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Servant: The Kindred (Servant, #3)
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I almost feel bad having this series as my first review since I have absolutely nothing good to say about this book, or the series for that matter. Every element of this book was just terrible, from the language to the plot development, or lack thereof.
By the time I came to the final novel in the Servant trilogy, I quite literally had to force myself to read every page. Unlike the first two, where I became hooked on a goal that Gabrielle Cody was trying to reach, this book just grossed me out, bored me, and irritated me when I wasn’t bored. After the first chapter, I lost any hope that this novel was an improvement on the first two.
The foul language was so excessive that I noticed myself just passing over it like you would the word “the” or “and”. The fact that Gaby couldn’t form a sentence without saying the f-word seemed a bit juvenile to me. Foster’s attempt to make Gaby seem uneducated is contradicted when she randomly uses words like cathartic. It was out of her character.
The characters were more frustrating in this novel than in the previous ones. Gaby and Luther’s arguing left me so annoyed that, at times, I just skipped over it. I could not understand why Luther was so obsessed with her since any normal person probably would just ignored her from the get go. However, I felt that Gaby’s character had become more realistic in her feelings and thoughts. I actually liked that Gaby was so jealous of Ann, Luther’s partner who is perfect in every way. I also liked the relationship she forms with Bliss, a ex-prostitute that Gaby saved from the streets, and the two orphans that Gaby takes under her wing.
The biggest problem I have with this series is the pedestal that Foster place Gaby upon. Foster makes her protagonist so strong and unbeatable that, more than once, I thought that the author was trying to make Gaby a god on earth. Gaby only obtains one injury through the entire novel, a bullet wound that is used to further the plot. Without the bullet wound, Gaby would have never gone to get a tattoo. Nobody can touch Gaby, something I found not only a nuascance but unlikely.
The final noteworthy thing about this book, is that we discover Gaby ancestry. I felt appeased in my search for discovering more about Gaby’s past and parents. Any surprise I had about her parentage was nullified by Foster’s writing style.

I do believe I have complained enough about this series. I did have hope for it but was disappointed. After reading such an unpleasing series, I am going to read a book I know I should end up enjoying.
  
The Goldfinch (2019)
The Goldfinch (2019)
2019 | Drama
Theo Decker's life is changed forever when a terrorist attack on the Metropolitan Museum of Art destroys everything he holds dear. In the debris he finds a man who pleads with him to take his ring and go to a shop, the last words before he dies.

After leaving the museum he is brough to the home of the Barbours, the only place he seems to be able to think of and they take him in rather than see him become part of the system.

Things should slowly be getting back on track for Theo but the ring wasn't the only thing he took from the museum, in his possession he has The Goldfinch, a priceless painting that will have a hold on him his whole life.

Much like the book the film is not for the faint hearted, 880 pages has become 2 hours and 29 minutes on screen. You could probably cut another chunk off this but that change would inevitable mess with the pace, which I don't think would suit the story all that well.

I wrote a lot of notes as I sat in this film and I've had to reread them all because I can remember the film/story but I can't remember anything about how I felt about it. I left myself a handy note though... "I am incredibly bored by this."

I know that I will never make it through the book, even before the film it wouldn't have been a possibility, but I would like to know what amendments were made to cram the story into that relatively small time frame.

The thing that threw me was Luke Wilson, I don't think I've ever seen him in a dramatic role before, plenty of comedy that I really enjoy but no drama. I can't say this made me want to watch him in this sort of role again. I didn't find him convincing as Theo's dad Larry, at least not convincingly through the film. Alongside him there's Sarah Paulson, she's a great actress but I felt that (while entertaining) her show of Xandra was too over the top for a film with this tone.

Nicole Kidman always brings a character to life and this was no exception but I found the relationship between Mrs Barbour and the kids, particularly Theo, to be confusing and difficult to navigate.

Where do I start with Ansel Elgort... I saw him in Baby Driver, I wasn't a fan, I watched him in this and I wanted to see something better, I don't feel like I got that. Even with the restrained characters actors can still give the role a little glimpse of something to click with but I don't get that from Elgort. There was the briefest flicker when he's confronted by a customer but soon enough it was back to the base level.

On the plus side I found the younger incarnation of Theo, Oakes Fegley, to be very engaging on screen. He worked well with the others and added something a little lighter to the heavy aspects of the film. He worked particularly well with Finn Wolfhard as Boris, though that's another part of the film that stuck out as strange and seemed to hold little meaning other than to allow for the ending to come together.

I'm sure that this is for someone out there, that person was not me though. While it did have a few touching moments here and there I just couldn't make it past the long run time and the slow story.

What you should do

I would only recommend this to people who have read the book.

Movie thing you wish you could take home

A large antiques store to explore.
  
This book took me entirely by storm! I had a feeling it was going to be good, but to what degree I wasn't sure. This book and its characters took me 100% by surprise. This book is easily on my top 5 best books of 2013.

