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Only Ashes Remain (Market of Monsters #2)
Only Ashes Remain (Market of Monsters #2)
Rebecca Schaeffer | 2019 | Young Adult (YA)
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.

Only Ashes Remain by Rebecca Schaeffer is the second novel in her Market of Monsters series. To give a fair review, I read the first book, Not Even Bones. I will review the first book, but this review concerns only Only Ashes Remain.

After Nita escaped and destroyed the black market, she just wants to be left alone. When a video of her abilities appears on the dark web, she knows she must go on the offensive. With the help of Kovit, Nita starts to take revenge on the person who sold her to her kidnappers. With everyone searching for her, Nita needs to do whatever it takes to stay alive and free.

Even though I enjoyed the first book, I discovered I needed a break before reading the second. Once I did begin reading this, I found I enjoyed this more than the first book. This book could be read as a stand-alone novel, but reading the first book would enhance this one.

This story is darker than the first, but it is a fun read since the writing makes you feel for all of the characters, including Kovit.

A third novel, When Villains Rise, was published in 2020.

This 200-word review will be published on Philomathinphila.com.
  
The Fate of the Furious (2017)
The Fate of the Furious (2017)
2017 | Action
*Director's cut*
A thick protein shake of testosterone, motor oil, concrete, government tech, sweat, and smashed metal - features enough hilariously inflated machismo and mic drop one-liners to fuel at least fifty blockbusters. Obviously when going from James Wan to any other director you're going to see a downtick in visual quality, but Gray still makes this thing a gorgeous splashpad of obvious color signifiers to look at - with some of the most clean vehicle action you'll ever see. I'll always defend an unlimited number of these sequels no matter how little story there is, but it was a genuinely ballsy move to make Dom one of the villains (alongside a ripper Theron) - to which I'll convince every Diesel detractor to look at because this showcases how passionate and committed he is towards this character, every act of betrayal is played like it's physically tearing him apart from the inside. Another thing I love about this series post-fourth-one is how it features some of the coolest action superstars partaking in scenes of prolonged emotion that most other actioners would probably toss aside. Definitely the funniest installment but wtf happened to Luda here? The dude is usually charming but he sleepwalks through every scene in this one. Every gripe I do have is relatively minor considering this has sequences of a giant wrecking ball tearing through vehicles, The Rock and Statham beating their way through an entire prison, and an all-timer setpiece where dozens of cars start driving themselves tearing through the city.
  
Batman: Gotham After Midnight
Batman: Gotham After Midnight
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This novel contains 12 episodes of Batman stories, each full of action and crime and excitement. It includes Man-Bat, Axe-Man, Clayface, The Joker, Killer Croc, Catwoman, Scarecrow and the new villain, Midnight. At first, Batman is trying to figure out why his villains are suddenly changing their patterns. But then Midnight comes into the scene...

Batman becomes rather attached to a police officer, although Bruce Wayne has no success with her. But can he save her from this strange, crazy new murderer?

The detective side of this - especially toward the end, when Batman is close to discovering Midnight's identity - is fantastic. Full of suspense. Of course, his encounters with the enemies are great, too. I wasn't sure about his relationship with April, but I like how it all fit together in the end.

The inner monologue - and even the dialogue - wasn't great. The text that was chosen for this also wasn't the wisest. But the story got told and that's all that really matters in the end.

And Alfred... I love him! He's witty and smart, but also caring and wise when it comes to dealing with Batman. He often has to tell Batman to pull himself together and to stop being an idiot. I think he may be my favourite character.

The art was great and I liked the story, but the dodgy, clunky monologue was quite off-putting. Even so, it was an easy read still so it obviously wasn't that bad. I think I'll say 4 stars for this, though I may be being a little generous there.
  
Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019)
Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019)
2019 | Adventure, Family
silly fun (0 more)
Swipe was a pointless character (0 more)
Contains spoilers, click to show
Dora and the lost city of gold brings the characters from the ‘Dora the Explore ' together for a live action adventure. The film starts when Dora is six and her cousin Diego goes to live in the city. Ten years later Dora's parents get ready to find a lost city so, for safety they send her to the join Diego. Finding that Diego has changed over the years and that city life is nothing like living in the jungle leaving her upset and friendless. During a school field trip, Dora, Diego and two of their classmates are kidnapped by treasure hunters in an attempt to find Dora's parents and the lost city.
Dora and the lost city of gold is a classic children’s jungle adventure; you have kidnapped adults, jungle traps, quick sand (I can’t remember the last time I saw quicksand in a movie, may be Jumaji 2), Ruined cities, giant, possibly man eating plants and a bit of cartoon physics.
The cartoony side of the film is a bit odd, the film is trying to include all the main characters from the series and this includes Boots the Monkey and Swipe the fox. Boots kind of makes sense, he was Dora’s companion throughout the cartoon and the character in the film did have an actual role that served a purpose, however Swipe seemed a pointless, his roll could have been performed by any of the other villains.
Over all ‘Dora and the lost city of gold’ is good, silly fun.
  
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