Friday, January 28, 2011

Academy Awards 2011 - nominees

And the Oscar nominees are:

Actor in a Leading Role
Javier Bardem in Biutiful
Jeff Bridges in True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network
Colin Firth in The King's Speech
James Franco in 127 Hours

Actor in a Supporting Role
Christian Bale in The Fighter
John Hawkes in Winter's Bone
Jeremy Renner in The Town
Mark Ruffalo in The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush in The King's Speech

Actress in a Leading Role
Annette Bening in The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman in Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence in Winter's Bone
Natalie Portman in Black Swan
Michelle Williams in Blue Valentine


Actress in a Supporting Role

Amy Adams in The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter in The King's Speech
Melissa Leo in The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld in True Grit
Jacki Weaver in Animal Kingdom

Animated Feature Film
How to Train Your Dragon - Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois
The Illusionist - Sylvain Chomet
Toy Story 3 - Lee Unkrich

Art Direction
Alice in Wonderland - Production Design: Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Karen O'Hara
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 - Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
Inception - Production Design: Guy Hendrix Dyas; Set Decoration: Larry Dias and Doug Mowat
The King's Speech - Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Judy Farr
True Grit - Production Design: Jess Gonchor; Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh

Cinematography
Black Swan - Matthew Libatique
Inception - Wally Pfister
The King's Speech - Danny Cohen
The Social Network - Jeff Cronenweth
True Grit - Roger Deakins


Costume Design

Alice in Wonderland - Colleen Atwood
I Am Love - Antonella Cannarozzi
The King's Speech - Jenny Beavan
The Tempest - Sandy Powell
True Grit - Mary Zophres

Directing
Black Swan - Darren Aronofsky
The Fighter - David O. Russell
The King's Speech - Tom Hooper
The Social Network - David Fincher
True Grit - Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Documentary (Feature)
Exit through the Gift Shop - Banksy and Jaimie D'Cruz
Gasland - Josh Fox and Trish Adlesic
Inside Job - Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
Restrepo - Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger
Waste Land - Lucy Walker and Angus Aynsley

Documentary (Short Subject)
Killing in the Name - Nominees to be determined
Poster Girl - Nominees to be determined
Strangers No More - Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon
Sun Come Up - Jennifer Redfearn and Tim Metzger
The Warriors of Qiugang - Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon

Film Editing
Black Swan - Andrew Weisblum
The Fighter - Pamela Martin
The King's Speech - Tariq Anwar
127 Hours - Jon Harris
The Social Network - Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter

Foreign Language Film
Biutiful - Mexico
Dogtooth - Greece
In a Better World - Denmark
Incendies - Canada
Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi) - Algeria

Make-Up
Barney's Version - Adrien Morot
The Way Back - Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng
The Wolfman - Rick Baker and Dave Elsey

Music (Original Score)
How to Train Your Dragon - John Powell
Inception - Hans Zimmer
The King's Speech - Alexandre Desplat
127 Hours - A.R. Rahman
The Social Network - Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Music (Original Song)
Coming Home from Country Strong - Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey
I See the Light from Tangled - Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Glenn Slater
If I Rise from 127 Hours - Music by A.R. Rahman Lyric by Dido and Rollo Armstrong
We Belong Together from Toy Story 3 - Music and Lyric by Randy Newman


Best Picture

Black Swan - Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver and Scott Franklin, Producers
The Fighter - David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg, Producers
Inception - Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers
The Kids Are All Right - Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray,

Producers
The King's Speech - Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers
127 Hours - Christian Colson, Danny Boyle and John Smithson, Producers
The Social Network - Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
Toy Story 3 - Darla K. Anderson, Producer
True Grit - Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers
Winter's Bone - Anne Rosellini and Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Producers

Short Film (Animated)
Day & Night - Teddy Newton
The Gruffalo - Jakob Schuh and Max Lang
Let's Pollute - Geefwee Boedoe
The Lost Thing - Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann
Madagascar, Carnet de Voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary) - Bastien Dubois

Short Film (Live Action)
The Confession - Tanel Toom
The Crush - Michael Creagh
God of Love - Luke Matheny
Na Wewe - Ivan Goldschmidt
Wish 143 - Ian Barnes and Samantha Waite

Sound Editing
Inception - Richard King
Toy Story 3 - Tom Myers and Michael Silvers
Tron: Legacy - Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague
True Grit - Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey
Unstoppable - Mark P. Stoeckinger

Sound Mixing
Inception - Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick
The King's Speech - Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen and John Midgley
Salt - Jeffrey J. Haboush, Greg P. Russell, Scott Millan and William Sarokin
The Social Network - Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick and Mark Weingarten
True Grit - Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland

