UNWILLING - UNWILLING (1 DVD)

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The Unwilling is the story of Judah, a foundling born with a special gift and raised inside Highfall castle along with Gavin, the son and heir to Lord Elban's vast empire. Judah and Gavin share an unnatural bond that is both the key to her survival... and possibly her undoing. Much of the book follows the kingdom of Highfall, including its evil Lord Elban, his assistant, the Seschenal, and the four children. The children are all in their late teens and slightly beyond by the time we meet them. Gavin is Elban's firstborn son, and the next Lord. Theron is Gavin's younger brother, who is supposed to lead the army, but would rather be solving mental puzzles. Eleanor is Gavin's betrothed, bought from another village before she was even ten years old and groomed within Highfall ever since. Judah is the foundling, brought to the Lady of Highfall (Gavin's mother) on the same day Gavin was born. Judah and Gavin have been raised together and somehow feel what happens to each other physically. Especially because of this, Lord Elban hates her, but can't get rid of her as he wants her safe only so Gavin isn't hurt. Following so far? 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. 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).

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. Like The Rizen’s choice of casting a strong woman as its lead, The Unwilling’s choice to cast a man who suffers from mental illness (who is not a homicidal manic) as its lead will serve as the pinnacle of my praise.After the death of an elderly rich man (Lance Henriksen), his relatives gather at a secluded house to go over his will, which is interrupted by the arrival of a cursed book. I can’t really say much about Henriksen’s performance here, because he probably only had around one-hundred seconds of screen time, if that. I guess he must have charged by the hour, but when you have such a prolific actor as one of your key selling points, the best thing to do would be to use him.

This was a very dark, depressing book with hardly any redeeming qualities. Four children are forced to grow up together in a fortress in an oppressive totalitarian state, and are neglected at the best of times and horribly abused at the worst (and that abuse is often depicted graphically). If some relief or respite from the horrific mistreatment of these characters occurred, then perhaps the book might have been better. But it seemed that no matter what, life would never get better for them. Outside of these 4 characters, the other people depicted in the book also led dismal hopeless lives. I kept waiting for something to happen to make things even a little bit better, but when that seemingly might happen, nothing really changed. classic, the unspeakably great Planes, Trains & Automobiles. So grab a glass of wine or even some premature eggnog, and join us as we dive into an unmissable Thanksgiving/holiday favorite on this episode of NO NOTES. Dialing a few more numbers, he asked his questions and hung up. “She’s not at the neighbor’s house or with either of her best friends.”Big thanks to the team over at MIRA Books (HarperCollins) for the advanced review copy of this book! It will be published on February 11, 2020. The Unwilling is epic fantasy in its purest form. Kelly Braffet’s worldbuilding is striking - switching from the vivid to the austere effortlessly. But it’s her characters, particularly the female ones, that shine the brightest. 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. I need to call my wife.” French dialed the phone and watched emotions play across his partner’s face. Sadness. Worry. Anger. “She’s not answering.”

That is seriously just the basics, folks. I found the characters to be engaging, and had a degree of sympathy for almost all of them (okay, Lord Elban really was just a sadistic asshole). One of the most important things for me with any fantasy book is the ability to actually imagine the world the author has set up. While I'm not entirely confident in saying I sort of get what the Work was, I think that was also part of the point. The Work was a mystery, and could never be fully explained even if it was real, if that makes any sense.The Unwilling is crime fiction at its absolute best. An impeccable story teller, John Hart weaves an intricate tale of family, war, prison, and murder into a thoroughly thought provoking and enjoyable read that I absolutely could not put down." —Mark Greaney, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One Minute Out The girl who started life with no name and no history will soon uncover more to her story than ever imagined.” 3.5 stars. a psychopath ) on death row calling the shots in a prison. I realize it’s fiction but this just doesn’t work for me. The other villain was a psychopath too. An enforcer. Gory beyond all imagination He was one of the creepiest characters I have read in a long time. The ending-It wasn’t tied up completely and left some things hanging. Not to give the ending away, but again-totally implausible. ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY: Judah is a foundling with a special gift raised together with and sharing an unnatural bond with Gavin - the heir to Highfell Castle, her gift could be her key to survival or her undoing. He took his hand from the switch, wondering if she’d known or merely guessed. As his eyes adjusted, he saw more of her shape. Water rose to the curve of her breasts, and her arms were wrapped across her shins.