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Angelfire (Angelfire, #1)
Angelfire (Angelfire, #1)
Courtney Allison Moulton | 2011 | Young Adult (YA)
8
5.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
3.5 stars

So Angelfire took me a bit to get into. I started it at the end of August and well... It didn’t draw me in for quite a few chapters and even then I wasn’t too fussed about reading it any chance I got. It was probably about a third of the way in (and it's pretty long) that I finally realised what the story was about that I started to gel with it.

The probable romance between Ellie and Will certainly helped things along. I knew there was something between them previously, or at least a friendly companionship. It was just in the way Will behaved around her.

As for the more normal aspect of the story: friends and parties, I have to admit that I wasn’t too interested in that. I also figured that Landon had feelings for Ellie early on, though she was entirely blind to that until it was pointed out to her by many of her friends.

Family wise, I would love to know what's going on with Ellie's dad. Why has he gone all psycho suddenly?

I guess I'm interested enough in the plot to continue the series at some point but not right now.
  
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013)
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013)
2013 | Action, Animation, Family
Runs at about <0.2x the pace of the first, with the exact same breed of that formularized 𝘙𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘵 & 𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘬 style non-plot drivel I detest. But otherwise? Yeah it was cute enough to suffice. Still gets docked a half star based solely on the sickly oversweetened last half hour filled with monotonous genre tropes and atrocious, badly-aged family-friendly pop crap (anyone remember Cody Simpson lmfao). But the foodimal designs here are so fucking cute holy shit - and just speaking generally the thing is an energetic, luminous laser light show to look at which manages to not only distinct itself from the original; but also packs ceaseless creativity in practically every inch of every frame. Plus the animation that's used to do so, even looking at it today, is gobsmackingly beautiful. Add in that it's occasionally pretty damn funny (again, if not matching up to the rate of the first) and that these characters are impossible not to root for even if they're merely a shadow of their former selves and you've got yourself a really nice time. I've always liked the subversion and general respect given to the Sam Sparks character in this relationship and I'm glad to see it remains intact with this one. Shame we never got any more of these.
  
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    Garden Plants Bible

    Garden Plants Bible

    Catalogs and Education

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    US Butterfly Bible

    US Butterfly Bible

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Haunted House Murder
Haunted House Murder
Leslie Meier | 2022 | Mystery
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Weak Novella
Halloween is coming, but everyone in Tinker’s Cove is talking about the old, abandoned house in town. While it looks run down from the outside, someone has bought it and moved in during the middle of the night. However, they aren’t very friendly, rebuffing Lucy’s and other’s attempts to welcome them to town. Then the rumors start flying and strange events start happening. What is really going on in this house?

I know that the Lucy Stone series is extremely popular, but I struggle to get through the stories I have read. Part of it is Lucy’s family. I haven’t spent enough time with them to look past their faults and love them, I guess. And, let’s face it, that is often what we have to do with people in real life. In this case, I found the story to be better suited to a short story than even a novella. It’s not bad, but it felt drawn out and a little forced.

NOTE: This story is a novella, roughly 100 pages, and was originally part of the novella collection Haunted House Murder. If you have that book, there is no need to buy this ebook. If you haven’t read the story, now is the time consider this Halloween trip to Maine.
  
The Adam Project (2022)
The Adam Project (2022)
2022 | Action, Adventure, Comedy
4
6.6 (13 Ratings)
Movie Rating
I really didn't get a lot of enjoyment out of The Adam Project, but in the interest of fairness, it's not without its merits. Most importantly, I can only imagine how much of a blast kids will have watching it. It's family friendly presentation, copious amounts of Ryan Reynolds, and it's main young protagonist make it a done deal in that respect. It's helped along by some snappy action moments, some good humoured dialogue, and some genuinely touching character beats.
Personally though, the jarring editing and conflicting tones are hard to look past. The comedy and seriousness aren't well balanced at all, and the often and sudden switching of on screen proceedings feel scrappy. It's comes across messy. Zoe Saldana crops up about halfway through and feels like she's walked in from a completely different movie. The CGI is hit and miss. Sometimes it's ok, sometimes it's ropey, and then there's poor Catherine Keener, who is subjected to possibly the worst bout of digital de-aging I can recall.

The Adam Project isn't a completely awful experience, it's just a very cookie cutter sci-fi action that feels instantly forgettable. As mentioned though, kids will undoubtedly love it, which can only be a positive.