Towers of Midnight- Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson

This is it people!

I've managed to drag this re-read for 3 years but it's time to face the music.
I don't even know where to begin. I'm so attached to this series, I've created the characters in my head and their settings. I can imagine the whole continent as if it actually exists. I'm really excited about finally reading the last book but I'm also dreading it. Especially after the emotional rollercoaster Towers of Midnight put me on.

Wow, so many touching moments that we've been anticipating forever (Moiraine, our super boys FINALLY embracing who they are, characters who should have been together ages ago hooking up at long last).

A Memory of Light, here I come! Please don't fail me and maintain your Epicness!

Emma- Jane Austen

It pains me to give an Austen novel such low ratings but perhaps I have outgrown this writer, or maybe she just had a bad spell when writing this.

A ridiculous story with ridiculous abhorrent characters. Emma is quite simply a BITCH with a capital B.

Why is she a Bitch? For the following reasons ( Major Spoiler Warnings for those who have not read it):

Reason Number 1:

She spends 60% of the book dissuading Harriet, a poor senseless creature of unknown heritage and low stature, of marrying the man she loves because he is of a lower class than her. She then convinces her to set her sights on someone who's way above her, inflating her ego and filling her head with thoughts that she is of high society, only to find out that the man is actually interested in Emma herself! After that disaster, Harriet finally sets her eyes on Knightly and when Emma discovers this, she suddenly realizes she's in love with Knightly herself.. so.. she sends Harriet out of the way to London, announces her Engagement to him then slowly cuts ties with the girl!!! Oh. My. God. What a disgusting person!

Reason Number 2:

She openly bitches about Jane Fairfax to everyone. Starts rumors about her. Is extremely catty to her and her poor aunt. For no effing reason whatsoever. Just because!

Reason Number 3:

Flips the fuck out when she thinks Mr. Knightly has a thing for Jane and reasons that she does not want Knightly to ever marry because it will disadvantage her nephews!!!! HOW IS THIS ACCEPTABLE. I want to destroy her.

Plenty of books have bitchy characters and that's fine. But this character was glorified S
She acted like an absolute beast to everybody, yet still got the man in the end and apologies from people... WHY WAS ANYONE APOLOGIZING TO HER!?!?! She should commit suicide from shame. Selfish piece of shit.

I hated her and I really wished she would get the ending she deserved. I would rewrite this and have Harriet marry Knightly and Emma end up old, alone and miserable like her father

Up from the Grave: Night Huntress Book 7- Jeanine Frost

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Frost should have quit at book 4. This book is no different. It's nice that we got to see all the characters together and Cat and Bones' relationship is as cute/strong as ever, but there really was nowhere to go after book 4. The rest of the books have been pure desperate fillers. It's heartbreaking.

This installment has yet another wild addition to the plot. It reeks of desperate measures. While the plot is all over the place, I still enjoyed the book once the action started, Cat, Bones and their crew are entertaining no matter how ridiculous their situation is.

I'm glad this is the final book and I am looking forward to the Ian spin-off if it ever happens.

Goodbye Cat and Bones, you have been good to me and you will be missed.

Enchantress of Paris- Marci Jefferson

Reviewing a free unpublished copy from NetGalley.

The only redeeming factor of this book is the last chapter. Besides the bittersweet ending and the cliché yet cute closing line this book is an absolute waste of paper and electricity for those reading on e-devices.

The book's main genre is YA, not historical fiction as it's marketed. Primarily, this is the story if an annoying girl in love with a spoilt POS King. That's it. That's the story, thank you for reading 350 pages of nothing. The End.

Despicable characters and repetitive chapters make for an extremely boring read. I couldn't care less about what happened to either the King or Marie because they're horrible people. The only reason I plowed through is to publish my review for NetGalley.

Republish this book as a Y.A., sell it to sappy teenagers and you'll have a winner. Historical Fiction? I don't think so.

The Gathering Storm: Wheel of Time Book 12- Robert Jordan

Re-read.

Oh.My.God. What an emotional roller coaster! I've fallen in love with this series all over again. I've forgotten how amazing this installment was. This installment is equivalent to finding water in the desert. After 11 books of world building and plot twisting we have a climax. This is the turning point in the series, the last 2 books serve as a resolution. What a book! I read the bulk of it while on holiday and I spent all the train/plane rides either crying, laughing or talking to myself in excitement. Oh wow.