Visual Effects
Alice in Wonderland - Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas and Sean Phillips
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 - Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz and Nicolas Aithadi
Hereafter - Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephan Trojanski and Joe Farrell
Inception - Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb
Iron Man 2 - Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright and Daniel Sudick

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
127 Hours - Screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy
The Social Network - Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin
Toy Story 3 - Screenplay by Michael Arndt; Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich
True Grit - Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
Winter's Bone - Adapted for the screen by Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini

Writing (Original Screenplay)
Another Year - Written by Mike Leigh
The Fighter - Screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson; story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson
Inception - Written by Christopher Nolan
The Kids Are All Right - Written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg
The King's Speech - Screenplay by David Seidler


Who do you think should win!?

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

68th Annual Golden Globe Awards


Held 16 January 2011

Best Motion Picture - Drama
WINNER The Social Network
Other Nominees: Black Swan ; The Fighter ; Inception ; The King's Speech.


Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
WINNER The Kids Are All Right
Other Nominees: Alice in Wonderland ; Burlesque ; Red ; The Tourist.


Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
WINNER Colin Firth for The King's Speech
Other Nominees: Jesse Eisenberg for The Social Network ; James Franco for 127 Hours ; Ryan Gosling for Blue Valentine ; Mark Wahlberg for The Fighter.


Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
WINNER Natalie Portman for Black Swan
Other Nominees: Halle Berry for Frankie and Alice ; Nicole Kidman for Rabbit Hole ; Jennifer Lawrence for Winter's Bone ; Michelle Williams for Blue Valentine.


Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
WINNER Paul Giamatti for Barney's Version
Other Nominees: Johnny Depp for The Tourist ; Johnny Depp for Alice in Wonderland ; Jake Gyllenhaal for Love and Other Drugs ; Kevin Spacey for Casino Jack.


Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
WINNER Annette Bening for The Kids Are All Right
Other Nominees: Anne Hathaway for Love and Other Drugs ; Angelina Jolie for The Tourist ; Julianne Moore for The Kids Are All Right ; Emma Stone for Easy A.


Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
WINNER Christian Bale for The Fighter
Other Nominees: Michael Douglas for Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps ; Andrew Garfield for The Social Network ; Jeremy Renner for The Town ; Geoffrey Rush for The King's Speech


Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
WINNER Melissa Leo for The Fighter
Other Nominees: Amy Adams for The Fighter ; Helena Bonham Carter for The King's Speech ; Mila Kunis for Black Swan ; Jacki Weaver for Animal Kingdom.


Best Director - Motion Picture
WINNER David Fincher for The Social Network
Other Nominees: Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan ; Tom Hooper for The King's Speech ;
Christopher Nolan for Inception ; David O. Russell for The Fighter.


Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
WINNER The Social Network - Aaron Sorkin
Other Nominees: 127 Hours - Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy ; Inception - Christopher Nolan ; The Kids Are All Right - Stuart Blumberg, Lisa Cholodenko; The King's Speech - David Seidler


Best Original Song - Motion Picture
WINNER Burlesque - Diane Warren("You Haven't Seen The Last of Me")
Other Nominees: Burlesque - Samuel Dixon, Christina Aguilera, Sia Furler("Bound to You"); Country Strong - Bob DiPiero, Tom Douglas, Hillary Lindsey, Troy Verges("Coming Home"); The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - Carrie Underwood, David Hodges, Hillary Lindsey("There's A Place For Us") ; Tangled - Alan Menken, Glenn Slater("I See the Light")


Best Original Score - Motion Picture
WINNER The Social Network - Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
Other Nominees: 127 Hours - A.R. Rahman ; Alice in Wonderland - Danny Elfman ; Inception - Hans Zimmer ; The King's Speech - Alexandre Desplat


Best Animated Film
WINNER Toy Story 3
Other Nominees: Despicable Me ; How to Train Your Dragon ; The Illusionist ; Tangled.


Best Foreign Language Film
WINNER In a Better World (Denmark)
Other Nominees: Biutiful (Mexico/Spain); The Concert (France); The Edge (Russia); I Am Love (Italy)


Best Television Series - Drama
WINNER "Boardwalk Empire"
Other Nominees: "Dexter" ; "The Good Wife" ; "Mad Men" ; "The Walking Dead"


Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy
WINNER "Glee"
Other Nominees: "The Big Bang Theory" ; "The Big C" ; "Modern Family" ; "Nurse Jackie" ; "30 Rock".


Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
WINNER "Carlos"
Other Nominees: "The Pacific" ; "The Pillars of the Earth" ; Temple Grandin ; You Don't Know Jack.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
WINNER Al Pacino for You Don't Know Jack
Other Nominees: Idris Elba for "Luther" ; Ian McShane for "The Pillars of the Earth" ; Dennis Quaid for The Special Relationship ; Édgar Ramírez for "Carlos"


Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
WINNER Claire Danes for Temple Grandin
Other Nominees: Hayley Atwell for "The Pillars of the Earth" ; Judi Dench for "Cranford" ; Romola Garai for "Emma" ; Jennifer Love Hewitt for The Client List.


Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy
WINNER Jim Parsons for "The Big Bang Theory"
Other Nominees: Alec Baldwin for "30 Rock" ; Steve Carell for "The Office: US Version" ; Thomas Jane for "Hung" ; Matthew Morrison for "Glee"


Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy
WINNER Laura Linney for "The Big C"
Other Nominees: Toni Collette for "United States of Tara" ; Edie Falco for "Nurse Jackie" ; Tina Fey for "30 Rock" ; Lea Michele for "Glee"


Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama
WINNER Steve Buscemi for "Boardwalk Empire"
Other Nominees: Bryan Cranston for "Breaking Bad" ; Michael C. Hall for "Dexter" ;
Jon Hamm for "Mad Men" ; Hugh Laurie for "House"


Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama
WINNER Katey Sagal for "Sons of Anarchy"
Other Nominees: Julianna Margulies for "The Good Wife" ; Elisabeth Moss for "Mad Men" ; Piper Perabo for "Covert Affairs" ; Kyra Sedgwick for "The Closer"


Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
WINNER Chris Colfer for "Glee"
Other Nominees: Scott Caan for "Hawaii Five-0" ; Chris Noth for "The Good Wife" ; Eric Stonestreet for "Modern Family" ; David Strathairn for Temple Grandin


Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
WINNER Jane Lynch for "Glee"
Other Nominees: Hope Davis for The Special Relationship ; Kelly Macdonald for "Boardwalk Empire" ; Julia Stiles for "Dexter" ; Sofía Vergara for "Modern Family"

16th Annual Critics Choice Awards

Held 14 January 2011 at the Hollywood Palladium.

Best Picture
The Social Network

Other Nominees: 127 Hours; Black Swan ; The Fighter; Inception ; The King's Speech ; The Town ; Toy Story 3 ; True Grit; Winter's Bone.


Best Actor
Colin Firth for The King's Speech

Other Nominees: Jeff Bridges for True Grit; Robert Duvall for Get Low ; Jesse Eisenberg for The Social Network ; James Franco for 127 Hours ; Ryan Gosling for Blue Valentine.


Best Actress
Natalie Portman for Black Swan

Other Nominees: Annette Bening for The Kids Are All Right; Nicole Kidman for Rabbit Hole ; Jennifer Lawrence for Winter's Bone ; Noomi Rapace for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ; Michelle Williams for Blue Valentine.


Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale for The Fighter

Other Nominees:
Andrew Garfield for The Social Network ; Jeremy Renner for The Town ; Sam Rockwell for Conviction ; Mark Ruffalo for The Kids Are All Right ; Geoffrey Rush for The King's Speech.


Best Supporting Actress
Melissa Leo for The Fighter

Other Nominees: Amy Adams for The Fighter ; Helena Bonham Carter for The King's Speech ; Mila Kunis for Black Swan ; Hailee Steinfeld for True Grit ; Jacki Weaver for Animal Kingdom.


Best Acting Ensemble
The Fighter

Other Nominees: The Kids Are All Right ; The King's Speech ; The Social Network ;
The Town.


Best Director
David Fincher for The Social Network

Other Nominees: Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan ; Danny Boyle for 127 Hours ; Joel Coen, Ethan Coen for True Grit ; Tom Hooper for The King's Speech ; Christopher Nolan for Inception.


Best Original Screenplay

The King's Speech - David Seidler

Other Nominees: Another Year - Mike Leigh ; Black Swan - Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz, John J. McLaughlin ; The Fighter - Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson ; Inception - Christopher Nolan ; The Kids Are All Right - Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg


Best Adapted Screenplay
The Social Network - Aaron Sorkin

Other Nominees: 127 Hours - Simon Beaufoy, Danny Boyle ; The Town - Ben Affleck, Peter Craig, Sheldon Turner ; Toy Story 3 - Michael Arndt, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich ; True Grit - Joel Coen, Ethan Coen ; Winter's Bone - Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini


Best Animated Feature
Toy Story 3

Other Nominees: Despicable Me ; How to Train Your Dragon ; The Illusionist ; Tangled.