I've know Ilsa Madden-Mills for several months leading up to the release of her debut novel. She is absolutely an amazing woman! Not only is she a brilliant author, but she is beyond fucking amazing when it comes to supporting her other friends who are authors and bloggers. I knew she had it in her, but I never imagined this... VBT has it all... love, sex, dark troubling past, and a hopeful future. Ilsa writes like a seasoned pro. In no way did I imagine a piece of work of this magnitude coming in the incredibly sexy package that is a debut novel like Very Bad Things.

VBT, has an amazing heroine, a tough as nails love interest, the boy next door, and a horrible past. When you wrap all this up in fishnet stockings, a sassy attitude; you get Very Bad Things.

Nora, is an amazing character that really resonated with me. We didn't share the same past; however, but we did share the need to lash out and do everything on our naughty list. Nora, has been to hell and back and she still held her head high and managed to find her way to the guiding light at the end of her darkness.

That's where Leo comes into play. Leo has his own past and darkness and he doesn't realize that Nora is as much his beacon of hope as he is hers. He fights her advances at every turn and he tries to do the honorable thing and keep his head down and take care of his younger brother. Nora's pull is just too strong.

I won't say much more in the chance that I may give away more than I want to...all I have to say is... who knew being bad could feel so good?!

Check out Very Bad Things and feast your eyes and imagination on what is easily one of the best books of 2013.

You can thank me later...
You should probably thank the author too...
  
Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018)
Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018)
2018 | Action, Sci-Fi
Not as good as the first
I need to admit straight off that I was never a huge fan of the first Pacific Rim film. It was good, but never lived up to my admittedly high expectations. And I'm sad to say this sequel isn't even as good as the first.

What really let's this film down was the plot. It was ridiculously weak and silly, even for a film about giant machines and monsters. It was uninteresting and definitely made for a younger audience. Which was only too evident from the cast of mostly irritating teenagers. There also seemed to be a lot of minor characters thrown in for no real purpose whatsoever. The effects were good though and the fighting scenes were at least predictably impressive. These, along with a brilliant turn from John Boyega (who's sure to go even further than he has already), at least made this film bearable for its overly long run time. It's shame the rest of the cast were forgettable, although Charlie Dag wasn't half as irritating as he was in the original.

I'm afraid to say you can really tell that Guillermo Del Toro hasn't hand much of a hand in this. It's definitely missing some darkness,some seriousness and a little bit of heart. But like Transformers and other similar films, if you don't expect much then it's at least watchable.
  
    8 1/2

    8 1/2

    D.A. Miller

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    Book

    Federico Fellini's masterpiece 8 1/2 (Otto e mezzo) shocked audiences around the world when it was...

40x40

James Marsters recommended Blade Runner (1982) in Movies (curated)

 
Blade Runner (1982)
Blade Runner (1982)
1982 | Sci-Fi
8.5 (75 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"Of course taken from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick, a short story, and like a lot of his books, it paints a world where technology has vastly outstripped our morality. We can create artificial beings that are every bit as human as we are, to any measurement, and yet we still treat them like a machine. What does that say about how human we are? I think in the age of cloning and bio-medicine that is exploding right now, with every month, it seems there is some new problem that is jeopardising our morality as human beings. It just seems like we should be very careful in the next hundred years. Philip’s very clever in saying this is what is going to happen, if we’re not careful. I also think it’s the best noir that doesn’t have to have gumshoes ever. He’s successfully made a noir in a new setting. One of my favourite things is the flying blimp with the picture of the Asian lady taking the pill in close-up. How perfect is that? We’re seeing those commercials now, where they say the side-effects maybe your hair falling out and so on. How they talked to Coca-Cola about the product placing on that building, I’ll never know. "

Source
  
Change of Heart
Change of Heart
K.M. Neuhold | 2019 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Change of Heart is a wonderful, heart-warming story that actually covers an intriguing topic - organ transplants and the emotions that go with that. I was immediately gripped by this story, from the heart-rending opening, to the devastation Easton lives with. I loved the little snippets you got, just enough to make you wonder - why did River's heart flutter when Easton was nearby? Why did he feel loss after the transplant? Now, this is fiction, but there are documented cases where someone's behaviour or tastes have changed. Can it just be the 'trauma' their body has been through, or something else? I love the possibilities.

Now, back to the book, River and Easton are the perfect pair. I know Paul was it for Easton until the accident, but the quality of Ms. Neuhold's writing is such that I can't imagine a more perfect partner for Easton than River. No, not everything is easy, and yes, I did want to whomp Easton over the head as he kept putting off the big reveal, but at the same time, I found it to be completely understandable.

Easton is a graphic artist, and the use of the colours given throughout the book not only made perfect sense to him, but to me as well. Did I have tears in my eyes when River showed him his graphic novel? Maybe just a few 😉

Change of Heart deals with a very hard subject, the love and loss of the person you thought you'd spend your life with, and Ms. Neuhold worked it perfectly. It could have become a bad love triangle, with River competing with a ghost. Instead, it was River and Easton throughout the book, with Paul being there, almost tangible, but never in the way. I loved the photo frames at the end, but won't say more than that.

There is nothing about this book I didn't enjoy, and I have no hesitation in highly recommending it!

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
Die Alone (The Bone Field #3)
Die Alone (The Bone Field #3)
Simon Kernick | 2019 | Crime, Thriller
9
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Wow ... just wow!
Wow ... just wow!

What a thrill-a-page that was!

This is the third and final instalment of "The Bone Field" series and what a series it's been. You could read this part as a standalone but I think you would appreciate and have a clearer and better understanding of Ray's motivations if you read the previous books although not essential as Mr Kernick provides adequate snippets so you can easily keep up.

This book is just brilliant; full of action, scenes of peril, violence, tense and tender moments, fast-paced, gripping, well written and easy to read.

DI Ray Mason is a complex and very interesting character and although he may not always follow the rule of law, you find yourself rooting for him and willing him on through his many scrapes, tussles and near misses with the "goodies" and the "baddies".

Tina Boyd is one of my all-time favourite female characters and I loved that she returned for this final outing - more books with Tina as the central character please Mr Kernick 😀

Alastair Sheridan is a fantastic baddie. Politician, murderer, arrogant, full of his own self-importance and a thoroughly repulsive and obnoxious creature ... yes, I say creature because he's not good enough to be called a man, a human being or even an animal! The seething hatred I have for this "thing" oozed from my every pore as I read this book and I couldn't read it fast enough to find out what fate had in store for him.

I feel quite sad that this is the final part and although I realise that to eek it out would dilute the impact and stretch the bounds of reality somewhat but I really, really would like to read more books featuring Ray - maybe a series of stories of his life "on the run" in various countries around the world - I would be the first in line ... hint, hint Mr Kernick 😀

I can't thank Cornerstone, Penguin Random House UK via NetGalley enough for my advance copy in return for an honest review; I am very grateful that I was chosen and thank you.
  
Wants And Needs (Fan Service #7)
Wants And Needs (Fan Service #7)
Hinsel Meyer | 2025 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
WANTS AND NEEDS is the seventh and final book in the Fan Service series, although you can read it as a standalone, as I did. Did it impact my understanding of the characters and storyline? If I were being completely pedantic, then yes, but only because I kept getting Wolf and Hawk mixed up in my mind through not having read their books. Otherwise, a resounding no!

Carter is a sweet character whom we first meet in London, as he prepares to sell the family home. After he has completed that task, he catches a flight back to LA, where he saves a sixteen-year-old girl from the sleazy attentions of an older man. Her brother, Liam, is meeting her at the airport and is understandably concerned when he sees her being friendly with a man he doesn't know. Liam is also autistic and has some problems picking up facial expressions and social cues.

The slow-burn relationship between Carter and Liam was written so perfectly! Liam's version of autism was so clear, it made it easily understandable to anyone unfamiliar with it. And I say his version of it, because it isn't a one-size-fits-all situation. Carter's acceptance of Liam was pure, and I loved how he wasn't afraid to ask others for help when he didn't fully understand the situation or know what the best thing to do was.

This is the first book by this author I have read, and it won't be the last. If I don't read anything else, I need to read the other books in this series! I loved all of the characters and absolutely need to read their stories!!! If they are written half as well as this one is, I know I will love them all. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by me.

** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jul 18, 2025
  
Ripped (Mars Fitness #1)
Ripped (Mars Fitness #1)
Linden Bell | 2023 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
EDIT: I requested this book and had completely forgotten that I'd already read it, but the blurb still pulled me in, so that was good. Even though I could remember the story once I started, I was still loving the read, as the emotions and circumstances kept me turning the pages.

I'm so happy I have re-read this and can honestly say all my previous comments still stand. A great way to start a series and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by me.


RIPPED is both the first book in the Mars Fitness series and also the first book by this author I have read. Let me start by saying I want more! Both of the series and by this author.

Connor's world is upended when he walks in on his boyfriend and best friend after getting home from a spin class. No, they're not 'doing the do' but it's pretty obvious anyway. Distraught, he ends up back at the gym and collapses on Sawyer and Donnie. Whilst this is a pretty quick start to Donnie and Connor's relationship, it is also not rushed. Both of them feel attraction immediately, but they also both have issues they want to work through.

One thing I absolutely adored was that Connor's family was dysfunctional! It made a nice change from a cookie-cutter family where, even if there's a disagreement, it's sorted out with minimum fuss. I'm sorry but not all families are like that! The other thing that got me was when Donnie was talking to Roger and his parents. So emotional and perfectly written. Grief isn't linear and it doesn't always make sense. I loved Roger's presence in this story, comfort and encouragement instead of power and threats, even if he is dead.

A great read that I couldn't put down. I want to see more of Connor and Donnie and I'm really hoping they turn up in Sawyer's book, which comes next. HIGHLY recommended by me.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Mar 28, 2023
Jan 22, 2025