You can tell that the writing has been altered. Sanderson has a younger more straightforward voice but kudos to him for maintaining the essence of WOT. I LOVE RJ, he created WOT for us and I'm a die-hard fan but I must say that Sanderson taking it over worked out really really well.

This is non-stop action, things are moving along with EVERYONE. Egwene's plot is kick-ass. I decided if they ever got this series on TV, I'm auditioning for Egwene's role. And Rand.. ah Rand.. all I can say is ABOUT FREAKIN TIME! I'm really surprised that the first time I read this, the implications of Rand's emo-ness totally went over my head, I mean it's so glaringly obvious.. how did I not see it?! Now I understand though and big claps for Jordan once again.

I'm just so overwhelmed and really sad that I have one more book to go before I finish my re-read and reach the final book.

I don't want to let go.. what will I do with the rest of my life!?!

This is Where I leave you - Jonathan Tropper

A well written witty book about a dysfunctional family. Great array of characters and lots of dark funny moments.

Everyone can probably relate to this book on some level because really, what family isn't fucked up somehow?

Before I go to Sleep- S.J. Watson

Bullshit story.

2 stars for managing to creep me out in some instances. Other than that....



I can't really say much without ruining the book so I'll try for basics.

First 10% of the book was great. It started with a catchy chapter and an interesting premise. The next 80% was an amnesiac's diary. An amnesiac who forgets her life every day.. Basically, every chapter was a recount of all the chapters before with a bit of added info at the end. 



Just get on with it FFS!! 

The ending was not worth living through the redundant chapters. Oh my god. The ending was so embarrassing. Have you ever watched a straight to video thriller? Like Abandon or House at the End of the Street? Cheesy, crappy thrillers with a bad dialogue and a cringe ending. That sums up this book. No wonder it was made into a movie, it screams lame thriller. So the author tried to throw in clues about the ending in the form of red herrings. You knew how it would end, but your brain kept fighting against it because it was sooo fucking retarded. You read on, hoping, no, praying that you are wrong and the author can't possibly be that bad. Can't be possible... but it is.. it is possible. Watson clearly has no clue about amnesia as a medical condition or about how real life works in general. So you read on shaking your head in disbelief and eventually laugh at the absurdity of it all. Then you double check the rating on goodreads and you shake your head some more. 

Eventually, you sell the paperback, delete the audio/e-book and develop a select type pf amnesia that deletes this story permanently from your brain.

The Night Circus-Erin Morgenstern

I don't have much to say about this book except that the cover always made me think that the story was about a little girl. The circus looks like a little doll like child sitting on a hand. The clock is the face, the red swirly things at the top look like a bonnet, the ones on the bottom are her legs, the circus tents make up her dress and arms. That's not what it was about though, it was actually about a circus.. hahaha.. surprise!

This book was just ok, whatever, I really can't be bothered to think about it. The circus was cool, I wanted to visit it, it was very well written, there was an inkling in time when I felt for the characters and their miseries but yeah, whatever. I wasn't impressed with the ending, it was a bit shit and I wasn't blown away or in love with the book. 

An average book that accomplishes it's purpose and sells copies

Fishbowl- Bradley Somer

This is a review of an unpublished version I received for free through NetGalley.

Interesting book. It's supposed to be a story about a fish falling from a building, but it's not really. In fact, the fish wasn't all that necessary except to make this book a bit different then every other book about people and their lives. 

This is a book about people in a building, it gives us a very brief glimpse into their lives (about an hour to be exact) and it's pretty cool because the characters are engaging, the way the chapters alternate POV's keeps it fresh and the fact that we go back in time to witness the same event from a different characters perspective just makes the whole story tight. 

It's a good attempt but would be great if the author got rid off/fixed the following:

Strange Metaphors 

Wow, this guy was trying too hard with the figures of speech. As the story moved along I got engrossed in the narrative and didn't pay much attention to the rest of the stuff, but starting out I was just thought wtf, when I read sentences like:

He wears the look of how a loved one's embrace feels 

Huh!!? Does he mean: He looks as though he's being embraced by a loved one?? How can one look like a loved one's embrace feels?!?! 

OR

If he could, Ian would wonder on the beautiful and quantifiable order that gravity imposes on the chaos of the world, the harmony of a marriage between a constant acceleration and an ultimate speed that all objects in free fall reach but don't breach. Is this universal number divine or simply physics, and if it's the latter, could it be the work of the former?



