Friday, July 27, 2012

Evil Eva Reviews... Trail Of The Spellmans

EvilEva reviews ...... Trail of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz. 

Dissecting The Cover:

This cover is very simple but still conveys what the story is about. It's another Spellman mystery. There will be sleuthing. There may be a lurker. There could be some sneaking around. A flashlight might come into play. It's very Grown Up Nancy Drew!

Let's Review:

Those zany Spellmans are back with even more mystery-solving and family-dysfunction.
Isabel has more cases than ever (some of which have actually been assigned to her.) So she's keeping busy.
The rest of the Spellmans, however, are displaying serious signs of extreme suspicion.
Her mom has suddenly developed an odd obsession with extracurricular activities like pottery, yoga and learning to speak Russian. Her dad is keeping secrets about the family business. Secrets that could directly impede the progress of one of Izzy's cases. And war has been declared between David and Rae. Not that they'll admit why they're at odds.
Further complicating matters, Isabel's boyfriend, Henry Stone, wants her to meet his mother. He also wants to have "a talk." But Izzy's not really into mother-meeting or talk-having so she throws herself into her work instead. 
Adam Cooper wants Isabel to follow his sister. Margaret Slayter wants her husband tailed. The Blakes want to know what debauchery their daughter, Vivien has gotten into while away at college. And Walter Perkins needs someone to constantly check on his appliances to make sure they're properly turned off and unplugged. 
So just another day of sleuthing, drinking, bickering, snarky-remarking, family-tailing, boyfriend-dodging and conversation-avoiding. Or simply, just another day in the life of Isabel Spellman.

Here's What I Think:

Trail of the Spellmans is our fifth go round with the wild and wacky Spellman clan so by now we pretty much feel like part of the family. And part of the family business. And as an honorary PI, we've got a lot of sleuthing to do.
There are enough mysteries crammed into this book to satisfy all you fellow mystery-lovers out there. Not only do we have Isabel's legitimate cases, we've also got some family secrets to figure out. And some relationship drama to avoid deal with.
Really this whole book is a massive jumble of mysteries. Which is good because it seems like mystery novels have become somewhat scarce these days.
But because Izzy is so busy snooping on her family, it leaves very little time for her to actually socialize with them. And that insane Spellman family dynamic is something that I've always loved about this series. So I really missed that aspect. Especially where Rae is concerned.
Rae has always been one of my favorite characters. She started out as a whip smart, sassy 14 year old gumshoe. But book 5 finds her in college and kind of over the whole investigative business. Which is pretty much a dagger to my heart. I thought if any of the Spellmans made the transition from Harriet M. Welsch kiddo-spy to Jessica Fletcher senior citizen sleuth, it would for sure be Rae. But, alas, it seems as though it was not meant to be. *wails and moans in fangirlish fashion*
Another of my faves that's noticeably absent for most of this book is Henry Stone. Which is a fucking shame because I love Henry and totally want to have his fictitious babies.
But Izzy isn't ready for that kind of commitment and so she spends most of her time trying to avoid him. Which isn't that surprising given that Lisa Lutz isn't really known for her blatant use of swoon. Izzy has always been more of a runner than a romantic, things get serious and Izzy is so outta there. I do wish she would settle down a little bit though. She's got a good guy in Henry and it would be awesome if she could see that. 
I mean, I'm not asking for a marriage proposal or anything, but it would've been nice for Henry to make a few boyfriendly appearances. 
So really my only problem with this book was the lack of our usual suspects.
Because Lisa Lutz has done such a great job over the years of endearing these characters to the reader and making them so lovably flawed that we miss them when they're not there. And while Isabel is an amazing main character, this series is really at its best as an ensemble.
My ONLY problem is that I just can't get enough of these characters!
Other than that non-problem, Trail of the Spellmans is yet another funny, foul-mouthed, mystery-packed extravaganza that left me eagerly anticipating book 6.

