UNWILLING - UNWILLING (1 DVD)

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The premise: So, so much could have been done with Gavin and Judah's bond, and I do love how they communicated through it (though I think more could have been done). While the first part is filled with overly long and drawn out palace intrigue in which no one has a spine or the guts to just stab Elban in the face, the reader is constantly reminded Judah is special. A magus with secrets that aren’t really secret is very interested in Judah because she is special but we still don’t know why.

Most notably, I found the standout performance to be Bree Williamson as Cheryl Cates, the sweet, smart and resourceful fiancé of Rich (Robert Rusler), who plays a pivotal role in helping David Lipper’s character overcome his mental obstacles throughout the film. Dina Meyer’s performance as Michelle Harris, the independent ex-wife of Rich and sister to David Lipper’s character, was also stellar. Judah a young woman, who is a foundling raised in the castle alongside the prince and future heir, as his foster-sister. She scorned by the courtiers and detested by the king, but much loved by the monarchy princes and the heir's betrothed. This book is haunting. There’s no better way to put it. I read it slowly and thoroughly and even when I wasn’t reading it I was thinking about it. And this is a big volume of the book, so I mean it when I said I took my time. It’s almost a feat for me that I didn’t binge a book for once. But this isn’t something you can binge. It’s dark. It’s a lot. And it’s difficult. But, I mean that in all the best ways! Listen — The Unwilling isn't bad, but it's also not something to write home about. I was so enthralled by the premise and by the admittedly beautiful writing that at first, I was willing to put aside what I thought was simply a slow pace (as it stands, I have 52 tabs to recall some truly beautiful turns of phrase).

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Set in the South at the height of the Vietnam War, The Unwillingcombines crime, suspense and searing glimpses into the human mind and soul in New York Timesbestselling author John Hart's singular style. We the unwilling, led by the unqualified to kill the unfortunate, die for the ungrateful.” ― Unknown Soldier

All the family things pulled at my heart. There is Gibby's poor best friend, Chance, a favorite character of mine and Gibby's new girlfriend, a classmate he's always had a crush on. There are good cops and bad cops (who are willing to destroy the lives of their co-workers in their effort to move up). There are women who make very bad choices but still don't deserve to die and gangs that will probably be killing each other and those that cross them, from here to eternity.

Your Home for Horror

But the day turns ugly when the four encounter a prison transfer bus on a stretch of empty road. Beautiful but drunk, one of the women taunts the prisoners, leading to a riot on the bus. The woman finds it funny in the moment, but is savagely murdered soon after. Overall all if you are looking for a horror like Stephen King and the writing talent of Leigh Bardugo, this book is for you. Then we have "The Children." Gavin is the heir to Highfall. His father Elban is the depraved ruler who takes great delight in torturing those around him both mentally and physically. I think sadist is a great descriptor for him. If you were to make a list of the most horrifying ways to harm a human, he's done every single thing and then schemed to come up with more. I can't tell you how long I was impatiently waiting for someone to take this evil waste of space out of existence. But I digress. The rest of the children are Theron, Elly, and Judah. Theron is the second born son, Elly is Gavin's chosen bride, and Judah is the foundling who was raised in the palace with them all. Admittedly, these four do seem to genuinely care for one another and they do try to make the best out of the cesspool they're trying to survive in. It's hard to retain values, morals, and honesty when you're constantly abused and put in life altering situations. He did spend three years in Lanes worth state prison so he had mixed with the hardest of criminals there was one Recce who used to cop the brunt of jokes by Jason by Gibby stands by Jason believing he is innocent was he set up or is something more sinister in the works?

I took a fiction writing class recently, and the teacher spoke a lot about “debits and credits” in writing. A lot of stories are about suffering, yes, but you also have to give your readers something to grab on to, something that makes all that suffering worth it. You have to balance the debits you take from them with credits you give to them. The Unwilling was indeed about “unhappy people making bad decisions” — but without quite enough moments of happiness or light to make the story feel balanced. But here's the deal, by the halfway mark, The Unwilling became, shall we say, a little silly and a lot implausible. I was willing to (mostly) overlook this, as the writing was skilled, and the plot kept my attention. Just be aware, the book does take a major left turn - it may not bother you as much as it bothered me, but it is something to consider.

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The story really is about the four children growing up in Highfell, especially Judah as she finds her place and purpose through everything she has had to endure. So even though Henriksen was barely in the movie, David Lipper was faultless as the main protagonist, a man also called David, who suffers from such severe OCD that he literally has to count every step he takes when he walks across the room. David’s OCD has got to the point where he hardly ever goes outside, so it seems as though you could say that he’s trapped in his house in addition to being trapped in his own mind. When a young woman is murdered, Jason is arrested and Gibby is one of the few who believe in his brother's innocence. Determined to conduct his own investigation and clear his brother, Gibby soon learns that he is in over his head and danger is out there watching, lurking, planning.... Richly complex, as intricately woven as a fine tapestry, soul-piercingly emotional, this is John Hart at his lyrical, atmospheric best. He builds a world and draws you in, and there you remain, a willing captive." —Tami Hoag, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Boy

The ending was slightly disappointing, it requires further closure and explanation by way of a sequel. This is definitely not a fast-paced and plot driven book, however there is plenty in it to keep you occupied. I do hope there is a sequel…. A compulsively readable work propelled by not only race-against-time action, but also the endearing bonds between siblings put at loose ends by war, prison, and addiction, John Hart’s The Unwilling provides a unique thriller, well-suited for our times. Hart’s novel proves very much successful, as it allows readers a bit of escapism from the tumultuous world around them.” — North Carolina Literary Review Well, based off of my rant you can see I have a lot of feelings for this book. And based off of that ending I hope that I can have more of this story to have feelings for (second book please?). In the meantime I guess I’ll just have to gorge myself on Braffet’s other works. Nate is introduced in the prologue as a young boy in the Slonimi caravan who is taken in by Derie as a kind of apprentice. She's a nasty, abusive woman who physically abuses Nate and Charles as she trains them to be "useful" to the cause. She is the first of many to abuse, maim, play mind games, and use people as if they were chess pieces on a board rather than human beings. It was so hard to find a single redeeming quality with anyone in this story. Even the unwilling victims are hard to root for as they were forced to make vicious choices to stay one step ahead of those toying with them. For a while, I thought Nate was a decent guy, but the more the book wore on, the more he seemed to fit right in with the most deranged and immoral.Also, the scenes themselves can be quite intense emotionally and can build to something breathtaking if you let them (tho you have to reaaally let yourself go into the book to do that, and that's...a bleak prospect to say mildly). In part, this is Gibby’s coming-of-age story, a story of brotherly love, as well as a bit of a love story with some disturbing twists and turns that end in a conflagration of violence, while in between there’s the story of life in prison, a prisoner awaiting his execution and a chilling story of how far his reach extends both inside and outside the priso The silence inside was familiar from all the years of mourning, a large house with parts of its soul carved away. Nearing the bedroom, French heard running water, and stopped where the bathroom door hung open an inch. I've been, I've seen a million Hallmark Christmas movies that don't understand what this movie comprehends at a bone-deep genetic level. Every action is more compelling and more moving when it's anchored in fully realized and developed characters. John Hughes wrote a beautiful movie. One that has moments that make me laugh incredibly hard while also reducing me to tears every time I watch it. Each component is astonishing on its own, but combined, they create something transcendent.” I think this would have been a better story had it focused solely on Gibby's coming-of-age. Instead, we get horror movie villains like X and Reece, which dominate the second half of the book. Now, you know me...I write horror. I obviously love the genre. But it didn't work here. At least not for me.