I just don’t see how the person who wrote the pretty darn good The Secrets of Drearcliff-Grange School could write this mess. I only half read Anno Dracula. At page 152, I realized I was starting to hate all the characters, started skimming to see if/when things might improve. They do not; I got to the end, and never took a liking to anyone or anything going on. It’s kinda too bad, since the premise isn’t bad. Basically, most of the crew of Stoker’s original […]
Harry Potter Goes to Ms Peregrine’s
I was reminded of a cross between Hogwarts and Miss Peregrine’s schools. After her mother catches her floating in her sleep, Amy is sent to an all-girls boarding school, Drearcliff-Grange, that she discovers is actually intended for girls with special abilities like her, and/or daughters of famous criminals, scientists, and magicians. The school is divided up into houses as in Harry Potter, but unlike Harry Potter, these houses are named for Shakesperean ladies: Viola, Goneril, Desdemona, Tamora, and Ariel (even though Prospero’s spirit is referred […]
Charlies’ Angels with Sherlock Holmes at Phantom of the Opera
The premise of Angels of Music is cool: the Phantom of the Opera runs a secret detective service and employs ladies of the opera house as “Angels”. The set up reminiscent of Charlie’s Angels is pretty deliberate. There are several actual characters from the original novella by Gaston Leroux but in different forms. Christine Daee is one of the original Angels, and there is also a Raoul, but no Philippe, and a Count de Chagny. Where things get a little weird is that mix of […]