#Hidden Pictures

[arteapotstudio]

SHADOW ISLES hidden pictures

Last year I created a series of minigames for League of Legends, based on the hidden pictures childrens games on magazines. Three regions were selected: Shadow Isles, Piltover and Bilgewater. Unfortunately, Piltover was never published! But Shadow isles are definitely my favorite.

Can you find all the hidden objects in the picture?

[sweater-daddiesdumbdork]

I'm just gonna post my reads on here cause why not. This blog is my weird randomness anyways.

Book 32 this year was Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak.

It was good. I love a decent mystery and ghosts always make it that much more entertaining. The main character had her moments where I wanted to strangle her but for the most part she was cool. I was jealous of her cute little cottage. I want one.

Now it's back to some smutty goodness.

[prevailinghatred]

We don’t know how much our bodies can endure, until we make cruel demands of them.

— Russel, from Jason Rekulak’s Hidden Pictures

[builder051]

And just for fun…

What do you guys think?

I actually really want to know.

[headinbookishclouds]

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

“I see her every night,” Teddy says. “She sleeps under my bed so I can hear her singing.”

Without many job options, Mallory agrees to interview for a nanny job for a wealthy couple for their little son. Sure she’s failed, she’s ecstatic she’s got the job. Teddy is an adorable little boy who’s easy to care for. Thrilled, Mallory aims to do the best however things take a turn when Teddy starts drawing disturbing pictures, ones that keep getting worse and worse. Convinced something is haunting Teddy, Mallory is determined to put a stop to it no matter what. 

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak was such a captivating novel. I feel like it is pretty similar to a lot of other books because the plot boiled to its basics is pretty common. However, the storytelling itself really drew me in immediately with the first page discussing Mallory’s state of mind. As well, I loved the inclusion of the pictures. The images were so creepy and I loved that they were included, it was incredibly easy to visualise the urgency of what Mallory was experiencing.

I feel like there was a disconnect with the characters. They didn’t really register with me, oddly enough. I was more interested in the plot and what was happening rather than the characters. Even now, I can only recall a few of them. I’m not sure what would have made them more memorable but this wasn’t a deterrent to me at all. I enjoyed the mystery and the storytelling was really easy to get into.

3/5

See my review on GR!

[beetlecakee]

Lmk if u can spot any interesting details in my OCs art... :3c

[megan-the-artoonist]

One more thing I created on vacation! I was doing some Highlights hidden picture puzzles with my little cousins. I wanted to try drawing one myself, and they greatly encouraged me to! I made a scene inspired by our family games of pool volleyball, being sure to include the kids’ favorite animals and a couple other cameos.

[thevampriss]

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

9/10 - Not really scary but it was a GREAT read! Described the scenes extremely well. Loved the pace and theme of the book. Excellent execution of the story. The only thing I would prefer is that the ending was a little more dramatic for how long the build up was but I would definitely reread this book again in the future.

Quick summary: Woman named Mallory Quinn, who was a recovering addict fresh out of rehab, had applied to babysit for a wealthy family in an upscale suburb of Spring Brook, New Jersey. Teddy, the child being cared for, goes from drawing bunnies and balloons into drawing a murder scene that has happened and starts talking of an imaginary friend. Mallory takes initiative to solve the mystery to save Teddy from whatever is happening but the parents just insist that the boy is talented and they do not believe in mumbo jumbo nonsense because the wife is a scientist so Mallory takes on the challenge to save Teddy.

Get the book here

My thoughts and some spoilers on the book below ↓

Out of all the books I have ever read this one has the most unexpected plot twist. I feel like you get a feeling that maybe the parents know something, but Caroline and Ted Maxwell insist that since Mallory is an addict she is simply using again, has some trauma so she is making things up for attention and trying to find meaning in something that is not real. Throughout the whole book the author does such a good job of keeping Caroline so perfect and loving that I hardly suspected Caroline had any part of it until near the ending. I thought that their dismissiveness was more in reflection of Mallory's past and not because they were guilty. For as long as the story built up the ending, I really wanted the drama to be a little more dragged out than it is but overall it was a fantastic read. I was a little sad at the ending when the child didn't really want to see or speak to Mallory. I'm a sucker for happy endings but it broke my heart in a good way.

[merlotdom]

I’m reading a horror book about a nanny and I’m not even upset about the ghost I’m just scared every fucking day she’s going to lose this dream job

[poshandplush]

Hidden Pictures - Jason Rekulak

“One of the hardest things about recovery is coming to terms with the fact that you can’t trust your brain anymore.”

[lifesarchive]

HIDDEN PICTURES by JASON REKULAK (REVIEW)

quickly: a recovering addict gets a new job babysitting a haunted five-year-old. (a young woman trying to live a sober life / a child with a questionable existence / homes that come with guest houses and hidden gardens / disturbed suburbian parents / physical and spiritual battles with sobriety / weird and quirky superstitious neighbors / wickedly beautiful artwork from the spiritual realm / gardeners who make you want to break rules)

not too shabby. not too complex either, honestly. the tone sits firmly in the mystery genre, for me. the ghosts in this story don’t scare or thrill me, but they don’t bore me either. stephen king is quoted on the back cover as saying “the language is straightforward”, and that is absolutely correct. not much poetry or soul to the writing, but it was a full story! it was compelling enough to pull me to the end, but not my favorite ending. it has the kind of ending that you find in most “B” level thrillers (which is no shade, i love b-movies). the ending is a resolution, but it doesn’t take my breath away.