Then there is:

Unlike most men, Connor is an amazingly sensual dancer, his body seeming to respond to her feelings

One more for the road:

He's busily learning more about less 



WTF words 

The author's Aussie and some words were just a big Huh for me. Apparently rooting in Australia is having sex O.o. Lord knows what hexaped means. Bimaniacal anyone? I'm pretty sure that's not a real word. 

Repetitive writing 

Some of the writing was very repetitive, both in terms of events and actual words. This might have been used as a writing style but it wasn't effective 

Children's book writing style 

Not sure if they will be fixing this by the time the final edition comes out but it is EVERYWHERE. Short, clipped, simple sentences, you know, things like: Jenna is a pretty girl. She likes eating apples. Jenna knew someday her fondness of apples would lead her to greatness. Editor.Now. 

Claire the Shut-in 

Wow. Just wow. First of all, I am HOPING that this is just a coincidence, but Claire the shut-in is an exact copy of a character from a book called Shoeaholic Anonymous. It's a crappy book that no ones probably ever heard of, which makes it a great source of character forgery. However, I'm giving Bradley the benefit of the doubt and chalking it all up to coincidence. This is the similarity: Both characters are agoraphobics who have been shut in their apartments for god know show long and never leave it. They live alone and rely on the internet. To make money, they both operate as phone sex operators.... You can see why I was a bit taken aback. But whatever, two writers can come up with the exact same character coincidentally..it COULD happen. 

In all cases, this character was just WRONG. She did not make any psychological sense. One does not become an agoraphobic simply because they realize they don't need any of their friends.. that just doesn't happen. Also, if one is already established as agoraphobic in a book one does not suddenly invite a strange man into one's home!




Ah! That's all I can be bothered to share for now, sleeping time! But seriously, I read the book in 3 days because it was really entertaining. All the stuff I mentioned above where things I noted in the first 50 pages of the book because after that I was too intrigued by the story to notice anymore. So good job Bradley, I hope the published version fixes some of the kinks above.

Knife of Dreams: Wheel of Time Book 11 - Robert Jordan

Third Re-Read

Aaaand we're back on track my fellow WOT-ers! after 3 books of whining female channelers, running after Faile, having to read Shaido chapters and scratching our heads at Halima's purpose, Knife of Dreams has swooped in to save the day and wrap up some undesirable plots! Yee haw!

I'm pleased to say that Perrin has his Falcon back, thank the lord Jesus, Elayne has sorted out her shit at long last and Egwene's plot has gone into motion after being stuck with those old farts for what feels like eons. We don't see that much of Rand and his brooding, which is fine by me. Thankfully that is going to be resolved soon and we can all breathe a sigh of relief that we don't have to deal with the Emo Child any longer. Mat is unfortunately now hitched to that little psychopath ( I repeat, biggest mismatch of the series) but his chapters were still as entertaining as ever. 

This was a great book with tons of action and plot movement/development as well as one of my all time favorite chapters in the series (Lan and Nynaeve). I love those two, hands down my fave couple.

Two more books to go before the end.... :( :( I don't want to let go. 

Penny Dreadful- Season 2

I don't know how I feel about this season honestly. I think I overhyped this series in my head. I was blown away by the first season. It was novel, interesting, exciting,  it was just my type of genre.

Season 2 wasn't bad, but it wasn't as ground-breaking, which is ok, it was still entertaining. Things slow down a bit here and we are given Ms. Ives backstory but no one else's. Well, not exactly, I mean we know what Dorian Gray is, cause he's Dorian Gray duh, we know Ethan is a werewolf and we know Frankenstein reawakens the dead but we're not shown anything from their past which kinda sucks cause they're important characters.

On a positive note, Frankenstein's monster is not as much of a pain in the ass anymore!



Don't get too excited, he still mopes around and cites depressing poetry, but he is now friends with Ms. Ives and their relationship dynamic adds a lot to the show.

My biggest pet peeve in this season is Brona Croft, a.k.a Lily a.k.a Bride of Frankenstein. Her motivations don't make any sense to me and why doesn't Vanessa recognize her? It's not like Vanessa to not notice obvious things. How does Lily realize that Dorian is immortal when none of our other supernatural do? And vice versa? How does Dorian sense that there is something.. off.. about Lily when it goes over  Vanessa's head?! There are too many holes in that story. Turning Lily evil feels so forced, it's like the writer needed a new baddie and had to come up with something outside the box, which is crap since there were many potential conflicts around already! (Ethan's wolfish background which hasn't been explained yet, Dorian's presence and back story, etc.) Turning Lily evil feels a bit desperate and unnecessary IMO. It also bothered me how Ethan and Lily's connection had been hastily swept aside for plot progression purposes. It feels incomplete and fake.


Ferdinand Lyle


Anyway moving on to greener pastures. Well done with introducing Ferdinand Lyle as a supporting character this season! Very interesting character and well portrayed by Simon Russel Beale. He's one of the reasons I am looking forward to the 3rd season. He brings a sort of comic and light hearted relief to the otherwise intense and depressing cast.

I will be watching season 3 but it doesn't bother me that I have to wait another year for it. The novelty has worn off and I'm not sure if things will ever be the same again. Dramatic much?

Swordspoint- Ellen Kushner

This was a very strange book, made even more so by the fact that half of the audiobook is totally narrated by the author while the other half has a cast reading the dialogue, very confusing.

I did not get into this story until about 80% in. I just did not like the world Kushner built Perhaps I am a bit of a prude, but the fact that all but one of the men were bisexual and that the whole society is built on killing everyone you simply don't like just bothered me.

I also wasn't a huge fan of Alec or Richard. Richard, the main protagonist, has no definitive personality traits. While Kushner put so much effort in making Alec a mysterious enigma that his character just did not make sense. He went around psychotically alternating between haughty and arrogant to suicidal to cowardly and scared, so strange.

Furthermore, some of the supporting cast all blended into one person for me. (exp. Ginny and Katherine) I did not realize that they were 2 separate characters at the start. They had the same background, attitude, tone... etc.

It wasn't until the end when things where clarified that I thought, oh, this is interesting, this was a well thought of plot. I appreciated the little twist and how everything fell into place.

In a nutshell, wasn't a big fan at the start but really enjoyed it at the end. It will only get a 3/5 stars though because I felt like I was wasting my time for a big chunk of the book.

Would I recommend it?

Hmmm... not particularly. While it does have a tight and interesting plot, there are way too many better books out there.

Young Plus Magazine

This isn't so much a review as it is a concerned observation. I was at Silkor a couple of weeks ago, idly flipping through a Young Plus Magazine while waiting for my appointment (Note to Silkor: Some magazine variety would be nice, thanks).

Young Plus is a Teen mag. with the usual Celeb gossip, teen advice, etc. As I got to the fashion section, I thought "yay, maybe this magazine will have affordable suggestions." - If you've  ever gone through the adult magazine's (Cosmo/Grazia/..) you know what I'm talking about.
To my horror, those guys were suggesting 500 AED dresses and 1000 AED bags! GAH!



Don't believe me? Well, here are few suggestions off their website:


Gaudi AED 725




Patrizia Pepe AED 1350


Gerard Derell AED 1770

The items are displayed under a "Steal her Look" section, whereby they post a celebrity's photo and breakdown her outfit.

How disturbing is that?! What kid of message are we sending those kids? That in order to look like your favorite celebrity/role model you need to purchase shoes for 1,000 AED?! Is this the norm now? Cause if it is that's just seriously messed up yo.

This is just so wrong. I don't want to hear any of the "This is how the new generation is" crap. It has nothing to do with a "generation". Last time I checked 13/14 year olds don't work and even if they do have part time jobs (highly doubtful in Dubai) the amount of money they made could possibly cover the zipper on that jacket. So I can imagine young girls asking their parents for that "awesome bag we saw on a teen mag!" and there's no way that would end well because if:

A) We buy 13 year old 2000 AED bags then we're raising a society of high maintenance princesses with no value for money.

B) We don't buy the bag, the kid would just feel left out and shunned by a society that finds this kind of behavior acceptable. If you're 13 and everyone around you is wearing Versace while you're wearing H&M it will seem like the end of the world.

At the end of the day, people will do as they wish and as they see fit for their children but perhaps widely read magazines can put some thought into the content they are publishing and see the effect beyond their sales target.





 

Blackmoore- Julianne Donaldson

I am disappoint.

This is not what I signed up for. I read Donaldson's first book Edenbrooke last year and I recall being blown away by it. Now I'm thinking I might have been delusional back then. This is supposed to be a clean adult romantic novel set in Victorian London. Adult novel means that the plot is going to be well developed and the characters are going to be mature. Sadly, this was not the case.

Main Issues with the book:

Horrible Female Characters 

How is it possible that every single lady in this novel, besides the protagonist, Kate, is a complete bitch. Every single one, I promise..
Let me introduce you to the Mean Girls



Kate's Mother and Sisters 

Oh my dear lord. In a nutshell, Kate's mother is a whore who entrapped her husband and proceeded to make his life a living hell. She now takes EVERY CHANCE SHE GETS to flirt with boys half her age, it is implied that she takes things further than just flirting. Eleanor, Kate's eldest sister, follows in her mother's footsteps and causes several scandals in London. Maria, the 3rd sister, is briefly mentioned and is portrayed as a brainless pathetic creature who just trails after the mother. As if that wasn't enough, Kate's mother treats Kate like shit the whole time, even going so far as throwing a hairbrush at her.. yes, very believable and mature. Bottom line, she's the mother from hell. Ok now, smile for mommy!



Sylvia Delafield- Kate's "Bestfriend"

I say "Bestfriend" in quotations because if this is friendship I'd prefer to surround myself with enemies. What a piece of shit. So this girl is absolutely useless, she's a spoiled little shit who can't even walk around in her house because it is " oh so tiring". She spends the entire book pointing out all the negative traits in Kate. Why!?

Mrs. Delafield- Sylvia and Henry's (guy protagonist) mother 

Wow, this character takes the cake. What an evil, psychotic, manipulative ice queen. She despises Kate, pretty much cause she comes from a family of hoes and takes every chance to remind her of how hated she is. Too much negativity.

Ms. Saint Claire 

This is the girl the Mrs. Delafield has picked out for Henry. She's disgusting. Kate goes on and on about how thoughtful and perfect Ms. Saint Claire is, but really she's a bitch. She insults Kate all the time by saying things like "oh, I heard that you have a horrible mother, you poor thing, I feel so sorry for you." I'm sorry... how is that thoughtful?!?!?! I just wanted to vomit all over her face.

Surrounded by all those mean girls we have Kate Worthington:



No one understands me, boo hoo boo hoo. I don't want to be like my mother and sisters, they're all sluts, I hate them, boo hoo. I want to be a spinster and run off to India because I'm 17 years old and heartbroken. As if I even know what that means. If I lived in the 21st century I would be cutting my wrists right now and drawing voodoo doll figures on my notebooks.

Kate's obsession with Blackmoore

Every summer Henry and Sylvia go to their country estate Blackmoore. Kate isn't invited because their mother hates Kate's guts. Now any normal human being would not want to go somewhere they are unwanted, right? WRONG. Kate is OBSESSED with going to Blackmoore. She throws tantrums every single summer when her friends go. Are we meant to feel sorry for her? I just think it's FUCKING WEIRD.



Clearly, this girl needs new friends or a therapist. 

Repetitive Writing 

"My hand crept up my neck" was repeated at least 3 times.
"I could feel Henry standing behind me" was repeated at least 4 times, sometimes on the same page.
"I must go to India"- Repeated a 1000000000000 times.
There was endless talk about Birds and being trapped in a cage and then some more birds. We later discover that Henry gave Kate a book about Birds, maybe this is supposed to show us her love for him? I don't know. Enough with the freakin birds.

India 

The British Dream! Feeling victimized and hopeless, Kate convinces herself that the only way to go is jetting off to India with her spinster Aunt Charlotte. Riiight, because sailing to a land colonized by the Brits who's people have been forced to "reform" and follow British rule is SUCH a great adventure! That's just sick man. 

This book read like a Young Adult novel, with juvenile characters and melodramatic OTT scenes. Not my cup of tea, would recommend it for Y.A. fans. 

One Grave at a Time (Night Huntrees book #6)- Jeaniene Frost

I write this review with a heavy heart. I LOVE Cat and Bones.They're the cutest couple out there. But their story should have ended 2 books back. 

The first 2 books were vital for the story and super amazing. The 3rd book was a filler but at least provided us with a backstory on Mencheres. 4th book was far fetched but gave us a conclusion to Cat's dilemma. That's it. Why didn't you just quit while you were ahead Jeaniene? We're able to stomach a 5th book but no more! 

Having run out of adversaries for Cat (Vampires first then ghouls), Frost created a threat in the form of a ghost.... 



Sirius is not impressed either.

The extremely random plot introduces Elizabeth, Fabian's old ghost friend, who tells Cat & Bones about the ghost of the evil witch hunter that killed her, Heinrich Kramer. Apparently Kramer torments people all year long until he becomes solid on Halloween, which is when he selects 3 women to shun as witches and burn at the stake. Oh, and this has been happening for years.



Are you telling me, that in world infested with Vampires and Ghouls who believe ghosts are harmless, NO ONE noticed that there is a very powerful ghost that has been floating around for centuries? Also, why would Elizabeth wait this long to seek help? Why didn't she go to the Voodoo Queen a hundred of years ago? 

It's not that bad of a plot compared to other shit out there but it's trying too hard. There really is not much more to add to Cat & Bone's story and this is a desperate attempt to keep them alive. The side plot was super lame as well, not gonna even get into that. Sadly, the subplot sets up the story line for book number 7. Surprise, Surprise, this time the threat is human! Vampires, check. Ghouls, check. Ghosts, check. Ah, yes! I haven't thrown human threats at Cat & Bones yet, let's try doing that! Ugh. I would have quit at book 6 but book 7 is the last book, so might as well. #Firstworldproblems



Another sign of desperation is the increased sex scenes. Cat & Bones relationship is awesome and super cute. However, we don't need added steamy scenes between them to convince us that they are still going strong. Again, they just served as page fillers and a respite from the boring plot. 

As heartbreaking as it is, this series is long over due an ending. On a positive note, the spin off books are great, so that's something to look forward to.

Sons of Anarchy- Season 1

When I was a kid, one of the things I wanted to be when I grew up was a motorcycle club member. I romanticized it in my head, never mind that I'm scared shitless of motorbikes, I dreamed about the leather jackets, helmet donned over my pretend waist length black hair, bad boys with 6 packs, me zooming down the road on my badass motorcycle (I know nothing about bikes, but that didn't hinder me). Then I grew up and realized there were 2 types of Motorcycle Clubs; the actual outlaws that consist of mostly fat white trash or the wanabes with well paying day jobs who drive around together on the weekend and hang out at Starbucks. I was crushed. Not as much as when I found out that Pirated where actually dangerous somalis that you don't want to fuck with and not replicas of Johny Dep in Pirates of the Caribbean, but my little heart broke a little none the less.

Sons of Anarchy has given me the chance to retreat back into my fairytale world where crime is cool and bikers are the shit. The show is set in a town called Charming.. lol.. ruled by the outlaw club SAMCRO (Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, Redwood Original). Let the badassery begin!

Cast

Charlie Hunnam as Jax Teller

The main protagonist, Jax is the Vice President of the club, second to his stepfather who took over the club after Jax's father died. Jax is the show's best and worst character. Why? Because he's unreal. Surrounded by scumbags, Jax is the NICEST guy on the show. No, you don't get it. His junkie wife OD's when pregnant with their child and almost kills their baby and he visits her everyday and tells her everything is going to be ok... say whhaatt? Combine that with the fact that EVERYONE else in the show is a complete piece of shit and you know something isn't right. This character was created to be loved by the audience. The writer wants you to side with him, feel for him and like him. They might be trying a bit too hard though because sometimes his niceness just doesn't make sense. That being said, I totally fell for that trap. I'm on team Jax and he propels this show's success IMO, at least in this season. 

Ron Perlman as Clay Morrow

Jax's stepfather and SAMCRO's (the club) President. He's got a sledgehammer for a face, no wonder he played the Beast on Beauty and the Beast (TV show). Anyway, once you get past the face and some of his piece of shit moves, you realize that this is a true leader and true leaders sometimes have to make tough decisions. I respect, even if I do not agree, with Clay's character. He's a guy that's trying to protect his club and his people in anyway he knows how and sometimes he just fuck ups but he has to move on for the rest of the club.

Kim Coates as Tig Trager

I HATE this guy. Biggest asshole out of the whole lot. I guess Coates does a good job with this character cause he incites in me such murderous notions. Wow, what a dickhead. This is your typical brawn over brains character. Thinks the solution to everything is murder and violence. He's the cause of 50% of the trouble within the club since he's such a fire fueler and all he does is spread his venomous and paranoid thoughts on to Clay. Hate this guy!

The rest of the club is divided into the oldies who usually take Clay's and Tig's side and the young ones who seem to share some of Jax's milder, less murderous personality. While they contribute massively to the plot, they don't really matter that much as the show is more about Jax and how the MC affects him rather than vice versa. 

Katey Segal as Gemma Teller Morrow

Katey Segal, better known for her role as Peggy in Married with Children. It's not a massive change. As Peggy she's a manipulative harmless bitch in a sitcom and as Gemma she's a manipulative harmful bitch in a drama. Gemma's Jax's mother and her sole purpose is to keep him from straying from the club. I'm not sure if this is for his or her sake. She's not a very pleasant character in all cases. Katey's a good choice for this character as she just generally has a bitch face and pulls off badassery to a T. 

Maggie Siff as Tara Knowles

What a whore. Jax's ex-girlfriend who ran off alone to Chicago 10 years ago after failing to convince Jax to come away with her. She shows up out of the blue, now a doctor, claiming that she just got a good job in Charming. Liar. She came back cause she was running away from someone and knew Jax would protect her. User. And of course, as Jax is set up to be the Martyr who's good to everyone, he helps her. I don't like her! She also has a constant furrowed brow look that I want to punch off her face.

There are a bunch of other characters like Jax's wife, the corrupt police officers, the good police officers and the ATF agents but I don't care about them.

Plot

The way I see it, there are 2 main parallel plots. The first is Jax's inner struggle with the club. There's not much backstory on that, which sucks. All we know is: Jax's baby was born in the pilot and he found a manuscript his dad wrote about his dreams for a lawful Motorcycle club. After that, Jax clashes with Clay about a number of things and tries to deal with stuff in the most peaceful manner. The other clubbers throw comments about him changing after his baby was born. So was Jax a heartless bastard before the Pilot?! Cause from his actions, I get the impression that he's always been a sweetheart. So a bit confused there, but meh, will forgo this. The second plot is the romance soap opera drama cliche. Whyyyyy, why do they have to do this to perfectly good shows?!?! Introduce stupid love triangles and romantic conspiracy theories. It was enough that they had Tara show up and stressed Jax's feelings towards her but why the convoluted plots involving his soon to be x-wife?! This isn't a soap opera, it's a gangster show god damn it! The first plot line is worth putting up with the lame shit though, so we're all good.

The Good Stuff

• Insane Soundtrack. This might look like an insignificant thing, but putting on the right song to accompany a scene just makes it a 100 times more effective. Love the soundtrack 

• Well cast main character. Katey Sagal and Ryan Hurst got Golden Globes in 2011 on their performances. I did not see an award winning acting yet though, so maybe it's upcoming. 

• I'm such a sucker for Bad Boy/Good Girl romances. So while I think Tara needs to crawl into a hole and die, I still enjoy the interactions particularly when Jax says things like this:

"You wanna know how many women I slept with over the past 10 years? Hundreds, maybe more, I don't know. I barely see their faces. I married Wendy cause I was lonely. Because I got tired of the endless disconnect. It was just a sad time out. Because when I'm inside someone there's only one face I see. When you came home it was like some kind of sign to me, like my past coming around giving me another shot to do this different, better. Now that chance is running back to Chicago."

It may not sound as romantic in writing, but TRUST ME, you had to be there to truly appreciate it!!!

The Not So Good Stuff

• As I mentioned above, it's mostly all about Jax. I mean I don't mind watching Jax but I like shows/literature that can build on more than one character at once. Other characters start to seem flat and single minded when you put all your efforts into one person. Especially for a show that's supposed to center around a club containing many people. Don't get me wrong, there's character development all round but it could have been more refined.
• Gemma's mystical powers. This is a handle that the writers rely on way too much. An extremely "observant character" ferreting out stuff to help move the plot along. It's good if used properly but they pushed it with Gemma. 

          Example 1: Gemma looks in Tara's bag and finds a gun. She then sees Tara at the fair looking             distressed. With her laser vision, she figures out EXACTLY who Tara is looking at in the split           second before Tara turns away and instantly suspects that this is someone Tara wants to protect           herself from. Hence, the gun.

• The Mayans. A rival MC comprised of horrible actors. So much cringe. There are tons of Mexicans in Cali, I'm sure they could have found hundreds of better actors then the robots they cast.

This was a good first season. Started very slow, but by the last couple of episodes, I was hooked. I found myself pulling out my laptop at 3 am in the morning after coming back from a late night out to finish watching an episode. Now that is dedication! I guess I will be watching the second season, even after I ruined the whole show for myself by accidentally finding out what happens in the end.. Spacktard, I know :(.