Best Young Actor/Actress

Hailee Steinfeld for True Grit

Other Nominees: Elle Fanning for Somewhere ; Jennifer Lawrence for Winter's Bone ; Chloe Moretz for Let Me In ; Chloe Moretz for Kick-Ass ; Kodi Smit-McPhee for Let Me In.


Best Action Movie
Inception

Other Nominees: Kick-Ass ; Red ; The Town ; Unstoppable.


Best Comedy Movie
Easy A

Other Nominees: Cyrus ; Date Night ; Get Him to the Greek ; I Love You Phillip Morris ; The Other Guys.


Best Foreign Language Film
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Other Nominees: Biutiful ; I Am Love.


Best Documentary Feature
Waiting for Superman

Other Nominees: Exit Through the Gift Shop ; Inside Job ; Restrepo ; Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work ; The Tillman Story.


Best Song
127 Hours ("If I Rise")

Other Nominees: Burlesque ("You Haven't Seen the Last of Me Yet") ; Tangled ("I See the Light") ; Toy Story 3 ("We Belong Together") ; Waiting for Superman ("Shine")


Best Composer
The Social Network - Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross

Other Nominees: Black Swan - Clint Mansell ; Inception - Hans Zimmer ; The King's Speech - Alexandre Desplat ; True Grit - Carter Burwell


Best Picture Made for Television
"The Pacific"

Other Nominees: Temple Grandin ; You Don't Know Jack.


Best Cinematography
Inception

Other Nominees: 127 Hours ; Black Swan ; The King's Speech ; True Grit.


Best Art Direction
Inception

Other Nominees: Alice in Wonderland ; Black Swan ; The King's Speech ; True Grit.


Best Editing
Inception

Other Nominees: 127 Hours ; Black Swan ; The Social Network.


Best Costume Design

Alice in Wonderland

Other Nominees: Black Swan ; The King's Speech ; True Grit.


Best Makeup
Alice in Wonderland

Other Nominees: Black Swan ; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1


Best Visual Effects
Inception

Other Nominees: Alice in Wonderland ; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 ; TRON: Legacy.


Best Sound
Inception

Other Nominees: 127 Hours ; Black Swan ; The Social Network ; Toy Story 3

Monday, January 3, 2011

The Puzzle Ring by Kate Forsyth


Review from Celia, age 9:

Hannah lives in Australia and is 13 years old, but she is meant to be in Scotland and be called Lady Hannah. One day, Hannah and her mum get a letter from Hannah's grandmother who lives in a castle in Scotland. Hannah talks her mum into going to Scotland to visit.

When they get there, Hannah finds a hag-stone at the Witch's Pool and an old rusted key in her Dad's old bedroom. Her dad has been missing for 13 years. Everybody says different things about where her father went, but he actually went through a portal into the time of Mary Queen of Scots. With the hag-stone you can see stuff that used to be there and magic things. With the key she could unlock a door in the music room that was her Dad's study.

Hannah meets other kids her age and makes friends. Then on a thin day she is going to go through the portal when her friends show up and argue that she didn't tell them she was going to leave. They all go back in time to the time of Mary Queen of Scots where they look for the pieces of the puzzle ring that may bring her father back and break the curse on Wintersloe Castle.

Eglantyne of the Fair Folk was married to one of Hannah's ancestors, she put a curse on Wintersloe Castle because people thought she was a witch and they tried to kill her as they burned witches in those days. She threw her puzzle ring into the air and sent them to the four corners of the world, so it couldn't be put back together and break the curse.

There, they meet an evil witch named Irata (don't say her name out loud!). They find all four pieces of the puzzle ring by using the hag-stone and find Hannah's father and escape back home.

In the nearby village there is a lady called Morgana Underhill, who is a descendant of the Morgana who was sister to Eglantyne. Hannah summons Irata by saying her name nine times. Irata comes through the portal and Morgana traps Irata in a mirror which they throw into the loch and the curse is broken. Morgana goes to be queen of the Fair Folk and for the rest of the years, everybody was happy at Wintersloe.

Comment on why she liked it : "Because it went back in time to the time of Mary Queen of Scots and had magic in it."

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Torment by Lauren Kate


Having read the first in this series, Fallen, last year I was keen to read this sequel.

At the end of Fallen, Luce learned of the real identity of a number of her classmates at the Sword & Cross school and realised that the man she had fallen instantly and inexplicably in love with (Daniel) was an angel. She learned of his immortal status and her previous relationships with him, a relationship repeated every 17 years, as in each life a kiss with Daniel would result in her fiery doom. The story concluded with a battle between angels and demons, Luce being almost killed by an Elder, saved by angels and whisked away to safety by a mortal but angel-friendly teacher.