★ ★ ★

more thoughts: SPOILERS!

Some personal context… after a reading sprint that began sometime in March, I spent the past few weeks with THE BOOKS OF JACOB. It is a tome of a book, 900+ pages, and the most time I’ve spent with a book in years. It was an interesting and detailed world to be in, but I couldn’t wait to get back to the thriller/mystery/horror genre, and HIDDEN PICTURES is my return. I read it in less than 24 hours. 

The artwork really pulled me in, and wasn’t as gimmicky as it could have been.

The story opens up with Mallory reflecting on a paid health study she participated in which involved her being blindfolded in front of a group of men. She was instructed to raise her hand if she felt eyes on her, testing her ability to sense the male gaze. She was insanely accurate, telling the instructor that she felt a buzz in her mind whenever she sensed looks. The instructor offers to do more research with her, but Mallory trades her phone for Oxy and the lady is unable to reach her.

After this, we are immediately thrown into the present where Mallory is now sober and has been for 18 months. She is preparing to interview for a babysitting job with The Maxwells, youngish parents living in an affluent suburban enclave. After an awkward and stressful interview that involves her pulling out a piss test to prove her commitment to sobriety, she is hired. Caroline, the Mom, says they believe in giving people second chances, but you learn fast that you can’t believe anything they say.

Soon enough, five-year-old Teddy has formed a close bond with Mallory. The creepy pictures he draws always seem to show an entity hanging around him that no one else can see (but Mallory can sense). Teddy’s mom brushes the pictures off and tells Mallory not to encourage him. After the quirky next-door neighbor tells Mallory about the ghost stories surrounding the guest house where she lives, she eventually convinces herself that her guest house is haunted and the ghost is speaking through Teddy. Half right.

Of course, her pursuit of this tightens the underwear of The Maxwells, and so she begins to investigate under the radar. She enlists the help of The Maxwells’ gardener whom she’s told that she was a local student (and not a recovering person being given a second chance to get her life on track). Fast forwarding past the awkwardness of living with a married couple whose marriage is a thin facade of happiness, the “hauntings”, the creepy photos with the Samura-like girl in them, Mallory trying to confront the super rationalist parents about the supernatural realm, and Mallory trying to make contact to the ghost by ouija board… eventually the ghost jumps into Mallory’s body while she is napping and causes her to draw all over the walls of The Maxwell’s pristine white walls.

The rest is a loud and gory climax with a small scoop of falling action on the side. The parents fire Mallory because of the “artwork”, attributing it to some sort of mental break caused by recovery, and they give her 48 hours to get out. Alex, the gardener, is told about her true background as a recovering addict (but still wants to help her). She miraculously solves the mystery at the last minute and proceeds to do the dumbest thing that characters can do in a mystery/thriller… confront the bad guys with no backup, collateral, witness, or weaponry. The Maxwells reveal their devilry… they are kidnappers who stole a little girl and made her disguise herself as a boy. The child’s real mother, whom Caroline Maxwell killed, is who has been haunting little Teddy.

Caroline Maxwell plans to kill Mallory by drug overdose, but she’s saved by Ted Maxwell who secretly hates his kidnapping murderess wife (but has done nothing but enable her). A delusional Ted is killed by Caroline, in the midst of some pipe dream of him running away to some foreign land with Mallory. A chase ensues, with Mallory running into the woods with Teddy and hiding in a tree. Just as Caroline has hunted them down, the spirit of Teddy’s dead mother possesses her, getting Teddy to kill Caroline with an arrowhead conveniently found earlier in the story. 

That’s how most elements of this story felt. Convenient. The end, while loud and gory, seemed staged. Like I could see the beginning from the end. All the little easter eggs stood out like they had billboards above them pointing out “CLUE HERE”, or “FORESHADOWING”. Yet, I still enjoyed it. Like I would an R.L. Fear Street book. Three stars, but a high three. 

ADDENDUM: seeing from other reviewers how this author's work includes, deceptively, various ideologies used to other and vilify trans children and their parents (which makes me think back to that errant Harry Potter reference). Unfortunate and gross. Knowing makes the work even cheaper than it already was. Keeping my same rating, which was written and determined before I found out. I will definitely be more critical in the future.

[estro-gem]

Nobody nose.

Get it?

This picture has an eye, an ear, a mouth and a hand - but there's no nose.

Because who cares about the nose? Modern trends have us trying to eliminate our noses anyway. Besides, why draw a nose when I can draw an eye? Now that's the good stuff right there!

Have fun finding the "hidden" images.

Masterlist

[aquotecollection]

We don’t know how much our bodies can endure until we make cruel demands of them.

Hidden Pictures, Jason Rekulak

[bekah-reading]

DNF’ing Hidden Pictures. I scrapped what I was stuck on, and decided to pick a different read. Hidden Pictures was supposed to be a read that helped kick start my reading again.

I am having to DNF it. For my mental health I can’t read a book that is dealing with past or current drug usage right now. The few chapters I’ve read had continued references to the MC’s soberness and her past usage, which is fine, I just can’t right now.

Maybe I can pick it up again at a later date when I’m in a better space for it.

[shesamreads]

I don't feel like I have a lot of religious trauma, but when the main character says "I have surrendered my life to my lord and savior Jesus Christ," on page 5, I definitely feel hesitant to continue the story.

[bloodonthepages]

"I spend my whole summer pulling weeds. I need some escapist entertainment." "I understand. I watch the Hallmark channel for the same reasons."

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak.