Marauders Era Reimagined

Marauders era reimagined

part 2

"Harry, what did you do?"

"What you made me do!"

‘The Devil All the Time’ Book Review

Genre: Crime/Thriller

Rating: 4/5

Summary: Willard Russell, a war veteran, tries to find peace by settling down with his family. But soon his wife, Charlotte is diagnosed with cancer and Willard does anything he knows possible to keep her alive, leaving his son, Arvin, traumatized for life. A preacher and his crippled cousin tries to run from the law when an experiment goes terribly wrong. A psychologically disturbed couple search for models to capture perfect photos. This is a story of a place full of ignorance, maniacs, blind faith and evil.

My Opinion: I knew I would love this book as soon as I started reading it. I knew this book will leave me scarred mentally. Yet I couldn’t resist the temptation of reading it. The events on this book are terrible. I cannot stop thinking about it. The dark sides of human natures are represented in a breathtaking way. The haunted images followed me all the time. This book is definitely not for any faint hearted person. The characters are very complicated. Some of them are in such a misery, I feel very bad for them. Morally complicated characters always fascinate me. They seem like real human beings. This book contains such characters. I think too much about them and to me they have become real. I usually don’t support violence. I personally think evils can only be defeated by all the positivity like honesty and love. But some cases in the book contradicts my values. It makes me feel like there are some things which are too evil to forgive or let go.

Favourite Character: Though I like almost all the characterizations in the book, I like Arvin more than any other. He has a very tough life and he is brave. I support almost every action of him. He is the perfect example of a brother. Though he is a violent man, he is a caring one too.

Quote: “Too much religion could be as bad as too little, maybe even worse.”

A Review on ‘Dracula’ by Bram Stoker

Genre: Gothic/Adventure

Rating: 3/4

Summary: An English solicitor named Jonathan Harker visits the Castle Dracula of Transylvania, Romania, where he meets the famous Count Dracula. By the day, he becomes aware of himself being held captive in the labyrinth like castle. In the meantime, Harker’s fiancée Mina Murray grows anxious of his return while noticing some great changes in her best friend, Lucy Westenra.

My Opinion: I was very excited about this book and waited till October to get the Halloween vibes. Unfortunately my exam date was set for October and I had to sneak some time to read it. Anyway, I was able to finish reading the book and liked it. The gothic environment was evident and at times it creeped me out. The environments of the castle and the graveyard were really creepy. The fact that the whole book was written in the format of letters, diaries and journals, kept me guessing. I did not particularly like any character. I didn’t feel emotionally connected to anyone. They seem too plain. A minor character of a mental patient named Renfield was the only one I found interesting. Another problem I struggled with was that the novel was too descriptive. It took a lot of my attention and will power to go through the whole book. But overall, the story was thrilling.

Quote:  “How blessed are some people, whose lives have no fears, no dreads; to whom sleep is a blessing that comes nightly, and brings nothing but sweet dreams.”

One Last Dance

"Can I have a dance?"

A man with a pitch black mask covering the upper half of his face asked me. His face was very pale and his lips were thin.

Looking in his twinkling dark eyes, I felt like I've seen them before.

"But I can't dance." I said.

I wouldn’t have come to the ball if it weren’t themed as a Victorian London one. There is something I find really interesting about the Victorian era.

"Oh Darling!" the man said with a charming smile, "Let me take the lead."

This time I knew for sure I’ve heard that same voice saying the exact same word, “Darling!”

Unconsciously I gave my hands to his. We moved to the dance floor. He put his hand behind my back and pulled me closer.

I was oblivious to my surrounding. The only thing I was looking at was his pitch black eyes. The lights reflected in them as we move along the music. Hours after hours past. But we did not stop. I could not remember when was the last time I felt that much happy. We laughed, we danced and kept staring at each other’s eyes.

A sudden flashback cross my mind. I was dancing with my beloved surrounded by the dark woods. Our laughs were the only sound we could hear.

I pulled away and gasped, “You’re him.”

He came closer to me and whispered, “And you’re her, my mellilla.”

Read Part 2 Here

Absent-Minded Man by Jerome K. Jerome

This is a humorous story about a man named McQuae who is inattentive to anything around him. He can’t remember invitation details, appointments and even the women he were engaged to. However, when he finally gets to marry a jolly woman named Leena, his friend, the writer thinks that it won’t last long as he will forget about her too. After a considerable time, the writer unexpectedly meets his old friend McQuae, drenched in water on a rainy day. McQuae as always informs that he has moved to the new place with Leena and has forgotten all about it. The writer very calmly takes his friend to a solicitor and finally restores him to his wife.

The story is hilarious. Some of the conversations made me laugh out loud. The first part of the story was narrated in second person, which is the rarest in English literature. This is the only story I’ve read which has this style of writing. So, I enjoyed learning something new.

I didn’t like the fact that the character of Leena was mostly in the shadow of her husband, McQuae, the protagonist of the story. Although she was explained as a cheerful woman, we don’t see her express any such action.

If I could change anything from the story I would have added more detailed information regarding Leena. So that the readers can have a clear idea of how she was able to live with a man like McQuae for so long.

Other than the aforementioned point, I found the story genuinely amusing. It shows that how absent mindedness can put someone in absurd situations. I, myself, often get distracted in many occasions. Now, I have started to focus more on my surroundings. This story has taught me a fine lesson.

I’ve actually wrote this for an assignment where I was supposed to write about a short story I liked. But unfortunately, the teacher is making us write a review on the story SHE tells us. I was so excited about this assignment in the beginning. Now, I’m devastated.