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Matched (Matched #1)
Matched (Matched #1)
Ally Condie | 2010 | Young Adult (YA)
6
8.0 (35 Ratings)
Book Rating
2.5 stars.

I normally really like dystopia books but this dragged for me. It was very slow going and not much seemed to happen. It was mainly following Cassia around in her social life and meeting up with Ky occasionally.

The start was promising. I liked the idea of having matches and that hers was with her friend but then came the flash of Ky on her port and I was intrigued where it was going to go from there...and in a very long winded, round-about way we kind of found out.

The best bit for me was probably about 20 pages from the end when Cassia is having the conversation with the Official. Eye-opening conversation...though not enough for me to be bothered about continuing the series.

I like books with continuous action and this was so slow, it's taken me over a week to read instead of the two/three days normally.
  
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Rodney Barnes (472 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Control in Video Games

Nov 16, 2020  
Control
Control
2019 | Action/Adventure
Gameplay and story (0 more)
Very Hard at times (0 more)
Creative Masterpiece
Contains spoilers, click to show
I was not expecting to enjoy playing this game as much as I have. I have played through twice in month's time. People find the story is weird and strange but I think its very creative and very good. Jesse Faden, through a series of strange encounters, becomes the director of the Fedeal Bureau of Control (FBC). They investigate out of the ordinary events and items. Jesse is the main hero and she has special telekinetic powers that help her battle the Hiss. Entities in the Astral Plane that have invaded our world through the actions of the previous director. They take over people and are drawn to Objects of Power in our world. Objects of Power are things like traffic signals, floppy discs, things that have power in certain situations. Jesse was not at the FBC to become director but to look for her brother. Great game and great story. I recommend this game to any gamer.
  
U(
Ultraviolet (Ultraviolet, #1)
6
8.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
2.5 stars.

Hmm...well this started very slow and made me more aware of the fact that I'm not a fan of books that take place in mental hospitals/institutes.

It took a long time to get anywhere and I was on the verge of giving up when Faraday appeared and I started to get excited, thinking the story would pick up and get on with it. Unfortunately, we stayed in the mental hospital for another good portion of the book and we went through what synesthesia is, which I admit is very interesting, but didn't give much away with the plotline and where it was going. It was about 150 pages from the end when it started getting good and from there I more or less devoured it, only for it to turn rather sci-fi-y. I like sci-fi sometimes but not in this. I kinda felt let down.

I don't think I'll be reading the next book in the series.
  
All That Lives (Inspector McLean #12)
All That Lives (Inspector McLean #12)
James Oswald | 2022 | Crime, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
You would have thought that by book 12 things would be starting to get a little stale with Inspector McLean but let me reassure you that this is absolutely not the case. Let me also reassure you that this can be successfully read as a standalone although I would recommend you read previous books in the series just because they are great!

Once again, Mr Oswald writes a thoroughly riveting and engaging story that mixes the past, present and the 'strange' with ease. The plot is complex with a few strands but it all comes together in the end but not without twists, turns and some pretty 'hairy' and emotional moments along the way.

Mr Oswald creates excellent, believable and memorable characters that stay with you long after you have read the last page and I eagerly await the next.

Thank you to Headline Publishing and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
  
Project Hail Mary
Project Hail Mary
Andy Weir | 2021 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
6
7.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
I remember reading "The Martian" in 2014, 2015, thereabouts.

Watched the movie no long afterwards.

Enjoyed both, but not enough to make me hunt out any others by the same author, so never (yet) read "Artemis" by the same author.

Then saw this on sale on Kindle, for something like 99pence, so thought I might as well give it a chance, after checking it was not part of a series i.e. could be read as a standalone (which it can).

Like The Martian, I found this enjoyable enough, maybe a bit slow during the middle section, but I'm also left with a burning question at the very end - just what happened back home on Earth? The novel completely bypasses that, perhaps as it's pretty much all told in first-person perspective from the astronaut/science teacher Ryland Grace, the last survivor on board the spaceship Hail Mary on a last-ditch effort to save Earth.
  
In Safe Arms (My Truth #2)
In Safe Arms (My Truth #2)
Ann Grech | 2019 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
9.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
stunning emotional read!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book two in the My Truth series, and I read it back to back to book one, All He Needs. While not strictly necessary to read book one before this one, I would personally recommend you do. Spoilers, is all you’ll get but book one was a 4 star read cos of one minor niggle that is explained in my review.

We met Angelo and Tristan in book and there were some indications to what might be in store for them in that book. Rick (Angelo’s brother) Mason, and Caden all pop up here, hence the spoiler tag.

THIS book, however, does NOT have that niggle and is an altogether different, difficult, heart-breaking, gut wrenching, sobbing kind of book!

I mean from the very beginning, when Tristan begins telling the tale, it’s awful reading, what happened to him at the hands of a family friend. When he is on the streets after, and what happened to him and his friend then. Tristan really does break your heart.

