Reviews by alissende

The Body Finder has an interesting premise, (one not unlike Charlaine Harris' Harper Connelly series) but it doesn't manage to live up to it. Its main problem is a complete lack of tension, despite dealing with a serial killer targeting a small town. Kimberly Derting's rather workmanlike prose doesn't help, nor does the fact that there's rather more about the main character's unrequited love for her best friend than her search for the killer. The mystery parts are dealt with quickly and are very unsatisfactory.

The romance side of the story also fails to deliver, mostly because the main characters are very flat. Violet is poorly developed, and we know very little about her beyond her ability and her crush on her best friend. Jay, the best friend, is overbearing and annoying, and equally two-dimensional. The other characters are straight clichés, from the bitchy popular girl to the loud-mouthed athletic type and the dim-witted hanger-on.

All in all, the Body Finder fails to deliver, and I think I'll be skipping the sequel.

Jane by Design is based on the slender premise of a young girl getting employed as the assistant to a major fashion designer. Jane is a fashion conscious high school reject. She lives with her layabout older brother, who seems reluctant to get a job to support them.
Jane applies for an internship at a fashion company and accidently ends up applying for the job as assistant to Gray Murray, major player. Obviously nobody looks at her CV and she gets the job, which she ends having to keep because otherwise she and her brother will be evicted from their house. It's all a bit flaky to be honest.
Most of the first two episodes are based on Jane having to be in two places at once, and we are treated to many scenes of her changing in a car and rushing about in high heels. It begs the question whether the writers will ever be able to move on from this. Time will tell, I suppose.

Once Upon a Time having just started its winter break, I think now is the right time to pen a quick review. In short: I love it!
This show really is something new and fresh. Sure, the fairy tales used are the ones we all know, but it does not simply rehash old material, it tries to give it a twist. And it does rather well where it could have easily fallen on its face.
The photography is wonderful, the scenes set in the fairytale world are very believable, the actors are very good. All in all, a winner.