Swoony Times:

As I mentioned before, I LOVE Henry Stone. I've loved him since the very first book. You know who he's always reminded me of? Luke Danes from Gilmore Girls. Sure, at first he seems kinda grouchy and very no-nonsense but he's also really sweet and caring and you can't help but fall for him with each turn of the page.
But where is Henry in this book? I'll tell you where he isn't--- anywhere to be found. Well that's not true, actually. He is in the book just not nearly enough.
Things start getting a little too serious for the couple, so, of course, it's time for Izzy to bail. Unfortch, we the reader are forced to bail with her. 
This isn't some new development though. It's pretty much a pattern with Isabel. Girl's immune to the swoon. I'm not though. And as I said before, I'd be more than happy to pop out 2 or 3 gruff but kindhearted lil' Henrys.

Bonus Shizz:

Mysteries!
Check the name of this blog, homey, I'm always down for a good mystery! Couple it with seriously sarcastic smartassery and I'm really down.
And Lisa Lutz has got this shizz down to a science.
In Trail of the Spellmans there's no shortage of mystery. And each is as delightfully ridiculous as the next! There's The Case of the Possibly Philandering Husband, The Secret of the Somewhat Wayward Daughter and The Mystery of the Unexpectedly Plugged-In Toaster, just to name a few.

Dysfunctional Families!
Is it just me or are dysfunctional families just so totes fun? I mean, it's right there in the name--- dys-FUN-ctional! And the Spellmans are definitely a dysfunctional family. But that's also what makes them such a fun bunch!
They all have such strong personalities, they're all so individually quirky and that nutty family dynamic is one of the things that makes this series so enjoyably readable.

If You Liked That, Try This:

Bad Kitty by Michele Jaffe.
The Heather Wells series by Meg Cabot.  

The Scale Of Judgment Says:

...... 4.
I love a good, snark-filled mystery! Can this become a new book trend, please?

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Shadowhunters And Mockingjays And Oz, Oh My! (OR Books Into Movies News)


In the past few week, oodles of Books Into Movies news has hit the internet. So let's catch up, shall we?

i'll start with (in my opinion) the most important Books Into Movies news. That would be Catching Fire, of course. 
*A while back there was a rumor that Philip Seymour Hoffman might be cast as Plutarch Heavensbee. Well, now it's official. Welcome to the madness, sir.
*Also cast, Amanda Plummer will play Wiress. i've never heard of her but based on her pic alone, i'm all for her. So DON'T disappoint me, Amanda! 
*Add this one to the rumor pile, Tony Shalhoub is reportedly hoping to nab the role of Beetee. It doesn't seem like anything's official yet.
*Nooooooooo! It seems that Jenna Malone as Johanna Mason is gonna happen. i just noticed that they have the same initials. NOT that that means anything. It's certainly not fate. And so i repeat, Noooooooooooooo!
*Now for the MOST IMPORTANT of the most important news: We finally have our Finnick! Maybe. But let's not celebrate just yet. Put down your confetti, guys. Cos i just don't know about this one. The role has "allegedly" been offered to some guy named Sam Claflin. Who IS Sam Claflin?!?!? Well, according to imdb, which i quickly looked up just now, he played in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (which i still haven't seen) and Snow White and the Huntsman (which i also still haven't seen.) So i'm at a loss for who this cat is. So the next logical step would be: Google Search!!! So i got a butt-ton of images and decided on this one:
Is this the face of Finnick Odair?
What do y'all think? Is this dude who you were envisioning when you were introduced to Finnick? Me neither. But i wasn't envisioning Lenny Kravitz as Cinna either and that one turned out pretty well. So let's try to reserve our judgment for his performance and not just his face. 
*And lastly in Hunger Games movie news, it seems your next 3 Novembers will be spent with Katniss & Co. The release dates for the final 3 movies hit the internet a few weeks ago. Catching Fire will arrive in theaters November 22nd, 2013. Mockingjay Part 1 (yeah, it's being split into two movies. Boooo!) will be out November 21st, 2014. And Part 2 of Mockingjay will be heading to theaters November 20th, 2015.

*Another popular YA series that's had a lot of movie news lately is The Mortal Instruments.
First, check out a glimpse of the teaser poster (which is apparently a thing now, i guess?)  
Next we've got some casting to discuss. The role of Simon has finally been cast and it goes to someone named Robert Sheehan. i've never heard of him (i'm sensing a theme here. Are these Books Into Movies purposefully casting little-knowns? Hmm.) So what do you guys think? Simon material?
*In other casting news, Kevin Durand and Robert Maillet will be playing Pangborn and Blackwell, the disgraced Shadowhunters and Valentine's bitches.
*And in EVEN MORE casting news, the role of Magnus Bane goes to Godfrey Gao, Jocelyn Fray will be played by Lena Headey and Hodge will be played by Jared Harris. Three more peeps i've NEVER heard of.