Then when Angelo takes up the story? OH, I wanted to wrap that man up in cotton wool and protect him! From Tristan of all people cos you know, right when they meet, Tristan is gonna break Angelo’s heart! And he does, just not in the way I was expecting.

Angelo is smitten with Tristan, right from the start, but Tristan comes across as straight and all Angelo can do is be a friend for Tristan. Then Angelo notices things, little touches, glances and the like, and it makes Angelo think.

When Tristan breaks down and finally tells Angelo everything that happened, you’ll cry, you really will! I rarely react to such extremes when READING, but I was sobbing great wracking sobs when Tristan was telling Angelo! Listening, I react more for so . . . . . oh. . . . .I need to LISTEN to this, I really do! Someone narrate it, please!

But I digress, sorry!

Because of Tristan’s history, the physical relationship between him and Angelo is slow, and takes time to build. There is an emotional connection from very early on, but the physical stuff comes much MUCH later in the book. And I LOVED that it did. Often, things move too fast for characters who suffer like Tristan did, but not so here. I did think, at one point, it might not ever happen, at all but once Tristan is able to talk to Angelo and then to professional help, things get much better, very quickly.

This is only the second book I’ve read of Ms Grech, after All He Needs, but I need to read more. She has a way of breaking your heart I’ve not come across before!

This is NOT a light and fluffy read, this is NOT a short book, both in page length and time span, this is not one of those books you can fall into and forget the world. This IS however, a stunning read that I read in one sitting and I stayed up way, WAY past my bedtime to finish it. I needed to know that things turned out okay for Angelo and Tristan, and I could not leave their story midway through.

5 stunning stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
Knox (Monsters of Veridia #1)
Knox (Monsters of Veridia #1)
Silvana Falcon | 2024 | LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Did not see the cliff hanger coming at me!
Independent reviewer for BookSirens, I was gifted my copy of this book.

I have not read anything by this author before, so while the blurb grabbed, I was unsure how the story would be delivered.

But bloody hell, they NAILED it!

Except for maybe one teeny weeny thing, that I might or might not have missed when I requested this book, so I'll come back to it.

Adrian is human, and Knox is incubus from an online book he's been reading. So why, is the object of his dreams, on his bedroom floor, after crashing through his roof? And who else came through with Knox?

I loved this, I really did! Adrian and Knox have a say, along with Daniel, who is Adrian's friend and Caelen, Knox' arch enemy. I love hearing from every one, I really do.

It's smexy, what with Knox being an incubus, but I did find the emotional connection a bit one sided, with the majority coming from Adrian. He has been betrayed at the highest level, and I did NOT see how coming at me. His perception of his body causes him the biggest issue, but Knox has no problems with it!

Coming back to my niggle. While it's clear this book is first in series, I might have missed that it finishes on a bit of a cliff hanger! Knox and Adrian get their HFN ending, but the book doesn't. And I was NOT prepared for that! I can cope with cliff hangers, *IF* I know they are coming at me.

I see Daniel and Caelen playing a huge part in the next book, hopefully, and I feel there is MUCH to Caelen we do not know, and that he is not all he appears to be. My book brian went *ding ding ding* at a point in this book, and I look forward to seeing whether that comes to pass. And Leon will need a story, cos, clearly, he has things hidden from his friends! Lyrian and Zev need a book too!

I look forward to (hopefully!) getting my hands on future books!

4 very VERY good stars (but only cos of the cliff hanger thing!)

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
Back Cover Copy: William Caverly can't seem to understand the unsettling feeling that has been nagging him for far too long. Memories of a baby sister are forever haunting his waking hours, and as he sleeps at night, he is repeatedly awakened by nightmares, confusing ones that he'd rather forget. His baby sister died. He saw her little body laid to rest beside their mother. But that doesn’t explain the dim remembrance he has of an event that happened not too long after that.



Charlotte Porter's days are full and busy as she diligently teaches her young art students at her mother's boarding school, and tries desperately to stay away from an annoying suitor. Painting has been her passion and dream ever since she could hold a brush, but lately, she has begun to question her mission and calling in life. What is her real purpose? And why does she know so little about her father, who supposedly died before she was born?



William thinks he's discovered the hidden link that has kept him from his sister for over fifteen years. But then she's kidnapped, leaving William no choice except to find her and get her back. Once and for all.





My Thoughts: This is an exciting series of books, and although this is book 2 in the series, I was able to jump in and follow the story easily. I do recommend that the reader reads book 1 in the series " A Higher Ransom", only because this is such a wonderful and exciting series. This novel is full of adventure and mystery.


The characters are enjoyable, and the readers will have their favorites. The storyline keeps the readers' attention and flows at a good quick pace. There isn't any lagging in the storyline, and the plot is interesting to follow. I believe that the readers', like myself, will enjoy the fact that the author uses plenty of scripture that compliments the plot of the novel.


I will be looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.