version actually released April 1st, and the ebook version comes out on the 15th. Now you know you can go order the print version already!)

Oath of the Outcast // C.M. Banschbach // 4 Stars

Good old swordplay, a Celtic-inspired setting, and gruff clansmen make this a great story for fantasy adventure fans!

Rhys was a lovable protagonist with a tortured past, relatable fears, and a fiercely loyal streak that never gave up on the people who mattered most to him. I love that instead of becoming a total lone wolf in exile, he built up a brotherhood of other outcasts who would never leave each other behind. (Seriously, I love brother stories.)

And speaking of brothers—Sean! As a captured Seer and catalyst for a coming war, it was so heartening to see the bond between him and Rhys.

I’d have to say Jes was my other favorite character, with his dry wit and ninja-like warrior prowess. There needs to be a whole book about Jes.

But on to the story itself. This is a tale of swordplay, capture, Druid-enforced torture, rescue, redemption, and the stirrings of war. At times some of the action felt a bit repetitive, but it remained cinematic and… swashbuckly. Can I call it that even if we’re talking clansmen and not pirates??

And a certain spoilery something turned out to have a good twist on the old trope, so yay for that!

Looking forward to the sequel, especially with how this one ended. I smell the beginnings of a redemption arc for one of the antagonists, which is one of my favorite things!

(Claire Banschbach is a friend of mine and has a fantastic bookstagram account HERE!)

Quite the eclectic bunch this month! Gritty sci-fi, mystery, Scotland-inspired Fantasy… Have you read/watched any of these?