There's a new Wizard of Oz movie coming soon! And it looks sooooooooo good! It stars James Franco as the great and powerful Oz before he was all great and powerful. i think James Franco is a good choice to play Oz. He's got just the right amount of oddball-osity to pull it off. Joining him in the movie, Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz and Mila Kunis will play the 3 witches. Glenda, the Wicked Witch and the one the house fell on, i guess, respectively. 
Check out the trailer:   



i love how the trailer starts out small and in black and white and then the screen moves out and goes to color. It's supposed to be out sometime in March of 2013.

So what do you think about all this new news? Which movies are you excited about the most? Are you happy with any/all of the new casting decisions? Sound off in the comments and tell me what ya think.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Breaking Down Breaking Dawn: A Second By Second Analysis Of The Trailer For Part 2

What up, you Book Into Moive-lovin'  peeps out there. As you probably already know, the official trailer for Breaking Dawn Part 2 graced the interweb a few weeks ago. While i'm slow to the party, i'm finally here, y'all! So without further ado, it's time to analyze the shizz outta the newest Breaking Dawn trailer.
First, let's watch this masterpiece together. Then i'm gonna break it down for you with my thoughts on what is (mercifully) the final movie in this franchise! (Unless someone gets the bright idea that we need to form a tighter bond with that Bree Tanner chick. *throws self in front of bus to stop the madness*)  
Let's do this shit!!!



0:01 seconds in- "After 18 years of being utterly ordinary, i finally found i could shine." i just had to completely change everything about myself first. Starting with my species. That sounds about right.

0:01-0:23 seconds in- Ok this is just the same shizz you tried to feed us in the teaser trailer. Give us some new stuff to look at, Twilight.

0:27 seconds in- Maggie Grace with her creepy ass vampire eyes would like to report that the Cullens have done something terrible. Yeah, we know, Maggie Grace. They named their daughter Renesmee. i mean, can you even fucking IMAGINE?!?! P.S. Maggie Grace, it might interest you to know that your stepbrother/former lover from Lost, Ian Somerhalder is a vampire now too! How 'bout a family reunion! The Salvatores are waaaaaay better than the Cullens. Trust me on this one. ;) 

0:33 seconds in- Bella is now a sassy vampire. Or as sassy as someone who is constantly morose can be. 

0:39 seconds in- Did Aro raid Neverland? Why does he look like he just stepped out of a Michael Jackson video? Or maybe that Gwen Stefani video? Is Aro now a Hollaback Girl? Is his shit bananas b-a-n-a-n-a-s!  

0:44 seconds in- Lord Jesus! Alice sees some future that's so fucking crazy she actually Drops. A. Vase! Um, haven't you been psychic for like A Bajillion Years!?!?! Seems like things would stop being so surprising if that shock happened to you Every Goddamn Day.

0:50 seconds in- The Volturi are evidently coming all the way from Narnia to see Renesmee. Impressive.

0:54 seconds in- Oh good, the Cullens have recruited what appears to be the "Creepy Uncle Sector" of the vampire world.

0:55 seconds in- As well as some chicks that are hoping Pocahontas will be the next Disney movie to hit Broadway. Maybe they can teach Renesmee to paint with all the colors of the wind.

0:57 seconds in- Jacob the Baby Licker makes a joke about the freaky, stupid vampire eyes. Nice try, Jacob but i'm still Team Winchester.

0:58 seconds in- Ooh! Apparently this is gonna be "The Epic Finale." i guess that sounds better than what i would have put at the end. Which would've been "Hooray! It's Finally Over!" 

0:59 seconds in- Hey look! Vampires can move water! With jazz hands! If a dance battle between the Cullens and the Volturi breaks out, it might just save this movie. Quick, someone get Channing Tatum to step it up!  

1:02 minutes in- The Cullens and their peeps go all Hands Across America.