The prologue in Torment set some of the scene of the truce between angels and demons in order to allow both sides time to destroy other players in the game - the Outcasts (angels that were barred from entering both heaven and hell) and the Elders. Hints are given that Luce's mortality in this life (due to never having been baptised) has changed the state of play dramatically and it is imperative that she is kept safe and alive.

Chapter 1 ignored the epilogue from Fallen and started with Luce aboard a flight to California on her way to a new school - Shoreline - organised by Daniel. This turns out to be a school of 'gifted' and elite students. The gifted students in particular being nephilim - the offspring of angels and mortals who have some angelic abilities. Luce is placed in a dormitory with Shelby, an ascerbic character who I spent almost the whole book wondering if she is on the side of good or evil. A couple of bouncy girls make her feel a bit more at ease, and a boy, Miles, becomes a friend she feels she can confide in.

The book covers a period of a mere 17 days - from the beginning of the truce to the day before it ends. During this time, Luce is asked and warned to stay within the campus grounds, but irritatingly, Luce keeps endangering herself (and potentially her rescuers) as she travels away from the school a number of times.

Luce learns a little of the nephilim world and the some of the things that they can manipulate in the world around them. She sees Daniel a few times but although her heart sings at a glimpse of him, the stubborn side of her continually surfaces when she wants to know more and he won't tell her. This goes for her new angel/demon teachers too - although the demon one at least gives her a few hints.

She misses her family and her old school friend Callie and at this school there is no bar to her accessing a phone or email, yet she declines to have more than cursory contact with them during her stay which is a puzzling change from her mindset in the last book.

Thanksgiving arrives and she is surprised to be allowed home to her parents for the day - along with a host of angels, demons and nephilim, as well as her friend Callie. Word has leaked out however as to her location and a battle starts with the Outcasts who see Luce as their key back into heaven. The story concludes with Luce running away and avoiding everyone that cares for her.

Overall, I found the book very frustrating and started to wonder if the title was aptly named for the reader. So little was learned to advance the plot and add depth to the story. The characters were mostly shallow sketches and a number of them acted in ways that made little sense.

Luce repeatedly acted disappointed/upset/annoyed and frankly came across as quite bratty. She was constantly annoyed with not knowing enough about her situation yet didn't seek out the angel-teacher who had offered her help on arrival at the school, nor did she actively seek Arriane when she made an appearance back in the story to find out more. At the conclusion of Fallen, Luce was given a book by Gabe on angels/watchers that must have contained pertinent information, yet no mention is made of this at all and she even acts vague about the whole topic when talking to Daniel about it on her way to Shoreline. Was Luce so struck into immobility in the days between her rescue and her setting off to Shoreline that she couldn't open a book? One must assume so. She continues throughout the book as needing everything spelled out letter by letter for her, otherwise she becomes despondent and annoyed and almost a damsel in distress (yet annoyed by being rescued and treated as such).

She latches on to one lesson - that about the Announcers (or shadows) and learns to use them for the memories they hold as she seems fixated on finding out more about her past relationships with Daniel and her past lives families. Consequently we are taken on many a side trip that don't really add much to the story, so one hopes that they will come have a meaning in the next book.

Basically her character annoyed me terribly!

Whilst the reader can see that Daniel is afraid to tell her anything - worried that too much information will kill her and hoping that she can work it out herself - it is easy for the reader to see that telling her these small facts would certainly have eased the situation. Is Daniel really so dense after living for thousands of years, or is the fault of the writer purposefully using lack of information as a device for keeping everyone (her characters and her readers) guessing?

Daniel's character could have been improved upon as well - he gets very little character development and seems to perpetually be mooning after Luce. He only gets a starring role at the beginning and end of the book (where we finally get to see some more human traits like jealousy and pain). Otherwise he is limited to only quick appearances. Add this to the fact none of the nephilim seem to want to talk about him (even though the Daniel/Lucinda story has entered angel folklore) and the result is that both Luce and the reader are kept in the dark.

Most disappointing of all is that the sweet romance and gut twisting emotion that the first book had is missing and the book definitely suffers from the lack of this ingredient.

I think the writer has done her readers a disservice by not enlightening them but rather hoping that hints will be sufficient to keep her readers returning. She may be sadly mistaken.

I hold out hope that the next novel, Passion, will tidy things up. However, given the vagueness of the first two stories, I have to wonder if Lauren Kate even knows where it is heading.