1:02-1:05 minutes in- Someone gets punched into a wall, people are flying through the trees, there are wolves also venturing out from Narnia. It's So. Fucking. EPIC!

1:06 minutes in- Bella's gonna go toe to toe with........ the Rhythm Nation? Seriously Aro, what the fuck are you wearing?

1:09 minutes in- Aw, Bella has a touching moment with her stupidly named daughter.

1:10-1:12 minutes in- Now let's all run at each other all fiercely and shit. It's like a game of Ultimate Red Rover. Red Rover, Red Rover send DEATH right over!

1:15 minutes in- November 16th, bitches! Are. You. READY!?!?

Well that's it, possibly the final trailer for a Twilight movie EVER. How are you guys feeling? Sad because you actually love the story? Relieved that it's finally over so you no longer have to watch Kristen Stewart's constipated face anymore? Ready for Catching Fire to hurry up and get made so as to wash the sour taste out of your mouth that Breaking Dawn is sure to leave? Feel free to share any and all comments you might have in the section below.  

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

JK Rowling's New Book Look! Plus Books Into Movies Linky-Dinkage

Yes! We FINALLY get a glimpse of the cover of JK Rowling's new book! Which we'll get to in a minute. But first, it's time for more Books Into Movies news! Are y'all ready for all this booky and movie-y(?) (that doesn't sound right.) goodness? Alright, well here we go...

i'll start off with the news that i'm not all that jazzed about, to tell you the truth. So the latest Catching Fire casting rumor is that Jena Malone has been offered the role of Johanna Mason. Are y'all like me? Are you thinking "do huh?" i just don't know about this one. She's not even remotely who i pictured playing Johanna. Although, yes, truth be told, i didn't actually have an actress in my head that would be the perfect Johanna but i know that if i did it wouldn't be Jena Malone. i'm dying to know what y'all think about this news. Do you think Jena is a good choice? Do you have a better chickie in mind? Hop on down to the comments and tell me who you think deserves the part. 

Johanna Mason? i don't think so.
  
While we're on the subject of The Hunger Games, i'm sure you all know that the DVD will be out soon. August 18th to be exact. You can preorder it right this very instant from loads of stores. If you preorder from Best Buy you can get a free District 12 keychain. Target boasts an exclusive 3 disc deluxe set. While Barnes & Noble offers up a cloth poster of Katniss for their preorderers.     

We haven't had any news on the Mortal Instruments movie in awhile so how 'bout i give ya a lil' dish. The role of Isabelle Lightwood has been cast. It goes to an actress by the name Jemima West. Never heard of her but we'll see how she does. Truthfully, Isabelle was one of my fave characters from City of Bones (the only book in the series that i've read so far. i know! Don't judge me!) But i'm guessing everyone is all set to drool over the Clary/Jace coupling. i think i'm in the minority of liking Isabelle and being firmly on Team Simon.
Anyhoo, what do you guys think of the cast so far? Are you excited to see the Shadowhunters hit the big screen? Tell me your POV on the whole sitch in the comments.

LoTRers get ready to lose your shizz cos The Hobbit is on the July 13th issue of Entertainment Weekly! There's a HUGE spread with pics galore. Plus, geeky added bonus: there's also a Comic-Con preview! (P.S. the Oz the Great and Powerful poster art is super a-mah-zing!)   

The last little bit of news i've got for you involves this lady, i don't know if you've heard of her, a Ms. JK Rowling? Yeah, turns out she's got a new book coming out called The Casual Vacancy. Even though there's very little known about the book, peeps are already clamoring to get any piece of info they can on it. This week's bread crumb? It's the cover, y'all! Take a look and tell me what you think.


Well. It's very simple. And gives us exactly, um, NO CLUES as to what the book could possibly be about. But i'm still super duper excited! Oh and btw, the book will be out in stores September 27th.

So that's the news ya needs to know this week. Come back very soon cos i'll be dissecting the latest trailer for Breaking Dawn Part 2. There might be jokes made about Kristen Stewart's inability to look non-constipated. Oh hell, who am i kidding!? OF COURSE there will be jokes made about Kristen Stewart's inability to look non-constipated. You know you don't wanna miss that!